Violeta

About half of our Hythe Reading Group had read Violeta. - some of having read and enjoyed her previous Long Petal of the Sea a couple of years ago. This was the story of one woman’s life over a century of change-with each section spanning 20 years. Something of a feminist tale - written as a letter to an at first unidentified Camilo ( her beloved grandson) . Explores her marriages, romances, women’s sexuality, pregnancies, lack of civil rights, lack of access to divorces, onward through struggles for financial independence, and ultimately happiness.
Where was it set? Confusing at times - a generic S American country over the last century - bordered by the Spanish flu and Covid.
Based on her mother in some ways? Certainly spans her mother’s life. They had corresponded every day for years - 24,000 letters!. Wondered why she had not placed it more clearly in Chile as many of the events were based on real events there - military coups, political upheavals, earthquakes, dictatorship of Pinochet, horrific atrocities committed by the state with the collusion of the church.
Stretching credulity how a woman that age was able to write so eruditely? Morphine induced ? Writing on a computer.
Her writing about her sex life to her grandson was somewhat unbelievable.
A epistolary confessional . Distant memories so perhaps blurred?
Contrived?
Easy to read- interesting storyline,
A good read but not a great novel by any means and not one of her best.
Did become engaged with the characters and some of the issues - women’s rights. feminism, domestic abuse,
Distanced from the characters and events as written at third hand - we never feel we are actually there in the action as it unfolds as it is very much a memoir.
Enjoyed the interweaving of historical facts - shades of Barbara Kingsolver’s writing. ( recommendation for The Lacuna as a favourite book)
Scores were generally in the range of 6-8. Total of 87 so average of 7.25.