Violeta

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This sweeping novel from the author of A Long Petal of the Sea tells the epic story of Violeta Del Valle, a woman whose life spans one hundred years and bears witness to the greatest upheavals of the twentieth century.

“An immersive saga about a passion-filled life.”—People


ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: PopSugar, Real Simple, Reader’s Digest

Violeta comes into the world on a stormy day in 1920, the first girl in a family with five boisterous sons. From the start, her life is marked by extraordinary events, for the ripples of the Great War are still being felt, even as the Spanish flu arrives on the shores of her South American homeland almost at the moment of her birth.

Through her father’s prescience, the family will come through that crisis unscathed, only to face a new one as the Great Depression transforms the genteel city life she has known. Her family loses everything and is forced to retreat to a wild and beautiful but remote part of the country. There, she will come of age, and her first suitor will come calling.

She tells her story in the form of a letter to someone she loves above all others, recounting times of devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy. Her life is shaped by some of the most important events of history: the fight for women’s rights, the rise and fall of tyrants, and ultimately not one, but two pandemics.

Through the eyes of a woman whose unforgettable passion, determination, and sense of humor carry her through a lifetime of upheaval, Isabel Allende once more brings us an epic that is both fiercely inspiring and deeply emotional.

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Published Jan 24, 2023

320 pages

Average rating: 7.12

258 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

MujerForestal
Nov 23, 2023
10/10 stars
The best book I have read this year. It’s a historical novel full of passion, love and hope.
Rosebuds
Jun 11, 2025
9/10 stars
Interesting book . It really covers the life of Violeta The book take you back to a time when women's right was nothing. Its good to know women has the rights today that was so needed. This is something we will continuously flight for or it will be taken This women Violeta define acceptance of society from a young age until her old age. She was an exceptional woman , she reminded me of my mother who was independent and ambitious in her own way. Mom never allowed society to control her drive and her achievements in life. My mom was almost the same age as Violeta Great book
Felinelo
Jan 24, 2025
6/10 stars
2.5
GNikki
Jan 06, 2025
10/10 stars
AMAZING! Had me sobbing like a baby at the end. Beautiful written
Blayre
Apr 07, 2024
3/10 stars
2-2.5 / 5

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