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In the Time of the Butterflies

Julia Alvarez (Goodreads Author)

4.14 · Rating details · 57,271 ratings · 4,246 reviews

Set during the waning days of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in 1960, this extraordinary novel tells the story of the Mirabal sisters, three young wives and mothers who are assassinated after visiting their jailed husbands.

From the author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents comes this tale of courage and sisterhood set in the Dominican Republic ...more

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Paperback, 324 pages

Published August 1995 by Plume (first published January 1st 1994)

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Mar 13, 2016 Brina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: coming-of-age, historical-fiction, rereads, hispanic-culture, julia-alvarez

Julia Alvarez has been one of my favorite authors for the past twenty years. Her memoirs, both fictional and nonfiction, are laced with poetic humor and often leave me with a smile on my face. Alvarez' family left the Dominican Republic in 1960 in the middle of the revolution to overthrow the dictatorial president Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Because her father had connections, the family was able to escape. Yet, what of those left on the island? In this fictional yet poignant account of the Miraba Julia Alvarez has been one of my favorite authors for the past twenty years. Her memoirs, both fictional and nonfiction, are laced with poetic humor and often leave me with a smile on my face. Alvarez' family left the Dominican Republic in 1960 in the middle of the revolution to overthrow the dictatorial president Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Because her father had connections, the family was able to escape. Yet, what of those left on the island? In this fictional yet poignant account of the Mirabal sisters who came to be known as the symbol of the revolution, Alvarez reveals the fate of those left behind.

Minerva Mirabal always wanted more than to be a simple country woman like her mother. In a machismo culture where few women learned to read and write, she did not have a future although her dream was to go to law school. Her older sister Patria Mercedes believed to have a religious calling, and their middle sister Dede was the obedient one who went along with the other two. By age ten, the three sisters entered the La Escuela de Imaculada Concepcion and started down the path to both a higher education and to learning revolutionary ideals.

Using poetic prose, Alvarez writes how the three older Mirabal sisters and their youngest sister Maria Teresa "Mate" came of age to be modern women. No longer would they be subservient members of a machismo culture but productive members of society who would make a difference going forward. Alternating chapters from the point of view of each sister, Alvarez expresses how each came to be a revolutionary from a unique place. Especially powerful, were the diary entries written by Mate throughout her life as she grasps what joining the movement would do to herself and her family.

The sisters either married a cousin as was expected or for love, and all four couples played a role in the revolution that would take down Trujillo and bring democracy to the island. Known as the mariposas and meeting clandestinely outside the home of Patria and her husband Pedrito, the guerilla movement took root. Even their young children wanted to participate despite the danger involved. Trujillo's spies planted themselves on Mirabal land, equally determined to squash the masterminds behind the rebellion. This lead the extended family to live in constant fear and had me as a reader mesmerized by Alvarez' writing, showing she is gifted in relating powerful emotions across more than one genre.

November 25, 1960, the day of the real life Mirabal sisters abduction and murder, is now the International Day Toward Violence Against Women. Through the courage and unwavering attitude of the Mirabal sisters and their families, the revolution occurred less than a year later. Alvarez points out in her postscript that even Dominicans living in the United States knew of the bravery of the Mirabal girls. In this powerful book which I rate 4.5 bright stars, Julia Alvarez tells her readers "Vivan las mariposas" so that we never forget these courageous Mirabals. ...more

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Dec 06, 2019 Angela M rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“I believe in the power of stories to change the world.” Julia Alvarez says this in the opening of her note at the end of this compelling, all encompassing novel. It’s based on the true story of three sisters who lost their lives because they bravely stood up for their ideals of a better life for themselves, their family and the people of the Dominican Republic as part of the revolutionary movement against a dictator, Rafael Trujillo. I already believed in the power of stories, but this beautifu “I believe in the power of stories to change the world.” Julia Alvarez says this in the opening of her note at the end of this compelling, all encompassing novel. It’s based on the true story of three sisters who lost their lives because they bravely stood up for their ideals of a better life for themselves, their family and the people of the Dominican Republic as part of the revolutionary movement against a dictator, Rafael Trujillo. I already believed in the power of stories, but this beautifully written, heart breaking and ultimately uplifting book drove home for me just how impactful and important well done historical fiction can be.

