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Apr 11, 2008

Helen rated it:

I'm not an Alvarez fan, but I enjoyed getting a fictionalized glimpse into a part of Dominican Republican history. Once again, I was so frustrated by history. This story is the same story in so many countries. But, I was encouraged in Alvarez's afterword when she commented that she gave herself room to fictionalize the characters because the Maribel sisters have become so mythic that they are almost superhuman, but through her book, we can see that any one of us can be as courageous as Patria More...

2 comments like (12 people liked it)

Sep 09, 2011

Tara rated it:

Darn good story with strong Latina characters. A must read for all Hispanic ladies. Until I picked this up, I didn't realize that the Dominican Republic had such a turbulent past. Thus, the book has been educational as well as entertaining.

In the sixties there was rebellion. Revolutionists wanted Trujillo, a dictator, out of the way. This book follows four sisters. Patria is the oldest and appears to be your average stay at home wife and mother who occasionally struggles with h More...

7 comments like (5 people liked it)

Apr 16, 2009

Lorena rated it:

This was an excellent read, I knew very little about Trujillo's Dictatorship of horrors and that dark part of the Dominican Republic's history. I know this is Historical Fiction, but I have truly enjoyed getting to know Las Mariposas, it makes me feel so bad though about the inaction I have been living on. There are so many people out there that give it all for the wellbeing of the community, even their lives while I just live my confortable little existence and do nothing for others, made me fe More...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Jun 01, 2010

Glenn rated it:

Fictional account of the sad and true story of four sisters in the Mirabal family, three of whom were murdered in November 1960 in the Dominican Republic for working against Trujillo, the dictator in power at the time. A decent read overall and I thought it started out well, but got bogged down in the middle for me, with too many characters and shifting time periods between the chapters that I thought made it difficult to follow the story and keep track of the different sisters, let alone all th More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Jan 26, 2008

Sarah rated it:

The first time I traveled through Mexico, I found this book... and read it in three days. Towards the end of the story, before the impending tragedy strikes, the oldest (and easily the bravest) sister is remembering a moment from her youth... she and her sisters are playing this game, in the dark, behind their parents' farm house: the idea was to walk off the porch, into the pitch black of the night, and to go as far as they could before turning back. What she remembers, is how everyone always t More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Sep 05, 2007

Ms. McKeon rated it:

I'm on a Julia Alvarez kick. So far, I've just read this and iYo!, but based on these two, she's one of the most imaginative, creative authors I've ever encountered. This is historical fiction in a new sense. She took the stories of famous Dominican revolutionaries and fictionalized pretty much their entire lives. The main parts, of course, are true. Reading it, I was always questioning what was "real" and what was an Alvarezation. When I finished it, I had a little cry (right th More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Feb 12, 2009

Gina rated it:

While the author was not one of the four Maribal Sisters who lived and suffered under the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic, she makes a fifth sister by her total identification with these women.
One sister, Dede', who survived the roadside execution, is the principal narrator although the other women's voices are also integrated into the tale. Dede lives on as the "keeper of the flame" for Minerva, Pretia and Mate (Maria Teresa), and relates the history of how More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 10, 2009

Kate rated it:

"In the Time of the Butterflies" was beautiful and sad. I loved every one of the sisters. Their sacrifice, during the Trujillo regime, made me question what I would be willing to sacrifice for freedom and it made me think about my sister. The image that made me cry and made me angry was of the sisters standing in the garden one night looking back at the lit house as their mama bustles around getting their children ready for bed. Alvarez says they look at the house with longing as i More...

4 comments like (4 people liked it)

May 29, 2011

Jeanette rated it:

This is a fictionalized account of the lives of the four Mirabal sisters, Patria, Dede, Minerva, and Maria Teresa. They grew up in the Dominican Republic during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. Trujillo ruled brutally for thirty-one years, merciless and drunk on power. It disgusts me how these vain, arrogant little men like Hitler and Trujillo can wield so much power and do so much damage.

The book alternates among the "voices" of the four sisters. The first part of the More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 19, 2009

Bells rated it:

In the time of the Butterflies is a historical fiction novel. Historical fiction? Hmmmm. Like most of the history books the public school gave me? Truths removed or injected with “filler” to make them sexier?

