Reviews with content warning for Abortion - Violeta

Violeta tells the story of Violeta, a Chilean woman who has lived a memorable and fulfilled 100 years of life. She recounts her life to a young man named Camillo who you later learn who he is and his importance to Violeta later on in the book. The tales she tells are ones of war, passion, loss, and rebirth.

I adored the plot of the book, how a woman was retelling her life and all the hardship and triumphs she went through. How she became her own independent woman and escaped an abusive marriage to raise two children. How she handled her own money, had passionate affairs, and helped take care of an extended family. I loved how Violeta acknowledged her mistakes that she made and didn't try to excuse her actions just accepted them and moved on. Her love for her family and her romances were interesting to read about.

I enjoyed reading about Chile and all of the history and culture that this land holds. How it has been through so many wars and revolutions in its lifetime, how the government mistreated and cruelly mislead it's people at some points. The only thing that took me out of the story was Violeta as the narrator, it didn't read to me like she was emotional about certain things or moments and just felt like any other narrator. Not a person who was retelling her amazing life she lived. If that little thing was changed then I could have rated the book higher and enjoyed my time with it more.

Despite the narration issue, I had a good time with this book and is a must read for fans of historical fiction!

Content Warnings

madelynmonet's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

oceanwriter's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Normally I really love deeply character-driven stories such as this. While there were parts I did enjoy, something didn't sit right for some reason.

Nearing the end of her life, Violeta recounts her story starting from her birth in a small Chilean town. We follow her and her family through pandemics, political changes, and other important shifts in history as the decades pass. With this also comes the natural milestones of life such as adolescence and starting a family. All of this is told in a letter to her grandson.

For something that appears to be so close to the author, there is a glaring lack of emotion and empathy. I didn't feel connected to Violeta at all, nor did I find myself particularly caring partway through the part of the book. Until then I was finding the narration reminiscent of The Dictionary of Lost Words. Overall, I found it just okay.

Content Warnings