In alternating narratives, spanning several decades, the Mirabal sisters, Patria, Minerva, Maria Teresa and Dede, the fourth sister who survives, come to life in these pages. It was easy to love them as young girls and see how they developed through the years, becoming privy to their individualities as well as their bonds with each other, the men in their lives. This is an engrossing story of a family in a place and time of political upheaval, of which I knew next to nothing about. How these women in a place and time when these are not things that women do, become involved in a political revolution, as resistors to Trujillo’s regime, smuggling arms, building bombs depicts the conviction and bravery of the real sisters. This is evident in the meticulous research that Alvarez must have done as the numerous articles I read online showed.

It’s about family, country, culture and a revolution. The Mirabal sister were three among many who were killed under Trujillo’s rule, but they became a symbol of the revolution and the inspiration behind the United Nation declaring November 25th, the day on which they were killed as “an international day to eliminate all violence against women.” It’s a personal story for Alvarez, whose family escaped the regime for New York just months before the sisters were murdered. It’s a beautifully written, gripping story. I will most definitely read other books by her.

Thanks so much to Algonquin Books for sending me a copy of this 25th Anniversary edition. ...more

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Jul 26, 2016 Petra-X Off having adventures rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf-or-never-read, biography-true-story, travel-adventure-countries, fiction, 2016-150-reviews

I know I'm out of step with everyone on this, but I just can't stand this book. I've tried so hard to read it, it just bores me to tears apart from the first part with the girls at the convent school, which I enjoyed. However, the convention of the schoolgirl's "dear diary" becoming "dearest dearest little book" was a sign of things to come. I know Santo Domingo (view spoiler) and I'm familiar with the bloody, murder ...more

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Jul 22, 2018 Fabian rated it it was amazing

Favorite novel so far this year (2018). The last twentyfive pages are all outbursts of sobs & of the truly ugly kind, by an inconsolable reader. Oh this one is GREAT! Smudgy words of a wounded family tree, the very human lasting lamentation...

There are 2 novels* in existence (that I'm wholly aware of) that put the D.R. under the Trujillo regime under a magnifying glass that illuminates the complexities, the ugliness, of absolute dictatorships (to be deftly simplistic) and fraught societal norms ...more

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Jan 26, 2008 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: stories

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

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Mar 15, 2018 Crumb rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: popsugar-challenge-2018

I hate reviewing books that I only found mediocre. I really, really wanted to like this one. I thought the plot was very promising. Frankly, I really didn't know much about Trujillo's dictatorship in the Dominican Republic and I thought by reading this I would learn a lot.. and I did. I just wasn't captivated by the story or the characters. However, this book was based on fact and that should count for something. I also think that in this case, it was me, not the book. Just like when a boyfriend ...more

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Aug 09, 2019 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it

Shelves: 20th-century, historical, novels, fiction

In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez

In the Time of the Butterflies is a historical fiction novel by Julia Alvarez, relating a fictionalized account of the Mirabal sisters during the time of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. The book is written in the first and third person, by and about the Mirabal sisters. First published in 1994, the story was adapted into a feature film in 2001.

The story of the four Mirabal sisters, during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in th ...more

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Feb 27, 2020 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction

Incredible story....
This book was first published in 1994.....
....then made into a film in 2001.

Thanks to my friend, Iris, for talking with me about this book....
....Iris grew up in Dominican Republic - and through our friendship she has told me her own stories about life, culture, and politics in the Dominican Republic.

This book
.....introduced to me a new author I had not read ...
only to discover how wonderful of a novelist Julia Alvarez is: a powerful historical fiction/nonfiction storyteller ...more

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Feb 16, 2017 Sara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: borrowed-from-library, historical-fiction

In the time of Batista and the revolution in Cuba, there was another dictator, as bad or worse, ruling in the Dominican Republic. His name was Trujillo, and his preferred way of keeping his power was murdering anyone who challenged him, spoke a word against him, or displeased him in any way. In the midst of this repression, we find the four Mirabal sisters, Minerva, Dede, Patria and Maria-Teresa (Mate). This fictional account of their lives is riveting and oh so bittersweet.

The sisters have bec In the time of Batista and the revolution in Cuba, there was another dictator, as bad or worse, ruling in the Dominican Republic. His name was Trujillo, and his preferred way of keeping his power was murdering anyone who challenged him, spoke a word against him, or displeased him in any way. In the midst of this repression, we find the four Mirabal sisters, Minerva, Dede, Patria and Maria-Teresa (Mate). This fictional account of their lives is riveting and oh so bittersweet.

The sisters have become known in history as Los Mariposas (the butterflies), but each of these women was a distinct and different person. Each was motivated by a different urge and desire. Each was trying to find her own voice. But above all, they were for one another, with one another, loved one another. Their bravery ranged from raw courage to a simple inability to desert someone well-loved. That they put aside their own safety for the preservation of the collective serves as an echo of what true revolution is. What true defiance means. I wonder at their strength and feel cowed by it.

When I finished this book, I was literally shaking with sadness and anger. Knowing it is based upon real events makes it all the more poignant, and Alvarez has done a magnificent job of breathing life back into these women who were martyred for the cause of freedom in the Dominican Republic. She alternates between the points of view of the sisters, and in doing so brings each of them to life equally. While Minerva is the star of the revolution, each of the other sisters brings her own personality, fears and desires to the table and we, the readers, are handed a feast. At the outset, we know the fate of these women, but the old axiom that the journey is more important than the destination could not be more true than when applied here.

In her postscript to my edition, Julia Alvarez acknowledges having merged actual events and imposed her own interpretation onto others. She states, “I sometimes took liberties--by changing dates, by reconstructing events, and by collapsing characters or incidents. For I wanted to immerse my readers in an epoch in the life of the Dominican Republic that I believe can only finally be understood by fiction, only finally be redeemed by the imagination. A novel is not, after all, a historical document, but a way to travel through the human heart.

She has achieved her goal admirably. I felt the beating of these hearts and at some point in the story their heartbeats seemed to merge with my own. ...more

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Dec 11, 2019 Joy D rated it really liked it

Shelves: strong-women, zck, family-dynamics, reviewed, north-america, historical-fiction

“When as a young girl I heard about the ‘accident,’ I could not get the Mirabals out of my mind. On my frequent trips back to the Dominican Republic, I sought out whatever information I could find about these brave and beautiful sisters who had done what few men – and only a handful of women – had been willing to do. During that terrifying thirty-one-year regime, any hint of disagreement ultimately resulted in death for the dissenter and often for members of his or her family. Yet the Mirabals h “When as a young girl I heard about the ‘accident,’ I could not get the Mirabals out of my mind. On my frequent trips back to the Dominican Republic, I sought out whatever information I could find about these brave and beautiful sisters who had done what few men – and only a handful of women – had been willing to do. During that terrifying thirty-one-year regime, any hint of disagreement ultimately resulted in death for the dissenter and often for members of his or her family. Yet the Mirabals had risked their lives. I kept asking myself, What gave them that special courage? It was to understand that question that I began this story…So what you find here are the Mirabals of my creation, made up but, I hope, true to the spirit of the real Mirabals.” – Julia Alvarez, A Postscript, In the Time of the Butterflies

Historical fiction based on the real lives of the four Mirabal sisters living under the repressive dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, primarily set during the late 1940s to 1960. As the book opens, we understand that three of the four sisters have died. In 1994, the surviving sister, Dedé, is interviewed by a Dominican American writer to find out what happened. Each sister takes a turn narrating part of the story, giving the reader a glimpse into their differing personalities and reasons for getting involved in revolutionary activities. The sisters are the mariposas, Spanish for butterflies, referenced in the title.

This book provides an abundance of information about what life was like in the Dominican Republic under Trujillo. The characters are well-defined. The author uses a number of different perspectives in telling their stories, which at times seemed a bit of an odd choice, especially since only one of the characters is still living. On the plus side, it gives the reader a more fully formed picture of what the women valued and what they feared, enabling the reader to understand their motivations and actions. The author is skilled in holding the reader’s attention, despite knowing in advance how it will end. The Mirabal sisters are well-known in the Dominican Republic and this book is a beautiful tribute to their memory, bringing their dramatic, tragic, and heroic, story to a wider audience. ...more

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Nov 27, 2007 Helen rated it really liked 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, D ...more

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Feb 08, 2020 Connie G rated it really liked it

Shelves: dominican-republic, historical-fiction, book-club

In 1960, during the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, three revolutionary sisters were murdered and their car was pushed off a mountain. The Mirabel sisters had been visiting their husbands, jailed as political prisoners, while their fourth sister stayed home with the children. The sisters were called "Las Mariposas", translated to "The Butterflies", which was Minerva's code name in the Fourteenth of June Movement.

