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Summary: An exploration of the relationships of sisters
Review: I love Julia Alvarez and have read everything she has written. "In the Time of the Butterflies" is by far my favorite. Alvarez's recreation of the tribulations of the Mirabal sisters is poignant and her description of their politically charged lives under the dictatorship of the Dominican Republic is very interesting. However, what I valued most about this book is Alvarez's amazingly accurate exploration of the lives of the sisters and their relationships with each other. Anyone who has grown up with sisters that were close in age will deeply appreciate Alvarez's magnificant characterization of the "Las Mariposas", the four Mirabal sisters.
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Summary: A truly wonderful read
Review: In the Time of the Butterflies is certainly one of the best books I have ever read, and that says a lot because as an English major, I have read quite a few! Alvarez manages to make the novel serious, silly, tragic, romantic, exciting, and frightening all at the same time. I think she is a masterful author. I loved all of the Mirabal sisters, because each seemed so very real, so unique. Read this book, it will make a great summer read!
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Summary: Butterflies: active, emotional and inspirational
Review: Julia Alvarez's "In The Time of the Butterflies" has all the ingrediants of a great novel: action, emotion and inspiration. She brings the Mirabel sisters to life and, in the process, we catch a glimpse of the human spirit in its many forms. Thank you, Julia Alvarez, for describing the struggles of the Dominicans and for reminding us that real people can do heroic and amazing things. This is one of the most important books I've ever read!!
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Summary: THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ THIS YEAR!!!
Review: It probably tells part of the history of all Latin America countries. Mrs. Alvarez is a great story teller. It's a must read it.
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Summary: Whoa!!!!!
Review: This book is so good! The story, charector development and the pace took my breath away!
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Summary: It was good but skippy
Review: In The Time of The butterflys was a great book. I loved it dearly. It was long but I could handle it. I got confused in the beginning because it jumped from place to place. I could understand where I was at and what I was reading. After a while it got better and it was easier. I loved it though. Don't get me wrong. I could follow the book well but it needed less switching back and forth between past and present. It shoudl have had a section at the begining where it sort of rolled off into a story and then at the end add the expressions and feeling of the story teller. It could have gone better. It was still a good book. I totally recemend it.
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Summary: A truely feminist novel written by a fabuluous author
Review: This book is one of my all time favorites and has a permanent place on my top shelf. I do not usually read books by Latin American authors but this one is simply to die for! The story centers around a group of sisters during the revolution in their country. My favorite sister was Minerva, she was one of the most radical feminist characters I have ever read about. La Dia de Las Mariposas should be made an international holiday just for those brave girls. This book is a MUST read for any revolutionaries.
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Summary: Not true to life.
Review: Although I loved the author's previous efforts, I was mightily disappointed by this book's almost identical structure to the author's first novel,"How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents," and by the author's willingness to distort and embellish the story of the Mirabal sisters. First of all, the technique she uses in order to tell the story resembles too much that of her first novel: we get a story told from the alternate perspective of four sisters. Her first novel, however, is much more complex and succeeds in its attempt to make us feel the transitions the sisters undergo as they become older and go their separate ways. Unfortunately, in "Butterflies" the author (in her attempt to infuse each sister with a clear-cut, unlike-her-sisters personality) has created characters that lack the complex balance between virtue and flaw that all believable characters must possess. Indeed, the sisters seem caricatures rather than real people. In addition, Mrs. Alvarez should be ashamed of herself by her obsequious and pandering portrayal of Minerva Mirabal's daughter. Although Mrs. Alvarez is, of course, a novelist and not a journalist, this doesn't mean that she should try to portray some demons as saints simply because they helped her do her research. As anyone familiar with Dominican history knows, a few years ago this same daughter (who was a toddler when her mother was murdered) helped one of Trujillo's former henchmen become the Dominican president. That the author chooses to glorify this shameless woman is beyond my comprehension. In short, if you want to read a good book by Mrs. Alvarez read "How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accent" or "Yo," which is a sequel to the former.
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Summary: A magnificant tribute to Las Hermanas Mirabel
Review: This book is very, very good. I read this book because my parents are from the Dominican Republic and my mom always told me the story about these sisters. I always tryed to get a copy of the book but never got a chance to get one until now. This book has made me realized so many things about being a Dominican women or just a women from any country. These sisters fought for they rights and freedom. I highly recommend this book to be in a Dominican household or just a any household because this book will be you to tears. It shows alot of emotions and it takes you back in time. It really gets you into the book to the point where you don't put it down until you're finish.
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Summary: lovable presented characters
Review: Julia Alvarez describes the character of each of the four sisters Mirabal illustrative. The reader starts to love all of them.Alvarez is able to make the reader identify himself with the figures and understand how terrible life in Dominican Republic could have been.The reader learns a lot about a history and a way to live which is usually unknown in Europe. I like this book very much. It is written impressing and exciting.
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