Reviews tagging 'War'

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

15 reviews

razorr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I've read this one probably 3 times over the past 8 years. It's a beautiful tale of revolution, in an era I had never heard of.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, War, and Classism

joisaddler's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Murder, Alcohol, and War

rieviolet's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I appreciated the glimpse into a time and place (the Dominican Republic in the years of the Trujillo dictatorship) that I was completely unfamiliar with. 

There were some aspects that I struggled with (mainly the strong religious focus and the inevitable association of womanhood with marriage and motherhood) but since that has to do with my own sensibilites, it might bother other readers less.

The chapters with alternating POVs and the  insertion of sections with diary entries make for a flowing reading experience. Still, I found some parts and perspectives more interesting and engaging than others. 
I really liked the final section from Dedé's POV, I found it the most moving and also the most effective in terms of prose.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Genocide, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Lesbophobia

tieflingmom's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Death of parent, Murder, and War

safpearl's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape and War

kenna14's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I read this so fast, and I almost wish I read this slower so I could sit with it all more. The way Julia Alvarez focused on the sisters made this powerful and moving, even though this wasn't an entirely factual retelling. The personal insights to each sister helps to understand why each sister did what they did. I love how she portrayed the sisterly and familial bond as the most important relationships in the book. Even if they had differences, they all obviously loved and respected each other. I feel like loving families like this aren't portrayed in media enough. I really liked how she made Mate's perspective journal entries and I think she wrote about grief really well. This book is so unlike other stories and was written so well. I love her writing style.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and War

Minor: Sexual violence

badmom's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

A lushly written fictionalization about the Mirabal sisters, legendary figures in Dominican Republican history. The chapters alternate from one sister’s point of view & third person narration over the course of a few decades; we are given intimate insights to the thoughts & choices of each sister - from religion to politics to love & loyalty. The mix of historical fact and imagined lives makes for a richly interesting, satisfying, magical read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, War, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Car accident, Murder, and Colonisation

vereisnthere's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and War

Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Fatphobia and Xenophobia

alootoo's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and War

star_wanderer's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and War

Minor: Miscarriage, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy