25th Anniversary Edition “A magnificent treasure for all cultures and all time.” –St. Petersburg Times 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. The official state newspaper reports their deaths as accidental. It does not mention that a fourth sister lives. Nor does it explain that the sisters were among the leading opponents of Gen. Rafael Leónidas Trujillo’s dictatorship. It doesn’t have to. Everybody knows of Las Mariposas–the Butterflies. In this extraordinary novel, the voices of all four sisters–Minerva, Patria, María Teresa, and the survivor, Dedé–speak across the decades to tell their own stories, from secret crushes to gunrunning, and to describe the everyday horrors of life under Trujillo’s rule. Through the art and magic of Julia Alvarez’s imagination, the martyred Butterflies live again in this novel of courage and love, and the human costs of political oppression.Julia Alvarez’s new novel, Afterlife, is available now.
Julia Alvarez
January 1, 2010
352 pages
English
978-1565129764
File Size: 85 MB
Available File Formats: PDF AZW3 DOCX EPUB MOBI TXT or Kindle audiobook Audio CD(Several files can be converted to each other)
Language: English, Francais, Italiano, Espanol, Deutsch, chinese
“Wonderful . . . Skillfully weaves fact and fiction, building to a gut-wrenching climax.” —Newsweek “A gorgeous and sensitive novel . . . A compelling story of courage, patriotism and familial devotion.” —People “Shimmering . . . Valuable and necessary.” —Los Angeles Times “Extraordinary.” —Harper’s Bazaar “Haunting.” —New York Newsday “A poignant tale of courage and hope . . . As much an inspiration as it is a tragedy.” —Ms. “Imagination and history in sublime combination . . . Read this book for the novel it is. Read this book for the place it takes you. Read this book and take courage.” —The Denver Post About the Author Julia Alvarez left the Dominican Republic for the United States in 1960 at the age of ten. She is the author of six novels, three books of nonfiction, three collections of poetry, and eleven books for children and young adults. She has taught and mentored writers in schools and communities across America and, until her retirement in 2016, was a writer in residence at Middlebury College. Her work has garnered wide recognition, including a Latina Leader Award in Literature from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature, the Woman of the Year by Latina magazine, and inclusion in the New York Public Library’s program “The Hand of the Poet: Original Manuscripts by 100 Masters, from John Donne to Julia Alvarez.” In the Time of the Butterflies, with over one million copies in print, was selected by the National Endowment for the Arts for its national Big Read program, and in 2013 President Obama awarded Alvarez the National Medal of Arts in recognition of her extraordinary storytelling. <div id="
Oh. My. Goodness. This is an exceptional book. This is a book that—bit by bit—will suck you into the story. You will feel you are a part of it. (And that means you won’t be able to stop reading…just so you know that up front.)This is a story about the power of the human spirit to do what is right for humanity under the most terrifying circumstances. This is a story about the power of smart, strong and confident young women to battle the worst kind of evil.The Mirabal sisters, Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and María Teresa, were born to a farming family in the Dominican Republic in the 1920s and 1930s. It was while they were in a convent boarding school that they first learned of the brutality of dictator Rafael Trujillo, who was responsible for between 20,000 and 30,000 deaths of Dominicans and Haitians. With Minerva taking the fearless lead, Patria and María Teresa (all three of whom were married with children), do their part to battle the man nicknamed El Jefe. Taking on the same underground name of ‘Mariposa,” the three become known as The Butterflies. And many Dominicans secretly supported them, doing what they could to assist the women and keep them safe. This isn’t a spoiler because it’s history: The three, along with their driver, were violently assassinated. But their murders were not in vain, because it was the beginning of Trujillo’s downfall and eventual assassination. And their legend lives on today.While this is a vitally important book to read, it is more than that. It is also an engrossing and expertly-crafted novel. The sisters take turns chapter-by-chapter narrating their own story with passion and grace, wisdom and wit. Author Julia Álvarez has taken the bare bones of history and with brilliant storytelling has transformed dry facts into something profound and provocative. Written 25 years ago, the story is still fresh, vibrant and point-on for the times in which we now live.
I have read Ms. Alvarez’ other book, How The Garcia Girls lost their accents, and it definitely was not my cup of tea. I had to read it in the fall for school and was not a huge fan of the story. This book,however, is another story. I loved how all of the characters were so different and relatable, with many layers unfolding as the novel continued on, as as the drama built up until the climax. I originally had to read this book for summer reading, and was disappointed; but I am so lucky that I read this book. I have annotated my first copy, then bought a second. I just think the Mirabel sisters are amazing, especially for someone as myself who had no idea about the DR and it’s history. This was my first book of the summer, and the first chapter definitely sets in. This is the kind of book where you take in every single word and it paints a beautiful picture in your mind, which is what Julia has done here. I highly recommend this book, and also the discussion guide included also gives great points to think and talk about. Long live the Mariposas!!
I had the distinct pleasure of reading this while visiting Santo Domingo,, Dominican Republic. It did not disappoint! The cover gives away a significant spoiler…three of the four main characters are assassinated. But, reading their stories, told in four separate voices from their youth into adulthood is powerful. After reading the book, I read the wiki page on the Mirabel family and the book plays close to the actual facts. Descendants of the survivors are still alive and productive in this emerging country.
I’m afraid I found the writing – putting words in the mouths of the teenage girls, especially – did not make them seem real to me. All young girls write insipidly, so this may have been realistic, but it lessened the impact of the tragedy for me. These were real young women – who cared deeply about a movement for freedom from dictatorship – but that just did come through, due to the choice of voice used by the author. It diminished their loss for me. It became maudlin.
