Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Violeta by Isabel Allende

26 reviews

j9wan's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

Slow start, then interesting but just not to my taste, I struggled to get through it at times. I learnt a lot about Latin America and specifically Chile, which I hadn't looked into before.

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gracescanlon's review against another edition

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It's...fine.

That's the trouble, actually. It's fine. I could only read this before bed, because it kept putting me to sleep. That is, in a small way, also a compliment - Allende's prose, its rhythm, is soothing. But the book is also boring boring boring.

I've been trying to read more diverse books. Even so, Allende in general has been on my TBR, as a renowned female South American author. However, leaving the country where the book is set unnamed was frustrating to me. I've learned since abandoning this book that it's set in Chile, but as I read it, the vagueness of the location irked me. I want to know more about other places. Leaving Violeta's setting unspecified was counterproductive to that - it just wasn't a choice I liked or appreciated. I'm quite aware that that's a personal problem, and that Allende's choice was purposeful and valid, but I don't have to like it.

The amount of people in the reviews who were at all surprised as to Camilo's identity is baffling to me. It's so blatantly obvious to me that he's her grandson, or at the very least a grandson-like person in her life. Y'all need to work on reading comprehension.

Violeta seems, to me, aimless - an odd sensation, given it's the story of a woman's life that spanned throughout tumultuous times. But even 35% through the book, Violeta has only been "involved" with contemporary world events tangentially, if at all. 

Also, the older Violeta telling the story has a little personality, but her younger self has very little. Honestly, the side characters were all more interesting than she was, from Torito and the Rivases to her aunts and Miss Taylor. 

So, ultimately, I didn't care, don't care, can't care. I'll be donating or selling this book.

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mal_reads_books's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I liked the storyline and the characters, though something about the narration style made me feel distant from it as a reader. I couldn’t connect with the characters or feel invested in the story as much as I would’ve liked.


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lexcellent's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0


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eddalyd's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Der flotte Erzählstil lässt die Erzählungen oft oberflächlich erscheinen. Interessant waren sie historischen Streifzüge. Weniger gefallen hat mir, dass immer wieder betont wurde wie wohlhabend Violeta sei bzw. dass sie auch durch ihre Beziehungen viele Vorteile genießen konnte. Sie kam oft stark privilegiert rüber, was die Geschichte teilweise unrealistisch wirken und mich kaum mit Violeta sympathisieren lassen hat.

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leinie's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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fireinherveinzz's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Violeta was very unlikable to me but she was relatable . Also just wow . This really reminds of wild swans but instead of a 3 generation story it’s just hers . 
Everything from the depression , to genocide, to domestic and financial abuse to addiction . And learning how to really live again at a mature age. Just wow.

if would’ve been interesting to see her grandsons reaction to reading this letter .

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nreyno's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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jamieclower's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5


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amandamuchmoreparker's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25


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