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A review by stephbakerbooks
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
If you're a fan of any kind of historical fiction, you'll love this book!
This story follows the four Mirabal sisters in the Dominican Republic, during the Trujillo dictatorship. Known as "las mariposas" (the butterflies), the sisters took part in an underground plot to overthrow Trujillo and his government, and three of them were assassinated for their efforts. This book is a fictionalized narrative of their lives, from young teenagers to wives to mothers, and how they became involved with the revolution. We switch from the perspective of the surviving sister, Dede, recollecting these events in 1994, to the perspectives of Minerva, Patria, and Maria Teresa, in the 1950s and '60s.
I loved that we get a point of view from all the sisters—they each have such a distinct personality and I thought the author did a great job of portraying that. A lot of time passes over the course of the story, and their growth and development was also notable. I also really liked seeing each sister from the others' perspective—for instance, Maria Teresa would view Minerva a certain way and then we'd get Minerva's POV and learn her real motivations and doubts and fears. It was a good reminder that we never really know what a person is thinking or feeling, even the people we're close to.
The plot stays close to the sisters; we don't get a ton of big-picture information, but I kind of liked it that way. We only know what they know in the moment.
This story follows the four Mirabal sisters in the Dominican Republic, during the Trujillo dictatorship. Known as "las mariposas" (the butterflies), the sisters took part in an underground plot to overthrow Trujillo and his government, and three of them were assassinated for their efforts. This book is a fictionalized narrative of their lives, from young teenagers to wives to mothers, and how they became involved with the revolution. We switch from the perspective of the surviving sister, Dede, recollecting these events in 1994, to the perspectives of Minerva, Patria, and Maria Teresa, in the 1950s and '60s.
I loved that we get a point of view from all the sisters—they each have such a distinct personality and I thought the author did a great job of portraying that. A lot of time passes over the course of the story, and their growth and development was also notable. I also really liked seeing each sister from the others' perspective—for instance, Maria Teresa would view Minerva a certain way and then we'd get Minerva's POV and learn her real motivations and doubts and fears. It was a good reminder that we never really know what a person is thinking or feeling, even the people we're close to.
The plot stays close to the sisters; we don't get a ton of big-picture information, but I kind of liked it that way. We only know what they know in the moment.
Reading this book, you know how the story ends. As with a lot of historical fiction about real people, you know what's coming. Yet I was still sobbing at the end. I have three sisters, and imagining losing all three of them in one act was brutal. Also, my mom was a young girl living in the DR during this time and she still remembers leaving the country via helicopter to come to the States for safety for a time. I liked learning more about the people who fought to make the DR a free country.
November 25 is now the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in honor of the Mirabal sisters, and they honestly deserve more recognition.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Police brutality, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Torture