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In the Time of the Butterflies Paperback – Jan. 12 2010
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Alvarez’s new novel, The Cemetery of Untold Stories, is coming April 2, 2024. Pre-order now!
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.
"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
"This Julia Alvarez classic is a must-read for anyone of Latinx descent." —Popsugar.com
"A gorgeous and sensitive novel . . . A compelling story of courage, patriotism and familial devotion." —People
"Shimmering . . . Valuable and necessary." —Los Angeles Times
"A magnificent treasure for all cultures and all time.” —St. Petersburg Times
"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."—Cosmopolitan.com
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherAlgonquin Books
- Publication dateJan. 12 2010
- Dimensions19.81 x 1.91 x 27.18 cm
- ISBN-101565129768
- ISBN-13978-1565129764
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| How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents | ¡Yo! | Afterlife | |
| Also by Julia Alvarez | Julia Alvarez’s Beloved First Novel | “Mesmerizing.”—USA Today | "A sunburst of a novel about family, immigration, love and moral choices.” —The San Francisco Chronicle |
Product description
Review
"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
Product details
- Publisher : Algonquin Books; Reprint edition (Jan. 12 2010)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1565129768
- ISBN-13 : 978-1565129764
- Item weight : 295 g
- Dimensions : 19.81 x 1.91 x 27.18 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: #99,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6,541 in Women's Fiction (Books)
- #7,094 in Historical Fiction (Books)
- #7,149 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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.
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Like Dede who is haunted by the death of her three sisters, we too as readers experience a similar sense of the power of memory. Alvarez, in a simple clear style invokes memory with the physicality of the sisters themselves and those that they interact with. Each of the sister’s voices is distinct, telling the Trujillo history of the Dominican Republic and about its people. Alvarez so deftly tells us the story that it transports the tale into the here and now.
Some might say that spoilers in a book review are quite possibly the most dreadful thing on earth. But how can you not give a spoiler when the author brilliantly does it for you herself, right there in the BEGINNING of her novel? Alvarez successfully pushes you to the edge of your seat from moment number one. She GIVES you the ending and when it will occur- date and everything. Even the basic idea of HOW it will happen. But, she slyly leaves out one important deal. WHY DID IT HAPPEN?? Alvarez has thoughtfully written the book in chronological order, so you as the reader are yearning to flip to the date you know will be a climax. She has you trapped in her web. While Alvarez has you riding her roller coaster of intensity, she takes the time to make your mouth water with the aura of her descriptive language as well. For example:
ÒShe remembers a clear moonlit night before the future began. They are sitting in the cool darkness under the anacahuita tree in the front yard, in the rockers, telling stories, drinking guanabana juice. Good for the nerves, Mama always says.Ó
(Dede, pg. 8)
Do you not long to be under that tree, drinking that juice, surrounded by that serenity?
ÒHer life had gotten bound up with a domineering man, and so she shrank from the challenge her sisters were giving her. Dede sent Patria a note: Sorry, Jaimito says no. And for weeks afterwards, she avoided her sisters.Ó (Dede, pg. 177)
In this passage, a very common flaw of society is shown quite clearly- the idea that men dominate over women. Dede wishes to help her sisters, but the fact that her husband wont let her completely stops her. Dede Mirabal is just one character of the book. Her sisters, on the other hand, seem to be butterflies of the start of modern day feminism. They do not take no for an answer, always standing up for their beliefs. They know whatÕs right and wrong in their hearts, and will risk their lives to keep right separated from wrong. They shine ideals of feminism not only through political happenings, but personal as well; the sisters have an immense strength dealing with personal problems, such as loosing a child, loosing friendship, wobbly sisterhood.
ÒIn the Time of the Butterflies.Ó This title might have somebody confused and wondering, ÒHuh? What? There are always butterflies, why are the sisters referred to as butterflies? Are the colorful and spotted?Ó This title excellently ties together the mood and theme of the book. Throughout AlvarezÕs novel, the mood is hopeful. Extremely hopeful. Through times of hardship, you as a reader will always have a gleam of knowing in your eye, knowing that the girls will get through whatever they are dealing with, ÒThey are strong! They can do it!Ó And what is usually associated with butterflies? Beauty, grace, and hope. After a long rainstorm, you see a butterfly come out, and know that it will not be dark and cloudy forever; the butterfly will bring you sunshine(HOPE!). Similarly, the idea of a butterfly outstandingly represents the theme of the novel, which is also hope and strength. And along come our butterflies, shining hope and sunshine into everybody's lives...family, political prisoners....the whole bunch of them.
Julia Alvarez has done an outstanding job writing, ÒIn the Time of the Butterflies.Ó It is WELL worth your read. Be prepared to fly through a tornado of emotions; fear, passion, wonder, romance, but most of all, hope. This book will leave you wanting to start your own political movement, wanting to be one of the Mirabal sisters.
Top reviews from other countries
What they don’t mention is that a fourth sister was spared because she refused to make that trip with the other three sisters. They were known as Las Mariposas- the Butterflies 🦋
While this story is based on true events, the author uses her fictional storytelling to give readers the 4 different points of view from all of the sisters at different points of time , leading up to the “accident”.
Patria- the oldest , very into her religion and raising her kids
Dedé- the soul surviving sister , the level headed an reliable one.
Minerva- the activist and one of the founder of the underground movement. Brave and outspoken.
Maria Teresa- the baby of the 4 that so badly wants to be a freedom fighter.
I personally resonated with Minerva, there were times in the book where her mouth gets her in trouble and her blunt honesty is something I admired. This book also really interested me because like the four Mirabal sisters, I too am very close with my 3 sisters. You get to see what lengths they go to just to protect each other and fight for what is right during a time of political oppression.
I didn’t know much about the Dominican Republic other than it’s nice beaches and tropical weather so this was a really good opportunity for me to learn about their history.
The only reason I didn’t give it a 5/5 was because the 4 points of view were hard to keep up with and a bit confusing if you don’t pay attention. Also, I found it weird that the sisters married their primos (cousins).
Sometimes difficult to read, sometimes amusing, and always forceful, Alvarez’s novel blends history and fiction to tell an undeniable truth.
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.
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.



