[.uk] In the Time of the Butterflies (ISBN 1565120388)

Amazon.com Review:
From the author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents comes this tale of courage and sisterhood set in the Dominican Republic during the rise of the Trujillo dictatorship. A skillful blend of fact and fiction, In the Time of the Butterflies is inspired by the true story of the three Mirabal sisters who, in 1960, were murdered for their part in an underground plot to overthrow the government. Alvarez breathes life into these historical figures--known as "las mariposas," or "the butterflies," in the underground--as she imagines their teenage years, their gradual involvement with the revolution, and their terror as their dissentience is uncovered. Alvarez's controlled writing perfectly captures the mounting tension as "the butterflies" near their horrific end. The novel begins with the recollections of Dede, the fourth and surviving sister, who fears abandoning her routines and her husband to join the movement. Alvarez also offers the perspectives of the other sisters: brave and outspoken Minerva, the family's political ringleader; pious Patria, who forsakes her faith to join her sisters after witnessing the atrocities of the tyranny; and the baby sister, sensitive Maria Teresa, who, in a series of diaries, chronicles her allegiance to Minerva and the physical and spiritual anguish of prison life. In the Time of the Butterflies is an American Library Association Notable Book and a 1995 National Book Critics Circle Award nominee.

A great read:
A great read, no matter what your politics are. Instead of making political figures into demons or little plaster saints as we're all so fond of doing, Alvarez draws them as real women who are sometimes heroic and sometimes just trying to get the kids to bed. A gripping story with believable characters and a window on a time and place I knew little about.

a story every American needs to know:
As a "Gringo" I am forever grateful to Julia Alvarez for bringing this important story to a larger audience. Actually I saw the film first, and then read the book -- in any case it is a story every American needs to know, so that, as Dede Mirabal says, we don't repeat history. To my way of thinking, the overthrow of Trujillo came late and was more legitimate than the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. It's too bad the U.S. framed communism as an enemy rather than a friend of democracy!

Have your Spanish to English translator nearby:
A very fine read, but it's helpful if you know a little Spanish. He lapses into it throughout the book, especially when speaking about sex it seems. Often one can discern the translation from context, but not always. If you liked "In the Time of the Butterflies", by Alvarez, you'll surely like this. I did.

Excellent:
It was a beautiful story about something that I really knew nothing about. I laughed and cried and learned a lot.

Courage versus Tyranny:
The book recounts the life of four sisters during the time of Rafael Trujillo during part of a regime that spanned many years and controlled the Dominican country on the island of Hispaniola. Haiti occupies the remaining part of Hispaniola and played a part in Trujillo's murderous legacy since he slaughtered thousands of Haitians. Trujillo's government epitomized the harsh dictatorship, utilizing torture, murders, absolute power, and the suppression of free speech and civil rights. His sexual abuse of women was well known. The four Mirabel sisters joined the underground fight to topple his government, but only one of them survived. The four sisters were known as the Mariposas (butterflies) and each one speaks separately in the chapters of the book. The courage of the sisters inspires as much as Trujillo terrifies. The book is an excellent read.