Bookseller synopsis:
One extraordinary woman.
One hundred years of history.
One unforgettable story.
Violeta comes into the world on a stormy day in 1920, the first daughter in a family of five boisterous sons. From the start, her life is marked by extraordinary events. 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.
Told in the form of a letter to someone Violeta loves above all others, this is the story of a hundred-year life – of devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy. Bearing witness to a century of history, it is a life shaped by 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 humour will carry her through a lifetime of upheaval, Isabel Allende once more brings us an epic that is both fiercely inspiring and deeply emotional.
My reading experience:
Firstly I would like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my free ARC.
Told by a narrator that is anonymous to the reader , about a place that is described but remains in-named, this memoir is a meandering review of a past long ago. Less of a letter and more documentary, the events are disappointingly told without emotion and seem to just be a recollection of pictures rather than passion.
That said, the writing is good, description powerful and it is definitely a documentary of the past. I didn’t find it compelling however it is a slow and steady read, something to be enjoyed on a rainy Sunday.
Appletree Books 