The story is about four sisters, growing up in the Dominican while Trujillo controls the country. As the sisters grow, they join the resistance against Trujillo. Three of them are killed by the regime. I had no idea about the violent reign of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 26, 2008

Erin rated it:

I read this in Spanish because I thought it was originally written in Spanish, being written by a Dominican author and set in the Dominican Republic. But no; it was written in English and I just got some extra reading practice.

This is a non-fiction-told-as-fiction, the dramatization of real events. It is the story of the real-life Mirabal sisters, who were members of the underground resistance to the Dominican dictator Trujillo. The story is told over many years in separate chap More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jul 08, 2011

Margaret rated it:

Even though I was frightened of the subject matter of In the Time of the Butterflies--based on true and bloody events in the infamous regime of Trujillo in the mid-20th century--I was pulled into it by the narrator, the only sister of four who was spared, speaking in the present as she answers questions from a journalist who, like so many others, reveres and idolizes the sacrifices the four "Butterflies" and their family made to achieve democracy in the Dominican Republic. And when t More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 07, 2009

Rebekah rated it:

This book was an amazing historical fiction account of the Mirabal sisters - Dominican Republic revolutionaries. Not only did it capture their heroic struggles for their country, but I enjoyed the themes of sisterhood and friendship. Viva la butterflies! Long live sisters everywhere!

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Kristen rated it:

While the most popular historical fiction novels seems to center on the Tudors and their immediate descendants, here is a book based on the true story of the Mirabal sisters, who are household names in their home, the Dominican Republic. Martyred during the revolution against dictator Trujillo (1950-1970), three of the four Mirabal sisters were part of the underground revolution. Alvarez uses the remaining sister, Dede, as the storyteller and protagonist. It's a warm, and completely engrossin More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Aug 28, 2007

Mandy rated it:

This story is a fictionalized account of a real family living in the Dominican Republic during the oppressive dictatorship of Trujillo. It is a wartime story, and there are horrible things that happen (as horrible things have a habit of doing in war).
The tale is heartbreaking in many ways, but also amazing because of the unbreakable spirit possessed by Minerva Mirabal. Butterflies is a good read, but I wouldn't hand it to a 13-year -old, even though it is in the "teen" section of More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Francesca rated it:

Really interesting book. Fictionalized account of the true story of four sisters in the Dominican Republic, 3 of whom were murdered for working against the dictatorship. I not only found the historical aspects interesting, but I also liked the reflections of the remaining sister whose life is also destroyed by the murders. Although she doesn't come out and ask, was it worth it?, that question resonates. The sisters commitment to the cause varies greatly and although it's a fictionalized versi More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

dianne rated it:

a brilliant novelized version of las tres mariposas - the name given to the 3 sisters who, despite being from a wealthy, landed family fought bravely to their deaths, against Trujillo. i found one of the loveliest insights was how they came to be political in three VERY different ways - one, a traditional mother became angry about the treatment of children and family, another fell madly in love with a freedom fighter, and a third was intrinsically an activist - righteously furious at the inequit More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 27, 2012

Brenda rated it:

One of the most captivating books I've read in a while. What an eye-opener. Reading it took me to the Dominican Republic during the 1960's. Ready to read my next Julia Alvarez book.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 06, 2008

Shadi rated it:

Alvarez's writing, itself, was so-so but she has a very vivid imagination. This novel was her interpretation of the lives of the Mirabel sisters who were revolutionaries during the Trujillo-era of the Dominican Republic. The book was divided into perspectives of each sister during various points of their lives. By the end of the book, I grew to love the sisters and became obsessed with digging up as much detail about their lives and deaths. A film was made as well, featuring Salma Hayek. Fa More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 10, 2009

Rachel rated it:

"In the Time of The Butterflies" falls into the genre of fiction or historical fiction.

1. A family with four daughters grows up on a farm in the Dominican.

2. As the girls mature, they experience the typical struggles of a teenage girl in their home and at their boarding school such as romance, finding their own voice, and the way they are changing.

3. In addition to the girl's personal changes, their country is experiencing changes as well when a dictator named Trujillo slowly gains

More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 20, 2009

Jessie added it

I had never read a red book, but because this book was recomended to me, I have found a new author whose books I am interested in. I really enjoyed reading this book because it was very interesting to read about the story of three sisters who strive to make a change in their government for the improvement of their country. The protagonists in the book are sisters who are married to men who have been arrested for plotting against their government in the Dominican Republic. The woman who have chil More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Jamie rated it:

This book by Julia Alvarez was very different from anything I normally read. I found "In the Time of the Butterflies" to be very interesting since it combined historical facts with a background story. Prior to reading this, I had little to no idea about the Trujillo revolution in the Dominican Republic. This book shed light on a topic I was unaware of before.

I really liked the set up of the book as well. Having each chapter rotate in which sister's view the story was comin More...

1 comment like

Dec 06, 2011

Dian rated it:

Karena bukunya berdasarkan kisah nyata, jadi boleh dong saya bercerita secara lengkap. Hehe.

Selama lebih dari 30 tahun Republik Dominika berada di bawah cengkeraman Rafael Trujillo. Selama itu pula hanya sedikit yang berani menentang kediktatorannya, termasuk di antaranya Mirabal bersaudara: Patria, Minerva, dan Maria Teresa (Mate), dengan perkecualian Dede Mirabal yang merasa gentar untuk memasuki dunia yang penuh marahabaya tersebut, meski Patria, Minerva, dan Mate telah berulang ka More...

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Oct 23, 2011

Ciara rated it:

i LOVED this book when i first read it, some time back in 2000. it was recommended to me by a zine friend, who then went the extra mile & actually mailed me a copy. it's a novel based on the true story of the mirabal sisters, four women growing up in the dominican republic during the trujillo dictatorship. patria is very pious & religious & wants to be a nun until one day she realizes that she wants to bone dudes. minerva is intellectual & feisty & wants nothing more than to go to college & beco More...

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Oct 19, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

In preparation for our trip to the Dominican Republic, I wanted to understand better it's history. I was familiar a little with the DR, because of our trip to the other 1/3 of Hispaniola in 2002, but knew no history. This was a wonderful book to fall into and learn about the geography as well as the 20th century history. I learned about the Parsley Massacre, the unbelievable Galendez story, and the beautiful Mariposa's. I enjoyed the walk through history, as well as the personal story of the More...

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Aug 11, 2011

Aleeda rated it:

I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, and this book does not disappoint. I am always reminded as I learn more, how little I know. While I was aware of the name Trujillo, the stories of the atrocities committed under his regime escaped my attention. I had decided to read a trio of estorias Hispanolas, all fiction, all incorporating in their background, to some extent, a 31-year long nightmare. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao lead me to The Farming of Bones, which lead me to In The T More...

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Jun 13, 2011

Jenisse rated it:

In the Time of the Butterflies
The women that never fail to inspire.

By Julia Alvarez

324 pp. New York, NY
Penguin Books USA. $15.00
ISBN 0-452-27442-7

Nominated for the 1995 National Books Critic Award, In the Time of the Butterflies tells the compelling story of the four mirabal sisters also known as "The Butterflies" or in spanish, "Las Mariposas". The courageous Minerva, Patria, Maria Teresa, y Dede all risk the More...

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May 01, 2011

Jessica rated it:

This book is a fictional account of the true story of the four Mirabal sisters, who (to varying degrees) led and participated in a political uprising in the Dominican Republic in the late 1950s, in which three of the sisters were killed. Told alternatingly from each of the sisters' perspectives, the book is engrossing and delicious.

The three politically active Mirabal sisters (the fourth, and only survivor, supporting but not joining their decisions) one by one concluded that a cruel a More...

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Mar 26, 2011

Diane rated it:

I really like this book. It is a fictionalized retelling of real life events.

Alverez tells the story of a family of 4 girls (the Mirabal sisters) who all are very different but end up getting involved politically in the overthrow of the dictator of the Dominican Republic in the late 1940's.

The novel covers several years and each chapter is told from a different girl's perspective. I like that we get to find out about what is going on with each girl in this storytelling metho More...

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Mar 21, 2011

Shelley rated it:

My fascination with the era of Rafael Trujillo was intrigued a few years ago after reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which touches on this period in Dominican history, referencing the Mirabal sisters briefly. It took a while, but I finally took on In the Time of the Butterflies, the historical fictional story about those sisters (referred to as The Butterflies during their lives), 3 of whom gave their lives fighting against a cruel and barbaric dictator trying to secure the freedom o More...

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