The book gives voice to each of the sisters as it tells the story o ...more

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Nov 21, 2019 Lorna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, bound-together, eastern-caribbean

In The Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is a beautiful historical fiction narrative taking place in the Dominican Republic during the dictatorship of Trujillo in the 1960's. This harrowing story tells us how four young women, the Mirabals, were able to inspire a nation to fight for freedom at a great cost to each of them and to all of their family. Three of the four Mirabal sisters were murdered as part of the underground movement against the Trujillo regime while they were visiting their im ...more

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Dec 10, 2016 Snotchocheez rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars

(My original review got sucked into the ether, which is probably a good thing as it was more political rant than review that had little or nothing to do with the book, but my motivation for reading this novel was partially fueled by encountering this article: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_582... )

The core subject of Julia Alvarez' In the Time of the Butterflies (the saga of the four Mirabal sisters and their role in attempting to topple the bloody, 31 year-long tyrannical reign of ...more

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Jul 07, 2015 Mia rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: had-to-read-for-class

UGH. I'll probably write a half-assed review of this book at some point in the future. But since I had to read it for school, I will have to analyse the shit out of it in class, and right now it's the summertime and I don't want to think any more about In the Time of the Butterflies than I absolutely have to.

EDIT 10/15/15: So here's my astoundingly brilliant review... This book sucks. I shouldn't say it sucks, I should say that I didn't like it, but any way you phrase it, this book bored the shi ...more

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Jul 20, 2012 ☮Karen rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2016

This is Julia Alvarez's take on the reign of the Dominican dictator Trujillo and the brave Mirabal sisters who sacrificed their comfortable lives to form a resistance against him. I also read about them on Wikipedia and watched a short video about the sister who survived. Julia Alvarez created this story from a few pieces of known facts; the background is of her imagination, based on some truths. But even so, it serves as an inspiration to the oppressed and especially women of the world to st ...more

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Apr 06, 2009 Chrissie rated it liked it

Shelves: hf, dominican-republic, text-checked, 2012-read, caribbean, magic

I have completed the book. I am not as enthralled as when I began it. Why? What went wrong? I am only going to give the book three stars.

I am not going to give another synopsis of the book. If that is what you are looking for please see the book description above. I have learned how it might have been to live in the Dominican Republic during the latter half of the 20th Century, mostly under Dictator Trujillo!s reign. The four Mirabel sisters fight against him have today reached mythic proportion I have completed the book. I am not as enthralled as when I began it. Why? What went wrong? I am only going to give the book three stars.

I am not going to give another synopsis of the book. If that is what you are looking for please see the book description above. I have learned how it might have been to live in the Dominican Republic during the latter half of the 20th Century, mostly under Dictator Trujillo!s reign. The four Mirabel sisters fight against him have today reached mythic proportions. This book is fiction. Neither myth nor fiction give us the true facts. I would have preferred that the epilogue clearly stated what is known and what is imagined.

The author wants to wipe out the mythic status of these women so that we readers can more easily relate to them as four individuals, four different women with different personality traits. Clearly one is portrayed as the rebel rouser, one is religious, one just hasn't the requisite courage and the fourth? Well, she is the youngest and this is evident all throughout the story. Does the author succeed? Do we readers empathize with them? Do we relate to one of the women more than another given our own specific personality traits? I did not empathize with any of them, although I did recognize their differences.

Each chapter title indicates which sister is speaking and the dates when the events in the chapter take place. Thus each chapter should reflect the views of one of the four sisters. You are given her thoughts. You are meant to see the events through her eyes. Something went wrong with this presentation: I frequently had to flip back to check which of the girls was speaking or when the events were occurring.

The bottom line is: I did NOT relate to the girls that well. I actually cringed when I had to get through the religious sister's chapters. Neither do I know if the author has portrayed their personalities correctly. This should have been made clear in the epilogue with detailed entries explaining why she chose to represent each as she has done.

I did enjoy how the author expressed herself, particularly at the beginning of the book. I did enjoy the suspense of the denouement. I think it is admirable that the author wants us to relate to the sisters on a personal level. I believe she wants us to do this so that we too might be encouraged to take a stand against injustice, as they did!

**********************

This is good simply because the lines make me smile. What do you think of these: "The country people around the farm say that until the nail is hit, it don't believe in the hammer." Or: the air was so fragrant that it "smelled like a rose garden wished it could smell." I want a writer to delight me with their ability to express themselves in an imaginative manner. I am on page 76; every couple of pages I hit sentences that I love.

And I didn't know much about the dictator Trujillo of the Dominican Republic. I am learning. This is just my kind of historical fiction in other words! ...more

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Feb 10, 2017 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

At the age of 10 years old Julia Alvarez had to flee the Dominican Republic because her father had gotten on the wrong side of the Trujillo regime. A strong desire to understand this particular time period, and what happened to Las Mariposas, caused Alvarez to write this book.

