VioletaVioleta
What it's about
Violeta del Valle, born in a South American country during the 1920 flu pandemic and dying during the COVID pandemic a hundred years later, writes a letter to her grandson about her life: her family's ruin in the Depression, her passionate love affairs, her children, and the violence and politics of her country.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's a sweeping family saga by Isabel Allende.
You'll love it if you liked
The Wind Knows My Name
The Kitchen God's Wife
Black CakeGood to know
It spans a century.
By the numbers
- Readers42 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
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Quick answers
Is Violeta worth reading?
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 61.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Violeta about?
Violeta del Valle, born in a South American country during the 1920 flu pandemic and dying during the COVID pandemic a hundred years later, writes a letter to her grandson about her life: her family's ruin in the Depression, her passionate love affairs, her children, and the violence and politics of her country.
How long does it take to read Violeta?
About 8 hours (337 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Violeta?
If you liked it, try The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende, The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan or Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson.