Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Sound Of Butterflies

by Rachael King (Goodreads Author)

3.32 of 5 stars 3.32 · rating details · 476 ratings · 114 reviews

It is 1903. Thomas Edgar, a passionate collector of butterflies, is offered the chance of a lifetime: to travel to the Amazon as part of a scientific expedition. Hoping to find the mythical butterfly that will make his name and immortalise that of his wife, Sophie - for if he finds it, he will call it the "Papilo Sophia" - he eagerly accepts the invitation, and embarks on...more

Hardcover

Published by Picador USA (first published March 26th 2007)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Butterflies

25th out of 163 books — 83 voters

Books By New Zealand Authors

96th out of 380 books — 141 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 972)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Aug 13, 2007 Marianne Elliott rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who enjoys a gripping adventure with brains

Shelves: fiction

It took me a while to find a way in to writing a review of this wonderful book. I felt that the fact that the author is one of my most treasured friends might be influencing my objectivity and yet, I knew that this was a great book. It is a good read, but I also think it is an important book, one that challenges the reader to face unpleasant truths about our flawed human nature and one that addresses a question that I believe we each must answer for ourselves in the face of the terrible injustic...more It took me a while to find a way in to writing a review of this wonderful book. I felt that the fact that the author is one of my most treasured friends might be influencing my objectivity and yet, I knew that this was a great book. It is a good read, but I also think it is an important book, one that challenges the reader to face unpleasant truths about our flawed human nature and one that addresses a question that I believe we each must answer for ourselves in the face of the terrible injustice in this world.

Part of the strength of this book comes from Rachael's ability to write characters who, despite their many flaws, are compellingly real and who somehow elicit our empathy. In these characters we see something of ourselves and - most importantly to me - we are forced to confront the choices we ourselves make to either remain silent or to speak out.

For me this is the heart of "The Sound of Butterflies", the terrifying choice to speak the truth. As a human rights lawyer I may have read my own story into Thomas's but whether or not other readers see it I was struck by the accuracy with which Rachael describes the paralysing burden of knowing unbearably terrible things.

Here in Afghanistan I struggle with the temptation to stop trying to communicate the terrible things I see here to those I love, I consider choosing silence. In this context "TSOB" strikes me as being one of the very few novels I have ever come across that explores this very struggle, and I wonder whether it shouldn't be recommended reading for the many stay-at-home partners of humanitarian workers.

By the way: I feel all the more confident in my assessment of "The Sound of Butterflies" now that it won the NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction. Here is what one of the experts from the judging panel had to say ‘Rachael King’s strength is her rich, lush and sensuous prose; she has a forte for depicting characters we feel compelled to empathise with,’ says Dr Millar.

Yeah - what she said (actually I had come up with the point about empathy all by myself!). Because really, what good would a novel set in the rich, lush and sensous setting of the Amazon river at the turn of the 19th century is the author writing it couldn't rise to the occasion with prose that was rich, lush and sensous enough to transport us all there. (less)

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 08, 2007 Kevin rated it 4 of 5 stars

A novel with the common theme of The White Man entering a primal jungle and finding himself succumbing to his primal instincts. This one is a bit different. The protagonist Thomas, loves butterflies. I mean he really loves butterflies "When he caught sight of his first Morphos, their blue wings shining in the sun like stained glass, he felt a familiar stirring in his trousers. This was something he couldn't explain and had long ago given up trying to. Ever since he was a young lad, his body had...more

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 02, 2008 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, british-isles-theme-setting, latin-america-theme-setting, book-club-selection

This novel raced to the top of New Zealand's best seller charts- the author, Rachel King, is the daughter of one NZ most-celebrated historians and writers (Michael King, The Penguin History of New Zealand). King is also the step-sister of a member of my then-book group. I will hold confidential the discussion we held at PLONK, a frou frou wine bar in Christchurch (I recall having a pot of herbal tea...),

I tried hard to like this novel. The narrative- which moved between Victorian England and the...more

1 like · like · see review

May 08, 2008 Hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who fancies a many-layered adventure

Shelves: fiction, adventure

Apparently, 'The Sound of Butterflies' was inspired by themes surrounding a factual rubber baron from Peru named Julio Arana, however the story is still a beautifully fictional construct with a collection of vivid and very 'human' characters. Admittedly, the relevance of a handful eluded me a little, but I certainly appreciated the gritty honesty King writes into every one of them, including her protagonists.

Her use of language was completely captivating and absorbing. Every page was a pictorial...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 03, 2007 Abby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This sweet, deceptively simple novel touches on so many different themes and tropes, that reflecting on it, it is a marvel the author carried it all off, and did it so well.

The Sound of Butterfliesis about manners and conventions, love, trust, and social justice cradled in the familiar narrative of the white man entering the jungle and succumbing to his most basic instincts. (A lo-carb Heart of Darkness if you will.)

While the ending felt a little rushed and was wrapped up a little too nearly, t...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 25, 2008 Naomi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am a fan of Michael King's work and so was interested when I saw that his daughter also wrote fiction. Ultimately, I was rather unexcited by this story though I liked the idea of it and the first half of the book had potential. Agatha, Sophie's friend seemed fantastic and the type of friend I would want around me. The final 'epilogue' was a bit trite and the King seemed to feel the need to tie everything up nicely with string to make sure we knew how things turned out. By that time, I had lost...more

like · see review

Dec 11, 2011 ysar added it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, 21st, century, new, zealand, literature, fiction

Sophie's husband Thomas left in search of the holy grail of butterflies, but he has returned a changed and altogether incomplete man. From his mysterious wounds to his inability or unwillingness to speak, it is clear that his travels were wrought with trauma and brutality. [return]It started out as a slow read, and I found it difficult initially to immerse myself in the identities of Sophie & Thomas. But before long, I was eagerly following the dual points of view, slowly discovering with So...more

like · see review

Mar 20, 2008 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good story- extremely violent and gory in some parts so not for everyone, but interesting to read about the rubber barons in Brazil and their financial connection to Europe. It is a story of the many physical and moral dilemmas a man must face while on a butterfly expedition in the Amazon in 1904 which render him mute upon his return to his wife, Sophie. Through his journal entries and past letters, Sophie attempts to piece together what has happened to her beloved husband during his travels.

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 16, 2009 Walt rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's intriguing to begin reading a novel whose title seems so paradoxical: The Sound of Butterflies. In all my young days chasing butterflies among the wildflowers, the butterflies never once made a sound. They weren't like moths at the window or the buzzy bees, nor chirping birds or the wind through the trees. Not even close. In fact, their silence added to their mystique and beauty.

"Dear Sophie, We have finally reached Manaus and are now being accommodated at the home of Mr. Santos --- a man w...more It's intriguing to begin reading a novel whose title seems so paradoxical: The Sound of Butterflies. In all my young days chasing butterflies among the wildflowers, the butterflies never once made a sound. They weren't like moths at the window or the buzzy bees, nor chirping birds or the wind through the trees. Not even close. In fact, their silence added to their mystique and beauty.

"Dear Sophie, We have finally reached Manaus and are now being accommodated at the home of Mr. Santos --- a man who has so far proved to be full of surprises, as has the city itself."

Sophie eagerly gets this letter from her young husband, Thomas Edgar. She's in England at home, and he's in Brazil, finishing an expedition to collect, well, butterflies --- ahem, more precisely, to collect especially an elusive butterfly, a unique out-of-balance one. One he can name after her. It's 1905.

So begins The Sound of Butterflies, a debut novel by Rachel King. We are introduced right off to the beautiful, but frail protagonist, Sophie, her love interest and young, naïve husband, Thomas, and their creepy adversary, Mr. Santos. And it seems somehow each of these characters represents more than just themselves. Where are you in them? Where are any of us? For me, it is there but remains like the notion of the sound of butterflies vague.

It's compelling to have an exotic and historical setting. In this case, it's the gratuitously exploited wilds of Brazil over against the stilted, self-righteous England of the early 20th-century.

So King gives us this nice recipe up front and then puts it together and cooks it. But whatever it was supposed to be, it burned and lost most of its taste for me. Thomas returns. Or does he? He is bruised and beaten, torn and broken, but, most of all, mute and irresolute. The narrative mixes it, moving back and forth between England in the present and Brazil in Thomas's past, as Sophie and the readers slowly discover what is happening and what has happened to Thomas. And, it seems, Thomas comes around and so does Sophie. But then, I found myself wondering just what had happened on the macro scale? It has to have been more than just the story of Sophie finding out about Thomas and Thomas finding out about himself. A single butterfly doesn't make a sound, does it? Throughout, I couldn't help but wonder about the sound of butterflies, what it might mean, what it might represent.

A cloud of yellow and black rose before him like a small tornado, and a faint noise went with it--a rustling, like leaves caught by a wind on an autumn morning, or the shuffle of tissue paper on a desk. The butterflies made a round in the stillness; he had never expected to hear it. The cloud dispersed, joining mates on tree branches that bent under their collective weight. Each specimen was as large as his outstretched hand.

This central image didn't work for me. A small tornado with a faint noise? No! Rustling like leaves caught by a wind in autumn. Perhaps a little closer. The shuffle of tissue paper on a desk? Not in my experience. And even if these analogies did work, what does it all mean? What's its connection to the overall story? To not only our characters but to the world around them? Swirling in my mind is a notion that it is all somehow related to the oppressed and exploited masses, whether in England or in Brazil. Such can make about as much sound as a collective of butterflies deep in the jungle on a bent branch.

Like Thomas, I came up somewhat empty-handed.
(less)

like · see review

Jun 02, 2009 Margo Kelly rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Can you give a book zero stars on goodreads?

I am so disappointed with this book. It started out with a very interesting premise and the descriptions of the Amazon and England in 1904 were wonderful - but then the author had to incorporate terrible shock elements.

And once again I ask, "Why do books NOT have a rating system like movies?"

I was enjoying this book up until page 254. Then it took a nasty nasty turn. Usually, I can anticipate when a icky part is coming and I can strategically skip or...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 01, 2012 Nenia Campbell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: x-2007s, gorgeous-covers, beautiful-words-lets-swim-in-them, everyone-hates-it-but-nenia

This is a debut work? Well, pop me in a pie crust and call me a pastry! Would that all first works were of the caliber of this one - I'd never give another one-star rating again!

This little piece of victoriana starts out with a woman named Sophie anticipating the return of her husband from the Amazon, where he has been collecting butterfly specimens. Lured out by the promise of a rare species of butterfly, with asymmetrical wings of black and gold, Thomas Edgar has spent months being ravaged by...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 26, 2008 Mary Crabtree rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Such good writing, exotic location, deep and sound characters and a theme that
sounded complex and true through the novel....I highly recommend it.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 24, 2011 Darryl Mexic rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Sound of Butterflies by Rachael King **** Novel Beautifully written story of Adventure in South America during Victorian times. Edwards leaves his beautiful and new wife in England to engage in his passion of butterfly collecting, with three scientists, along the Amazon river in South America. He returns after several years, a shell of his former self and does not speak at all, though no illness is discovered. His devoted wife slowly unravels his story. His group is hosted in a city in the i...more

like · see review

Aug 18, 2009 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: drama

More like a 2.6
In the early 1900s, Thomas, an amateur naturalist is included in a trip to the Amazon sponsored by a rubber baron. Thomas is seeking a mythical butterfly that he hopes will seal his reputation as a collector. Instead, when he returns to England a mute and broken man, his wife tries to determine what happened to him and discovers that her husband may not be the man she thought he was.
Includes some very interesting (and horrifying) period information about rubber plantations and sci...more

like · see review

Jan 07, 2009 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Turn of the century English butterfly seeker in the Amazon. Books set in the Amazon are always so exotic and this one right up there. Salvation at the end but a lot of strange goings-on in the middle.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 29, 2013 Alastair Crawford rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great page turner - every wilder thing that happened next was unpredictable but seemed set in concrete and unavoidably necessary not to mention convincing once it had occurred. Wee exceptions like Santos would have known Thomas was doing what he was doing, as he had spies and control... but character is fate, and oh Thomas we've all been young. Clever too with the readability - easy to follow despite the flowering plot lines and flashbacks and flash-forwards that kept the suspense. Liked the cha...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 05, 2012 Cyndi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, history, natural-science

I could predict the direction the plot would go with reasonable accuracy. Would have gotten a 5 if there had been more twists in there. But overall a very good read. Engaging and I didn't want to put it down. A young man in the early 1900's who collects butterflies as a hobby, gets the chance to go to Brazil to do it for real. He comes home mute and shellshocked and his wife works to discover why. The novel goes back and forth between the two stories. Much detail about natural history, specimen...more

like · see review

Jan 17, 2009 Laurel added it

It is true the basis of the story is the common theme of The White Man going back to his primal roots in the jungle. But the story has more of an Apocalypse Now quality than Heart of Darkness. The story entertwines other aspects of this theme. While Tom was on a feverish quest to find a particular species of buterfly in the jungle, his wife Sophia was suppressing emotions in turn-of-the century society England to keep up appearances - the very opposite of what her husband was going through. It a...more

like · see review

Jul 26, 2011 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Decent book set in turn-of-the-twentieth-century England. The husband, an amateur naturalist, sets off on an adventure in the Amazon in search of an elusive legendary butterfly. When he returns, he is a shadow of his former self, and will not speak. The book skips back and forth through time, as the wife tries to find out what happened to him.

The book was written allright, but I found myself not being compelled by the characters. I just didn't care one way or the other what happened with them....more

like · see review

Jun 17, 2009 Tjbrowne Browne rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book certainly has a "Heart of Darkness" feel. The male protagonist is at first sympathetic, but quickly (and I would guess unintentionally) becomes less sympathetic and more of whiny weakling of a man. Because I could not suspend my disbelief when it came to the relationship of the male and female protagonist, I was forced to give an otherwise four star book a three star rating. That said, I thought the imagery was endearing and the characters were colorful (albeit a little over simplified...more

like · see review

Sep 29, 2009 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: general-fiction, location

In Rachael King's The Sound of Butterflies, Thomas Edgar, an amateur naturalist; travels to the Amazon in search of a butterfly he isn't even sure exists. Things start out fine for Mr. Edgar and his three companions: George, Ernie, and John. Catching wonderful specimens, and ever on the look-out for what will be his prize catch - his Papilio Sophia. A yellow and black swallow-tailed butterfly.
In their travels of scientific exploration in the jungle's of Brazil, they meet Mr. Santos, a seemingly...more In Rachael King's The Sound of Butterflies, Thomas Edgar, an amateur naturalist; travels to the Amazon in search of a butterfly he isn't even sure exists. Things start out fine for Mr. Edgar and his three companions: George, Ernie, and John. Catching wonderful specimens, and ever on the look-out for what will be his prize catch - his Papilio Sophia. A yellow and black swallow-tailed butterfly.
In their travels of scientific exploration in the jungle's of Brazil, they meet Mr. Santos, a seemingly harmless man in the rubber business. Harmless, at first, that is. He takes them to his home in Manaus, and that, I think, is where things truly begin to unfold completely for Thomas.
This was such a wonderfully written book I hated to finish it. The chapters alternated between Thomas's time in the jungle, and Sophie's (his wife's) time in Richmond, England - taking place in 1904, Ms. King's lovely writing transports the reader there with her interesting, likeable - and some not so likeable characters. It was very interesting to see this story unfold along with Thomas's horrifying secrets and Sophie's struggle to cope with a man that resembled her husband, who had changed drastically by his return.
The story begins with Thomas's return - he is mute, and has alarming red welts on his body. Sophie tries her best to get Thomas to speak but has no luck after trying everything she can think of, which finally drives her mad enough to drag his crates full of specimens he'd collected while away, outside to burn them, which actually, finally does get a response out of Thomas. I was so glad for that, because I was beginning to go a little mad at his not speaking right along with Sophie. Due to the fact that in the chapters of his time Brazil, pieces are revealed, but nothing quite yet that was the cause to push Thomas over the edge. It was as if I were finding out with Sophie the darkest secrets he had been keeping. With an ending that was truly shocking - and heartbreaking, this book may prove haunting for days after reading it. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Oct 21, 2008 Jennifer Defoy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library, 2008-reads

Overall I thought this was a good book. Rachael King has a way with words that paint the most exquisite landscapes. While there were many great aspects of this book, the best of them all has to be her command of language.

The begining of the book seemed to take off slowly, more effort seemed to be placed on painting the landscapes as opposed to character development. However, as the book goes on the characters begin to take shape and the lack of explanation in the begining is seen as appropriate...more

like · see review

Apr 17, 2009 Adri rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-but-wish-i-hadn-t

If I could give 0 starts to this book, I would. Writing was bad, story didn't make any sense. The unraveling of the story is terribly disappointing, and the ending is rushed (it seems as if the author realized she had written too many pages already but had another 200 pgs worth of material to write, which she summarized in 2). The only relatively positive side to this book was that it was mildly entertaining... but maybe I only thought so because I was stuck on a chinatown bus for 5 hours while...more

like · see review

Mar 25, 2009 Mary Lou rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

A fictional story based loosely on real life events. Beautifully written and intriguing in the beginning. About 1/3 of the way in I began to wonder if I really wanted to find out what caused Thomas' self imposed muteness. In the end I wished I had not read it. The end was as ugly and gruesome as I was afraid it would be and I now have images in my mind I wish weren't there. I know the world can be an evil and horrid place and I guess i just don't like reading about it so explicitly in my books....more

like · see review

Sep 04, 2012 Olena rated it 3 of 5 stars

A good, cohesive read with enough suspense to keep the interest in the story constant throughout. The ending felt a little weak compared to the build-up in that it was a little unrealistic based on previous character development and story progression, as if the author ran out of steam. Not an entirely disappointing ending, mind you, just leaves some questions as to how realistic those particular actions would be under the circumstances.

like · see review

Aug 11, 2011 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science

Despite the lovely title, too many cruel things happen to most of the characters, not by accident, but by so much unchecked human nature. I think I needed a hero to survive somewhere in all the selfishness. Loved the sciencey plot and the idea of an amateur becoming a respected scientist. It kept me going, just to find out whether he'd ever speak again. Sub-plots could have been better developed and the ending wrapped up too briefly.

like · see review

May 25, 2012 Francesca Lorenzini rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Agli inizi del ‘900, Thomas si reca in Brasile per cercare e raccogliere farfalle e al suo ritorno un anno dopo non parla più. La ricostruzione dei fatti avviene alternando la vita insieme di Sophie e Thomas, scritta al presente, al racconto dell’esperienza dell’uomo nella giungla, al passato remoto. A completare il quadro si aggiungono la sua corrispondenza con la moglie e con un amico e pagine del suo diario. Questo stile vario rende la lettura molto godibile e mantiene viva la suspance.
I due...more

like · see review

Jul 22, 2011 Doris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book surprised me as I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. The book is about a man that goes to the Amazon to collect butterflies. He comes back a changed man and his wife must figure out what happened in the year that he was gone. The mystery of what happened in the Amazon hooked me quickly. The characters are likable and the setting is interesting. The ending seemed a little anti-climatic.

like · see review

Feb 14, 2009 Marsha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This tome is well-researched and well-written, and the characters are well-developed. As I followed Thomas and his comrades through the Amazon, I enjoyed reading about the life of the naturalist at the turn of the 20th century. Although I was interested in nature, I learned even more about marriage from the challenges of the young married couple than I learned about nature and the naturalists of that epoch.

like · see review

Jun 03, 2009 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

For me this book started out slow. I guess because I'm a women and alot of the first part was about men hunting.

About half way through everything took a turn. I thought it was interesting how the Amazon changed from a beautiful, green, peaceful place to an awful ugly place. The change was because of all the terrible things that happened there. Back in the depts of the Amazon unthinkable things happened, so much so that Thomas came home mute, unable to speak.

I guess you never know. Things can be...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 32 33 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (10)

More editions...

Genres

Historical Fiction

15 users

Book Club

4 users

Literary Fiction

3 users

Adult

3 users

Romance

2 users

Literature

2 users

Cultural > Brazil

2 users

Adult Fiction

2 users

Novels

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

The Winds of Heaven
by Judith Clarke
When I Lived in Modern Times
by Linda Grant
A Spell of Winter
by Helen Dunmore
The Boy Next Door
by Irene Sabatini
Almost True
by Keren David

About Rachael King

Rachael King lives in a house on a hill overlooking the city in Wellington, New Zealand. Her first novel, The Sound of Butterflies, recently won the New Zealand Society of Authors Hubert Church award for Best First Book of Fiction at New Zealand Book Awards. It is currently being published in six languages other than English, and was released in the US in September 2007 through William Morrow. He...more

More about Rachael King...

Books by Rachael King

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Sound Of Butt...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: The Sound Of Butterflies
avg rating	preview: The Sound Of Butterflies Goodreads rating: 3.32 (476 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104467.The_Sound_Of_Butterflies?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356443474l/104467.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104467.The_Sound_Of_Butterflies?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Sound Of Butterflies by Rachael King[/url]

The Sound Of Butterflies

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website