As she turns one hundred, Violeta Del Valle writes a letter to her true love telling how the upheavals of the last century have shaped her life. Born in 1920 as the Spanish flu ravages her South American homeland, Violeta's childhood is marked by the Great Depression. As she grows older, Violeta's life is shaped by the world events that rage around her - the struggle for women's rights, the rise and fall of dictators, even a second pandemic.

If I just told you the basic plot points of Violeta, you'd think it was this epic read. But you couldn't be furthest from the truth. Instead, Violeta read like the Wikipedia article of someone's epic life. Told with the dullest storytelling ever, I felt absolutely nothing as I read the book. The dispassionate writing style kept you at a remove from the characters, not allowing you to share in their joy or sadness or frustration. Violeta ended up being an absolute waste of my time.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Ballantine Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.