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In the Time of the Butterflies
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In the Time of the Butterflies
Author: Julia Alvarez

Book Information
Publisher: Plume Books
Book Type: Paperback
Rating:

ISBN-13: 9780452274426 - ISBN-10: 0452274427
Publication Date: 8/1/1995
Pages: 325


Other Versions of this Book: Hardcover

Book Description:
During the last days of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, three young women, members of a conservative, pious Catholic family, who had become committed to the revolutionary overthrow of the regime, were ambushed and assassinated as they drove back from visiting their jailed husbands. Thus martyred, the Mirabal sisters have become mythical figures in their country, where they are known as las mariposas (the butterflies), from their underground code names.

Herself a native of the Dominican Republic, Alvarez ( How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents ) has fictionalized their story in a narrative that starts slowly but builds to a gripping intensity. Each of the girls--Patria, Minerva and Maria Terese (Mate) Mirabal--speaks in her own voice, beginning in their girlhood in the 1940s; their surviving sister, Dede, frames the narrative with her own tale of suffering and dedication to their memory. To differentiate their personalities and the ways they came to acquire revolutionary fervor, Alvarez takes the risk of describing their early lives in leisurely detail, somewhat slowing the narrative momentum. In particular, the giddy, childish diary entries of Mate, the youngest, may seem irritatingly mundane at first, but in time Mate's heroism becomes the most moving of all, as the sisters endure the arrests of their husbands, their own imprisonment and the inexorable progress of Trujillo's revenge. Alvarez captures the terrorized atmosphere of a police state, in which people live under the sword of terrible fear and atrocities cannot be acknowledged. As the sisters' energetic fervor turns to anguish, Alvarez conveys their courage and their desperation, and the full import of their tragedy.

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Top Member Book Reviews

Kim S. (FortrixEnigma) wrote on 7/17/2007...

5 member(s) found this review helpful.

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.

Kristine S. (NHBookLover) wrote on 7/9/2008...

4 member(s) found this review helpful.

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!!!!!!!

Jennifer M. wrote on 4/2/2007...

3 member(s) found this review helpful.

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.

Connie (jazzysmom) - IL wrote on 5/15/2009...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

"A writer of grace and power" Beautiful novel of sisters growing up in a country of despair. Will draw you into a comfortable place inside yourself from the first chapter. You will want to curl up and keep reading until the very last drop of a word is devoured. These words will stay with you after you are long finished reading--I promise.

Sarah T. (sarahpas) wrote on 11/20/2007...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

An insightful spin on real historical events. A great read for lovers of historical fiction or feminine heroism. Julia Alvarez paints a colorful and sorrowful picture of the lives of four women growing up in the Domincan Republic under a terrible, oppressive dictator.

Sarah E. wrote on 5/6/2007...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Wonderful book about four sisters growing up in the Dominican Republic during the reign of the dictator Trujillo. They grow from young girls to revolutionaries to heroes to martyrs during the course of the novel.

Sara M. (saracm) wrote on 9/7/2006...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Enthralling story, couldn't put it down. Bits of history intertwined. I wonder HOW much is the truth, etc. But the book made me want to actually find out more.

Donna K. (katshack) wrote on 5/21/2006...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

I didn't want to put this book down! Usually politics turns me off in a book, but in this case the emphasis is more on the impact politics have on our day-to-day lives. It's also a window into how ordinary people get mixed up in the political game. It's about courage - not just the courage of the sisters, but the courage that is required of everyone in a free society, and the consequences when we fail.

Ashleah Y. wrote on 11/3/2005...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

I absolutely loved this book. I read it for a Political Writings by Women class, but it was wonderfully written and it draws the reader in. It is about the Mirabal sisters who, in their own ways, helped in the Dominican revolution .

Christal H. wrote on 7/25/2005...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Great book. Really gives the feeling of the state of fear in the country without graphic violence.


Please Rate these Book Reviews

Priscilla C. (MSCOZY) wrote on 10/28/2009...


A sad and true story about three brave young ladies trying to help overthrow the dictatorship in their country. It is well written and tragic. Made me be thankful I live in America. Such beautiful, promising young ladies dying so heinously.

Susan D. wrote on 8/5/2009...


This book was a wonderful look at how a totalitarian government comes in and takes over, but yet shows the courage of those who are willing to fight. A wonderful book about courage and the power of fighting for what you know is right.

Dave L. wrote on 11/5/2008...


INCREDIBLE...an amazing page-turner on the lives of four sisters in the Dominican Republic who struggle against their violent, ruthless dictator. This book puts you there and let's you see and feel how it all plays out...you won't regret this read.

*One bit of advice - read it in English. I've read both English and Spanish versions but as it was originally written in English, that version retains much of the original flavor that is somewhat lost in translation.

Perla A. (La-Estudiante) wrote on 10/17/2008...


This is undoubtedly one of my favorite books. I love reading books by Latino/a authors, and I was not disappointed by Julia Alvarez's style of writing and ability to create a page turner. I have read this book at least two times. I really enjoyed reading the perspective of each of the Mirabal sisters. Each chapter is in the voice of one of Las Mariposas, helping the reader learn each of their stories during a time of Trujillo's dictatorship in the Dominican Republic and the despair and heartache each of them faced. There is also a movie about the book, with Salma Hayek, and it does a decent job of portraying the story.

Karin J. (gringa76) wrote on 4/1/2007...


Interesting read about the Dominican Republic and the lives of the people affected by the leader, Trujillo. Great quick read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

ANNE S. wrote on 2/18/2007...


A gifted writer with a story she wanted to tell. Hard to put it down.

Hillari K. wrote on 12/8/2006...


a wonderful book about 4 very strong women. each in their own right. a fantastic book

Mya B. (straycat) wrote on 9/29/2006...


I have a different cover. I've never read it.

Dawn O. (wildcherry) wrote on 7/16/2006...


A great story based on the story of the Mirabal sisters, national heros in the Dominican Republic that fought against the horrible dictator Trujillo.

Richard P. wrote on 6/29/2006...


A lovely book.


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