I feel badly because on Instagram stories (after getting about 90 pages in), I told you that I was only medium on this and wasn’t so sure how I felt about it. Things turned around quickly: I was on the plane for my flight to Anguilla, and became totally captivated/mesmerized by the story. It is truly (in the spirit of Black Cake last month), a masterpiece, an epic saga of sorts and I loved it so much. It spans a full century; starting with the Spanish flu and ending with COVID-19, a hundred years later. Violeta is writing to an unknown friend or family member (you find out who it is later), telling them the story of her (hundred year long) life. From her family’s downfall and subsequent exile to the mountains of South America to her first marriage, the births of her children, heartbreak, death… I could go on. It is wonderful. There is so much love in this book but also so much tragedy. The last hundred pages especially, I was reading it alone at dinner in Anguilla, close to tears. I absolutely loved this book and think you will too. Order on Bookshop.org or Amazon!
Author: Isabel Allende
