Isabel Allende is a superstar of Latin American literature alongside Gabriel García Márquez, one of the most famous women in South America, a holder of numerous awards, author of books translated into dozens of languages, with total print runs that steadily approach one hundred million copies. Allende's new novel, inspired by her mother's life, unfolds in a giant multicolored panorama. Before us is the story of a passionate and strong woman who knows how to laugh, no matter what—a truly epic heroine. At the beginning of this story is the Spanish flu epidemic, at the end is the coronavirus epidemic, and in between unfolds the long life of Violeta, her hundred years without loneliness. In this life, there will be prosperity and poverty, dizzying loves and devastating disappointments, terrible losses and overwhelming joys, the birth of the new, the inevitability of death, and inevitable wisdom. The 20th century—the Great Depression, wars, the rise and fall of tyrants, the fight for women's rights—will leave a mark on the fate of Violeta, who was born one stormy night and lived a tumultuous life to the core from the first to the last minute, from pandemic to pandemic. In Allende's hands, private life transforms into a grand saga, instilling hope when hope is exhausted, and inspiring when it is difficult to move forward without inspiration.
