Violeta

Isabel Allende’s latest novel is in effect a letter from Violeta to her grandson Camilo. It is a beautifully written account of her life from birth to death. Born in 1920, she lived a century, dying in 2020, and actively pursued the cause of human rights, especially for abused women. The setting is never mentioned specifically by Violeta, except to place it in South America. As the author herself grew up in Chile, moving there from Peru at age 2, it is safe to assume that the country where the story takes place is Chile. Violeta is a historical novel with moments of triumph and great loss; I enjoyed it very much.