This book is told in alternating first person POVs from each of the four sisters over a period of 22 years. We know that the Butterflies did indeed die in 1960 but it doesn't take the horror out of the moment when Dedé find ...more

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Dec 20, 2009 Tara Chevrestt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: library, women-that-really-existed-fiction, historical-fiction

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 her deep Catholic f ...more

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Feb 26, 2017 Viv JM rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2017, z-2017-author-female, author-female, fiction-historical

I loved this fictionalised account of the lives and deaths of the Mirabal sisters. The author gives each sister a distinct voice and motivation for rebelling against the Trujillo regime. She makes them very human and flawed and I think that makes the reader really think about what can give a person the courage to stand up for what they believe. Highly recommended.

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Aug 14, 2014 Zanna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: translated, bechdel-pass, feminism, 2015year-reading-women

I think I've decided not to re-read this, so I can't review it properly because I've forgotten my thoughts. I'm glad this was brought to my attention by the year of reading women selection because it's an amazing story and an important piece of radical history. As other reviewers note, by focussing on the personal and making the sisters distinct (even idiosyncratic) and flawed Alvarez demonstrates that extraordinary courage comes from people like you and I (Malala Yousefzai's book comes to mind I think I've decided not to re-read this, so I can't review it properly because I've forgotten my thoughts. I'm glad this was brought to my attention by the year of reading women selection because it's an amazing story and an important piece of radical history. As other reviewers note, by focussing on the personal and making the sisters distinct (even idiosyncratic) and flawed Alvarez demonstrates that extraordinary courage comes from people like you and I (Malala Yousefzai's book comes to mind here). Also, La Mariposas come across as awesome and heroic, but generally very feminine in the sense of a familiar traditional gender socialisation; nurturing, caring, with integrity stemming from avowed emotion, conscious of self-presentation, and aspiring to a passionate and stable family life, especially young Mate. I am inevitably projecting my own experiences onto Latin@ culture however.

My favourite voice was Patria's, although I related more to willful Minerva in general. Patria's self-awareness seemed extraordinary, and her religious faith challenged my (generally negative) perceptions of Catholicism and faith generally. If I felt the girls/women were bourgeois and privileged, that's probably why Alvarez devotes a lot of time to conveying the texture of their experiences in prison and the relationships they built there. I appreciated Alvarez's focus on women; the many men in the story remain peripheral. The limited attention to race is my main disappointment in a generally satisfying read. Brief mentions of the Taino and Trujillo's white supremacy are included, and there is a little space for raising awareness in the jail, but we don't see much confrontation with racism in the extensive character development.

For me what makes this so worthwhile and exciting is the depth and detail of characterisation. Sometimes I was really struck by the thoughts behind the thoughts, mostly of Patria, but also others, such as Mate's confession: 'I think I'm going to burst' in a context that causes this to position the soul as desire and desire as a kind of fullness, the opposite of the classic formulation. On the level of the personal, this story gives much food for thought. ...more

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May 06, 2016 Emma Taylor rated it really liked it

n the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is an intense tale of the four Mirabal sisters, Minerva, Dedé, María Teresa, and Patricia. The book starts in the 1960s as an interviewer arrives at one of the sister’s houses for an exclusive interview. The story is told in flashback form and eventually makes a full circle back to 1960. In the Time of the Butterflies is extremely captivating; once you start reading, you won’t want to put the book down. Julia Alvarez does a great job of not only dra ...more

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Jan 16, 2020 Jessica Woodbury rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: authors-of-color, historical-fiction

Almost everything I read is new, to the extent that I have to make an effort to read older books I never got around to. This book is on the top of a pile of modern classics that have been sitting on my nightstand and judging me for not having read them. I finally started and I'm thrilled this was the first because it was a good reminder that if a book has lasted, if everyone read it, it's usually for a very good reason.

What I enjoyed most about this book is how effectively Alvarez writes each s ...more

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Aug 08, 2007 dianne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dominican-republic, around-da-world, mandatory-reads-in-a-perfect-world

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

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Jan 26, 2008 Erin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, book-club-selections

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 chapters from the po ...more

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Jul 28, 2017 Xueting rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: unputdownable, favorites

Gorgeous writing!!! that kept me engaged even when the tone got more and more serious and dark. Alvarez said that though she did a lot of research she took some creative liberties by inventing and collapsing details, but she ultimately wanted to bring out the spirit of the Mirabal sisters as she imagined them. And I really connected to them, women in the early 20th century Dominican Republic who had more fiery courage than I may ever have in my life! I love how, from this novel, I learnt not onl ...more

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Aug 08, 2008 Jeanette (Again) rated it really liked it

Recommended to Jeanette (Again) by: Book Lust, by Nancy Pearl

Shelves: all-fiction, four-star-fiction, historical-fiction, caribbean

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 book tells about their ...more

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Mar 21, 2009 Lorena rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Jeremy, Logan

Recommended to Lorena by: Jill

Shelves: gringolombian-bookclub

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

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Sep 16, 2012 Lisa (not getting friends updates) Vegan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, reviewed, fiction, bookclub, 1-also-at-librarything, readbooks-female-author-or-illust, zz-4star, goodreads-author, z2012, novel

I can’t rate this book with 5 stars because its fiction/non-fiction format drove me crazy. I’d rather have had a non-fiction book about the Mirabal sisters. Given that there is one surviving sister I’d hope that wasn’t an impossible feat. If it really was, however, then I’d rather this historical fiction story have had entirely fictional characters as the main characters. The pertinent real people could have taken on more minor roles in the story, and then I wouldn’t have minded their fictionali I can’t rate this book with 5 stars because its fiction/non-fiction format drove me crazy. I’d rather have had a non-fiction book about the Mirabal sisters. Given that there is one surviving sister I’d hope that wasn’t an impossible feat. If it really was, however, then I’d rather this historical fiction story have had entirely fictional characters as the main characters. The pertinent real people could have taken on more minor roles in the story, and then I wouldn’t have minded their fictionalization.

But this book really grabbed me. I ended up having actual nightmares because of and relating to this book. I thought the author did a tremendous job of giving an accurate feeling for what it might feel like to live under a dictatorship regime, and of being public, oppositional figures in such a situation. I enjoyed the writing style much more than I’d expected. I’d like to read other books by this author. I’ve heard her speak a couple times, and I’ve always come away favorably impressed.

I loved the humor in the book. I learned a lot about the time and place. I enjoyed the different voices, although I had to occasionally look back to see who was narrating.

I really enjoyed the characters Maria Teresa, and Minerva, but Patria less so. Maria Teresa struck me as somewhat shallow but very funny, Minerva as passionate and generous, and at times infuriating. Dede felt like a bit of a blur for much of the book; she’s the one who survived and who was available for providing some factual content. Perhaps it was her privacy that needed to be protected.

There weren’t many, but I enjoyed the little drawings in the story; some were like maps, though of small places.

My paperback copy had fascinating extras. The author talks a bit about herself; she was a refuge from Trujillo’s regime because of her father’s activism. I feel her passion coming through in her storytelling. There are discussion questions. And she explains about her choice to write this as a historical fiction novel.

I’d love to know how all the children and grandchildren and other descendents are doing now. I did get from this material how hard it must be to be a survivor of those who were and are martyred and revered. And I’d like to read more about this period in this place. I’m embarrassed that I knew nothing of it, even though I was alive (albeit young) during these atrocities. I’m always astounded and perturbed to read about horrific events that took or are taking place during my lifetime. I always think about what I was doing at the time, and how different my life was, and how ignorant I was.

I read this for my real world book club, and I finished it late, a first for me, but not because I wasn’t enjoying my reading experience. ...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Judy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anne & anyone liking historical fiction

Shelves: 2012-reads, fiction, dominican-republic

Take four sisters, add the backdrop of the oppressive Trujillo regime of the Dominican Republic, include the fizz of drama and voila! introducing In the Time of the Butterflies.

Julia Alvarez portrays each sister as a unique individual. The eldest, Patria, encased in her religion; Dede the second-born plays it safe; Minerva is the catalyst; while the youngest, Mate, lives for love, together, make for an intriguing tale.

When I picked up this book I hoped I wasn't in for a depressing read. To my ...more

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KDChi Sisters - B...: "In the Time of the Butterflies"-by Julia Alvarez	1	12	Mar 23, 2020 08:51AM
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About Julia Alvarez

Julia Alvarez

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Julia Alvarez left the Dominican Republic for the United States in 1960 at the age of ten. She is the author of six novels, three books of nonfiction, three collections of poetry, and eleven books for children and young adults. She has taught and mentored writers in schools and communities across America and, until her retirement in 2016, was a writer-in-residence at Middlebury College. Her work h ...more