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A review by nadiamasood
I Lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosín
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.0
This book whisked me away to Valparaíso, where I imagined myself riding a colorful cable car down the hills overlooking the ocean, as a pod of pelicans flew gracefully overhead. In my hands, I could almost feel the warmth of a bag filled with freshly baked empanadas from one of the charming bakeries just down the road.
This is a beautifully written realistic fiction for middle-grade children about the military takeover of Chile through the eyes of a young girl. It explores the themes of loss, displacement, and the power of hope and resilience. I learned that the author had escaped the terror of the Pinochet dictatorship with her family and drew heavily from her experience in this book.
Celeste, the protagonist, is smart, imaginative, and compassionate. She lives a privileged life and deeply loves her family, friends, and home. I particularly loved her bond with her grandmother. I love it when children are close to their grandparents.
What didn't work for me, however, were the length of the book and the pacing of the story. At 464 pages, this book is quite long! While I enjoyed and breezed through the first part of the novel, the second part dragged on to the point where I found myself getting bored and skipping pages, and the third part felt overly fantastical and rushed.
Despite these shortcomings, I find "I Lived on Butterfly Hill" a thought-provoking novel that sheds light on a dark chapter in Chilean history. Anyone interested in historical fiction or stories of resilience will enjoy this book.
This is a beautifully written realistic fiction for middle-grade children about the military takeover of Chile through the eyes of a young girl. It explores the themes of loss, displacement, and the power of hope and resilience. I learned that the author had escaped the terror of the Pinochet dictatorship with her family and drew heavily from her experience in this book.
Celeste, the protagonist, is smart, imaginative, and compassionate. She lives a privileged life and deeply loves her family, friends, and home. I particularly loved her bond with her grandmother. I love it when children are close to their grandparents.
What didn't work for me, however, were the length of the book and the pacing of the story. At 464 pages, this book is quite long! While I enjoyed and breezed through the first part of the novel, the second part dragged on to the point where I found myself getting bored and skipping pages, and the third part felt overly fantastical and rushed.
Despite these shortcomings, I find "I Lived on Butterfly Hill" a thought-provoking novel that sheds light on a dark chapter in Chilean history. Anyone interested in historical fiction or stories of resilience will enjoy this book.