Scan barcode
krobart's review against another edition
1.0
See my review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/butterfly-winter/
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/butterfly-winter/
kathystl's review against another edition
5.0
A chapter of this book, the basis for the title, is basically the same as a short story he published in the 80s. I was about 13 when I read it. It was and remains the most romantic thing I've ever read. It holds up for me 25 years later like no other book or movie I've revisited as an adult. It is beyond beautiful. It's why I'm crazy about monarchs to this day.
Kinsella remains my favorite author.
Calling this book magical realism is a stretch of the term "realism." It takes place in a fictional country wedged between Haiti and the Dominican Republic where the inexplicable is the norm. But no matter what crazy nonsense happens, Kinsella's lyrical prose carries you along for the ride.
Kinsella remains my favorite author.
Calling this book magical realism is a stretch of the term "realism." It takes place in a fictional country wedged between Haiti and the Dominican Republic where the inexplicable is the norm. But no matter what crazy nonsense happens, Kinsella's lyrical prose carries you along for the ride.
gracer's review
3.0
I was really looking forward to this book - what a great idea, to take the whimsy and magic of "Shoeless Joe" or "The Iowa Baseball Confederacy" and plop it down on the island of Hispaniola, in a fictional country that is not the Dominican Republic, but similar in some ways.
It is the perfect setting for a baseball story told through magical realism. The book fit the bill in that respect, inviting readers to suspend disbelief and become consumed in the world of the story.
That said, baseball was far less at the forefront of this story as the other Kinsella books I have read. As a result it felt like less of an escape for me - that, coupled with the tyrannical president of Courteguay and the horrible things he did made this less relaxing for me. Furthermore, I wasn't wild about the presentation of women in this one. So I'm giving this one a mixed review, and a mixed rating - but if you're into Kinsella's other works, there's no real reason to skip this one.
It is the perfect setting for a baseball story told through magical realism. The book fit the bill in that respect, inviting readers to suspend disbelief and become consumed in the world of the story.
That said, baseball was far less at the forefront of this story as the other Kinsella books I have read. As a result it felt like less of an escape for me - that, coupled with the tyrannical president of Courteguay and the horrible things he did made this less relaxing for me. Furthermore, I wasn't wild about the presentation of women in this one. So I'm giving this one a mixed review, and a mixed rating - but if you're into Kinsella's other works, there's no real reason to skip this one.
the_original_shelf_monkey's review
4.0
Why the return of W.P. Kinsella wasn't heralded throughout the northern kingdom with hosannas and blaring trumpets I will never understand. Considering that the once-prolific author had claimed his career was over after a severe car crash left him unable to write, the printed return of Kinsella to his three loves (baseball, magic realism, and more baseball) should have been front-page news. Instead, Butterfly Winter slips onto the shelves unnoticed, released by a small independent publisher to a few good reviews. This must be rectified. Kinsella, in addition to being the finest writer there is or ever was of baseball lore (and this coming from an avowed sports unenthusiast), is one of the last true practitioners of the free-wheeling comedic plot practised and perfected by Tom Robbins, Jim Dodge, Edward Abbey, and Richard Brautigan. True to form, Butterfly Winter is a breezy treat, a magical journey to a land where lying is the norm and you can never be sure of the truth.
Read the rest of the review here.
Read the rest of the review here.
offmessage's review
Too loose and too weird for me. I tried very hard, because I love WP Kinsella with a passion, but this one just couldn't get my attention; it felt like a slog until I finally just gave up.
More...