Violeta is a coming of age story written in an epistolary style in a very long manuscript she sends to her grandson, Camilo. The protagonist, Violeta Del Valle, came into the world with the Spanish influenza pandemic in 1920, and, now 100, faces the Coronavirus pandemic. There is a lot of “telling” here as Violeta packs a century’s worth of her incredible life—as well as the salient world and Chilean events—into 336 pages. After the world economy crashes with the Great Depression, her family is “exiled” to a farm in Nahuel in southern Chile. She finds herself there while living a very modest life. As time passes, she also writes of her loves including her torrid affair with an abusive man (and Camilo’s grandfather). An astute business woman, Violeta steps out of the restrictive roles permitted women and embraces feminism. Allende firmly places Violeta’s life within changes in women’s rights, religion, and politics as Chile moves from a fascist to a democratic government. The cover is lovely as well, matching the contents of the book.
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Violeta is available through:
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