Search - In the Time of the Butterflies

Please see my full review here.

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's work 100 Years of Solitude without the overt mysticism.

Touching story of women who are born into troubling political times and caught up in trying to make a difference because of their love for each other and their families.

Beautifully written, very sad book. This is a story of 4 sisters growing up in the Dominican Republic under the rule of Trujillo, the dictator. The author wrote this with the help of the surviving sister and other family members. I read this thinking that they weren't that much older than me and, while I was worrying about having a date and what dress to wear, they were planning a revolution! Vivan las Mariposas!!!!!!!

I love historical Fiction and this book is just another example of why. I learned so much about a time in history that I never knew before, but it was not your typical history lesson---so much more enjoyable. It was a sad story, yet, the book remains hopeful. Please note--the cover is different than the one shown here. Mine is red.

This book is about the atrocities that were endured under Trujillo's dictatorship in the Dominican Republic and about 4 amazing women who stood against him in which 3 died because of doing so. There names were Patria, Minerva, Dede and Maria Terese who are now known as "Las Mariposas" which means The Butterflies.
This little gem of a book would have never crossed my hands if not for the recommendation from a good friend. I never knew about Trujillo and probably never would have. My friend's father was against Trujillo and ended up having to flee to the US until things settled down.
The story is a fictional account of these women's lives starting from their childhood and moving up from there. This brings depth of character to each individual one. They grow up and each one goes in their different way (getting married, going to the university, kids, etc.)but there is one thing they end up having in common... the anger over how Trujillo runs things. These women stand up for what they feel is right. Three of the sisters end up going to jail where they are tortured. When they finally get out the only thing they want now is for their husbands to be out of jail as well.
Even though I really enjoyed this book and I know that it is a fictional account, it just didn't show the sisters as being much of a threat to Trujillo. Throughout the book he seemed to be after the family for doing what a lot of what other families were doing. At the end when the sisters got out of jail it seemed they settled down in hopes their husbands would be let out as well. Still Trujillo saw them as a problem. I did a little more research and found that these sisters never kept quiet. They always said what they thought. Even after getting out of prison, they went right back to their ways. Especially Minerva, who was always a rebel. When Trujillo had them murdered, that was the turning point of the revolution. Many were outraged at what happened to these women. So although I enjoyed the book and would recommend it, I don't think it showed just how strong these women actually were.

Memorable; sad but don't let that make you not read it. Well worth reading.

The author has a beautiful writing style. She managed to address the atrocities of the period without being graphic and distracting, but also without shielding the reader. It's a good read.