I’m ashamed to admit that I had no idea about the history of the Dominican Republic. Obviously, this book is a mix of fact and fiction, but it still gave a history of the country before and during the Trujillo regime.Julia Alvarez takes us through the early years of the four Mirabal sisters into adulthood, where they all became involved in politics. At different times, at least two of the sisters and three of their husbands were jailed for their work against Trujillo’s dictatorship. In 1960, three of the sisters were found dead, supposedly the result of a car accident. One sister, Dede, was not with the rest on that trip and she survives.I think that Alvarez is a gifted storyteller for the most part. My issues were that there were some places that could have been cut, as they didn’t add to the story. I also would have loved more information on Dede, as she still survives. I imagine that must have been horrible for her. I would love to read her book, but I haven’t found an English version of it yet.I’m not sure how the print edition of the book is, but the Kindle edition had a ton of typos. That really detracted from the book.
I liked the book, but it was not my favorite to read. I felt that the authors sentences reflexed her background. I didn’t know what was happening in the country setting of this book in the 1950- 1960’s. I was young so reading this struggle of the family during a dictatorshipwas a new information for me. As this is based, I believe on a real happening in the Dominican Republic.
In the 1940s and 1950s the Dominican Republic was ruled by a brutal dictator called Trujillo. Unable to remove him by the ballot, opponents turned to the bullet. Three sisters, code name the Butterflies, were part of the revolutionary movement. Their memory is celebrated today in their homeland, but they are less well-known outside it. This novel will bring them and their time alive for many more people.Julia Alvarez herself was born in the Dominican Republic, but her parents fled to America in 1960. To supplement her own memories and family stories, she returned to the country and met with people who knew the sisters. This is a novel of course. As she writes in an afterword, she wanted neither to retail simply the known facts of their lives, nor to burnish the many myths and legends. She combines fiction or imagination with truth.For many the Latin American revolutionary is a dashing macho hero in the manner of Che Guevara or Fidel Castro. The butterflies tells of a different kind of rebel. They were girls and women, sisters and daughters, lovers and mothers – and revolutionaries.The narrative weaves between the political and the personal. Minerva, Patria, Mate and Dede, the fourth sibling, share the narrative. Use is made of a diary, but I don’t know if this is genuine. The youngest is 8 years old when the story begins so Julia Alvarez takes us through childhood friends, school, adolescence, love, marriage and mother hood. Sex was an important part of their lives and some may find what is said or implied “earthy”.Alvarez offers a view of a whole society – the poor peasants or campesinos, the state bureaucrats and the rich ruling clique, and the middle class from which the sisters came. She shows the position of women – at home and in society. Some have said the sisters are portrayed here as feminists, but I am not sure about that – each reader can judge for herself or himself.We know early on what happens as the novel begins in 1994. However, the tension and drama are sustained through the skill of the author. I have been encouraged to read more by Julia Alvarez and to find out more about Latin American politics and history.
This was overall a meh reading experience, boringly conveyed for the most part with only a few decent creative flourishes.All the characters are so one-dimensional I could hardly remember who each one was by midway.Also the story, while interesting, was rarely told in a compelling or suspenseful fashion.No idea why this is a well-rated book; there are countless far better Latin American writers around, and this is probably something that would only appease those sorts who read one book per year while sprawled baps out on the beach in Marbella.For anyone looking for a good example of Latin American literature, try Bolano or Sabato.
Based on real-life happenings, ‘In the Time of the Butterflies’ is the story of the four Mirabal sisters, who set out to undermine the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic (a regime that forced Alvarez and her parents to leave their homeland). The Mirabal sisters grow up in a middle-class farming family. Their parents urge them to put up with the dictatorship and so they do – until the third sister, Minerva, goes to university, realizes what Trujillo is doing, and then becomes a victim of ‘El Jefe’ herself when she refuses to be seduced by him. Soon Minerva is working fervently with a group of rebels to topple Trujillo. Her younger sister Maria Teresa soon joins her, and both sisters marry prominent men in the rebel groups. It’s not long before the oldest of the sisters, Patria, and her husband also join – they have come to feel that Trujillo’s brutality makes them morally obliged, as Catholics, to take action. Only the second sister, Dede, holds back – her macho husband refuses to let her get involved and put him and his family at risk. Over the course of several years Minerva and Maria Teresa endure long periods in prison; both their husbands, and Patria’s are also imprisoned for revolutionary activity. But the sisters maintain their indomitable spirits to the last.Alvarez paints a vivid picture of the Trujillo regime, and her painterly depictions of the Dominican Republic and of social life there are very beautiful. I found the characters in this book far more interesting than in her first, ‘How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents’, particularly the fervent Minerva and the gentle, religious Patria, and followed their struggles with keen interest. Even though it’s clear from Chapter 1 that Dede is the only Mirabal sister to survive the regime, the fate of Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa still comes as a great shock. All in all, the novel is a fascinating historical document and beautifully written. If I stop short of five stars it is because I found Dede, the surviving sister, rather bland by comparison with Minerva, Maria Teresa and Patria, and thus the sections narrated by her (many of which take place after her sisters’ assassination) relatively uninteresting – Dede seemed too placid for a woman who’d suffered so much. However, I would still wholeheartedly recommend the book to anyone interested in Latin American fiction and in 20th-century history, and am looking forward to reading Alvarez’s later novels next.
A good read.
No reflection on the novel because the print is too small to read on my kindle and the increase font does not work with this edition.
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