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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
One of the best, most thought provoking books I’ve ever read. A beautiful style of writing and the truth behind the story made it much more powerful.
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
Julia Alvarez and I both love stories about sisters. These four narrators pulled me in with their distinct personalities and shared experiences that leads them at times along a shared struggle and then also puts them at odds with each other. I did want a bit more out of the framing; the mixed diary and ambiguous first person acounts + Dedé's survivor memories felt too similar in voice and I expected them to relate more to the present day prologue. I also wish there had been more about the political history of Trujillo's regime, but that's just me coming in ignorant.
For Taylor's Read Around the World challenge, Dominican Republic.
For Taylor's Read Around the World challenge, Dominican Republic.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy
Maybe it's just this infernal year, but this work packed a surprisingly emotional wallop.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
There’s a reason I’ve now saved two more of Alvarez’s books to my Want To Read and this is it.
I had never heard of The Butterflies, let alone the history of Trujillo’s regime. This story shook me emotionally, especially from having two sisters myself. I think it’s absolutely beautiful how Alvarez took the known history of the Mirabel girls and gave their personal lives a closer look. Just as Dedes perspective at the start, everyone can look up their story on google, see what they did on paper, sympathize with Minerva, Patria, and Matte’s deaths. But what we can’t possibly do is know them personally, and understand all the thoughts, fears, wants that they had outside of the revolution. And on top of all of this I can’t imagine being in Dede’s position being the survivor (all of this can be known by the back of the book so, no spoilers).
But if we could know the girls personally, I think Alvarez does an exquisite job at capturing that. We all have our idols and hero’s, but to humanize them this way and remember that they weren’t born fearless and outspoken, makes their sacrifices even more precious. We read of their triumphs but we cannot put ourselves in their body the moments before. This was an easy 5 stars and I can’t wait to read more by her.
I had never heard of The Butterflies, let alone the history of Trujillo’s regime. This story shook me emotionally, especially from having two sisters myself. I think it’s absolutely beautiful how Alvarez took the known history of the Mirabel girls and gave their personal lives a closer look. Just as Dedes perspective at the start, everyone can look up their story on google, see what they did on paper, sympathize with Minerva, Patria, and Matte’s deaths. But what we can’t possibly do is know them personally, and understand all the thoughts, fears, wants that they had outside of the revolution. And on top of all of this I can’t imagine being in Dede’s position being the survivor (all of this can be known by the back of the book so, no spoilers).
But if we could know the girls personally, I think Alvarez does an exquisite job at capturing that. We all have our idols and hero’s, but to humanize them this way and remember that they weren’t born fearless and outspoken, makes their sacrifices even more precious. We read of their triumphs but we cannot put ourselves in their body the moments before. This was an easy 5 stars and I can’t wait to read more by her.