Patria is the oldest, a devout Christian, and the pseudo-parent of the four (good name for that, no?). She is the sister who begins their involvement in the resistance during Trujillo's rise to power, and it is ultimately her commitment that involves the rest of her family. I respect brazen courage and admire lucky stupidity. Alvarez has created such solid and unique characters that you start to wish that YOU were the fifth sister by the time you're a a few chapters into the book.Īs far as the sisters themselves, I love them all but Minerva is my favorite sister, hands down. I love the different interpretations of the same events, and because each sister has such a distinct and different personality, it isn't difficult to keep them separate as you read.

The first person POV allowed the same story to be told from multiple perspectives, which seems to be a new thing (genre?) in literature right now. The stories of the four sisters are told in alternating chapters - each from a different sister's point of view and from different points in time (Ex.

Everybody knows of Las Mariposas-the Butterflies.I thoroughly enjoyed the format of this novel, and I know some readers don't, so I think it's worth a mention. Nor does it explain that the sisters were among the leading opponents of Gen. It does not mention that a fourth sister lives. The official state newspaper reports their deaths as accidental. It is November 25, 1960, and three beautiful sisters have been found near their wrecked Jeep at the bottom of a 150-foot cliff on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. 'Alvarez does a remarkable job illustrating the ruinous effect the 30-year dictatorship had on the Dominican Republic and the very real human cost it entailed.'. 'A magnificent treasure for all cultures and all time.” - St. Valuable and necessary.' - Los Angeles Times

A compelling story of courage, patriotism and familial devotion.' - People 'This Julia Alvarez classic is a must-read for anyone of Latinx descent.'. 'Alvarez helped blaze the trail for Latina authors to break into the literary mainstream, with novels like In the Time of the Butterflies and How the García Girls Lost Their Accents winning praise from critics and gracing best-seller lists across the Americas.'-Francisco Cantú, The New York Times Book Review a lyrical work of historical fiction based on the story of the Mirabal sisters, revolutionary heroes who had opposed and fought against Trujillo.' (Concepción de León, New York Times) By the international bestselling author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Afterlife, In the Time of the Butterflies, first published in 1994, is 'beautiful, heartbreaking and alive.

In time of the butterflies book