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ClareR (6253 KP) rated Violeta in Books

Apr 14, 2023  
Violeta
Violeta
Isabel Allende | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I’m late to Isabel Allende, and so this is only the third book I’ve read of hers (A Long Petal of the Sea and The Soul of a Woman are the others).

Violeta tells the story of a woman’s life over 100 years. It starts during the Spanish flu and it’s terrible repercussions, and goes on through both tumultuous political times and Violeta’s own turbulent past - her life and her country’s history pretty much mirroring one another.

I felt consumed by this story and I’d come up for air, wondering why on Earth I hadn’t heard of Allende before A Long Petal?!

This, I believe, is the history of Chile and there are a fair few autobiographical bits of Allende’s own life thrown in for good measure. What a life the fictional Violeta and her family experience - and what a force Violeta is. She needs to be as well.

I can’t believe that 100 years could be fit into such a relatively short book without it feeling rushed.
It really is a wonderful read.
  
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure
Marvel does Mystical Martial Arts
Marvel (the film branch) is mainly known for its superhero movies.

We've had Origin stories (upon origin story upon origins story ...)

We've had 'fish out of water' comedies (see: Thor)

We've had outright sci-fi/sci-fantasy (see: Guardians of the Galaxy)

We've had political thrillers (see: Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

We've had team-up (see: The Avengers)

We've had crime capers (See: Ant-man)

Up until now, we've had no Martial Arts movies (sorry, Netflix's 'Iron Fist': you don't count as a movie).

We've also had no movies with a mainly Asian cast. Until now.

This also brings back the 10 Rings organisation (first name-dropped all the way back in 2008's 'Iron Man'), with the plot outline of the movie actually quite different than what I expected - lots of Martial Arts sequences (the fight on the bamboo scaffolding is a high-light), the usual Marvel musings on family, and one or two character inclusions that I wasn't expecting (but really should have been) ...