Review of In the Time of Butterflies

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a very powerful book on the Dominican revolutionary movement against their dictator, Tujillo. It is loosely based on the fact of three sisters who were attacked and killed after visiting their husbands in a mountain prison. The story alternates narration between all the sisters, so you get all 4 perspectives. The narrations take the form of first hand, diary, and "thought process-flashback" for the sister who survived. Altogether, this style narration works here to give an overall impression of the events. Most of the time the dates do NOT overlap, but occasionally they do.



Although this book is set during a revolution of sorts, the book is really just as much about the every day lives of these women before and after the revolution and during their prison stay, for the two that were jailed. The guts of Marioposa1/Minerva is amazing, and the evolution of characters like Patria and Dede over time is quite intriguing, and worth the read alone. I think the character I had to most trouble connecting to was Mate/Maria Teresa/Mariposa2. I'm not sure why though. In the end, I guess we are all meant to connect most strongly to Dede who was the surviving sister in real life, as well as in this fictional account. However, I think the very DIFFERENCES of all 4 sisters is what makes this book work overall. It's like a real family, so you get a real sense of how these sisters played off of each other, fought against a dictator (or didn't), and lived their lives both so separately and yet so closely. The bonds between these four was unshakeable. An amazing testament to the strength of family over the turmoil of prison and revolution.



The historical climate in which this book is set, the time of the revolution in Cuba, from the 40's to the 90's, is an integral part of the book. In real life, it dictated the conditions of the story, and in this fictionalized account you cannot escape Tujillo's portrait, reach, or ghost. He dominates the lives of the Mirabel family from the beginning to the end. It really gives you a sense of how a dictator can put fear into people, and WHY the dominated people don't rebel. If you wonder why the North Koreans are not yelling for freedom, this book might give you a glimpse of the terror machine employed by a dictator. The tortures here seem "mild" compared to others I have heard of, but the conditions of suppression and control and terror seemed very real. It takes a real courageous and idealistic person to rebel against a dictator.



If you enjoy historical fiction, like other books by this author, or like strong-spirited characters, I would recommend this book. The first time I started it, I only got a few chapters in, and I set it aside for several years. It starts out a little bit slow, but I am glad I returned to it! It is a remarkable book, and I had to force myself to put it down to live regular life, like go to work, walk the dog, water the garden, or grade papers. Enjoy!



View all my reviews