Violeta: A Novel by Isabel Allende

 

Violeta: A Novel by Isabel Allende-322 pages

Violeta is telling her life story in the form of a letter to someone she loves.  She is born in 1920, the youngest of 6, the previous 5 being boys.  Her mother is sickly and spends most of her time in bed throughout Violetas life..eventually succumbing to consumption.  Her father dies when she is fairly young.  The Great Depression has a lot to do with his death and between the two events the family is forced to live in the country with some distant relatives.  They ride a train into the countryside with as much as they could pack from their previous lives.  Violeta goes from a life of privilege to one of hard work.  But she realizes that this is the best time of her life and will reflect years later on how she came of age and how it taught her valuable lessons that will see her through the hard times. 

She lives through a Great War and the fight for women's rights.  She survives not one but two pandemics.  She is married, and yet has many passionate affairs.  She experiences love and tragedy through her two children.  Through it all she is strong and a survivor.

I enjoyed it very much.  Though I must confess I got lost with all the different names because I was not familiar with any of them.  I like to think about all of the changes that people who lived during these years went through.  They truly were the toughest generation.