"I think you’ll see that my life story is worthy of a novel, because of my sins more than my virtues."
Summary: This was my first time reading anything written by Allende, and she did not disappoint. Violeta is a novel that follows Violeta over her century long life. She lives through major historical events: the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1920, the great depression, the beginnings of the women’s movement and the rise and fall of Pinochet. Through it all, we see how Violeta is loved, left, challenged and ultimately changed.
This was my first time reading anything set in Chile. Other than my vague knowledge of Pinochet and his brutal reign, and the Paranal Observatory, my knowledge on Chilean history is ver surface. Violeta was a wonderful introduction into the personal impact of Pinochet's rule and how this intersected with the women movement in Chile.
1920 to 2020: Violeta’s life is bookended by two global pandemics. She is born into the pandemic of the Spanish flue of the 1920’s and dies in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Because the pandemics are the book ends of her life, we do not get much of an exploration on what it means to live in quarantine, or living with the fear of disease and death. What I did appreciate is that the presence of two major pandemics felt like a reminder that people have survived global health crises and will continue to survive them.
The boring boy or the bad boy: one of my favorite parts of this book is how Allende writes about a crossroad that every woman has found herself in: stay in a dependable, albeit boring relationship or strike out with the alluring but emotionally dangerous man? Violetta chooses to leave. She spends a good chunk of her life in emotional turmoil trying to make her relationship with Julian work, including when he becomes abusive, moves to Miami with his daughter Nieves, and keeps cocaine “on hand and considered as harmless as tobacco” (172). I hated how much Violetta tried to make this relationship work because I myself have tried to make relationships work that were not very good for me. I hated how easily women and money came to Julian. Why do these kinds of men always win? But Julian meets his match in Nieves, as she “was the only person in this world Julian loved more than himself” (171). Eventually, my feelings were avenged when Julian lost the greatest love of his life-- twice. First she leaves him by choice, and then through death. Of course, I don’t know how to square that with the fact that Violeta also suffers the same loss. All I know, is that I mourned with Violetta, but I also felt like Julian deserved it.
Floral imagery: You can sell me on just about anything if there are flowers involved. There wasn’t as much floral symbolism as I would have liked but I did enjoy the inclusion of flowers through the names of Violeta, Camilo and the Camellia House.
The Camellia House: Only a small part of the story takes place in the house. But the description is so stunning. It’s the kind of description I would hand an architect to buildmy future home:
"The front door of carved mahogany, opened into a wide, dark vestibule that lead to two sitting rooms, the library, the formal dining room, the billiards room, and another room that was always locked… The second wing of the house was separated from the first by a courtyard paved in blue Portuguese tile with a Moorish fountain… and a profusion of potted camellias; these flowers gave their name to the property: Camellia House" (16).
Ultimatley, this read was not disappointing. Allende's ability to write a life in context of larger political events is exeptional.
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