Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Story of Four Sisters and Their Struggle, October 1, 2000
Based on actual events, "In the Time of the Butterflies," is a tragic look at the four Mirabal sisters and their struggle to bring an end to the tyrannical regime of the Dominican Republic's most notorious dictator, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Known for his ruthlessness and his ability to make his political enemies disappear without a trace, Trujillo's regime was one of the most brutal in Latin American history.After taking over the country with the assistance of the military, Trujillo began a campaign of making himself somewhat of a demigod, even renaming the nation's capital from Santo Domingo to Ciudad Trujillo ("Trujillo City"). During this time, four sisters unified the Dominican resistance in trying to bring freedom and justice to that nation. While their husbands suffered in the nation's worst prison, the Mirabal sisters face uncertain perils and repression from Trujillo's henchmen. While the author doesn't really discuss the main reason for Trujillo's infatuation with one of the sisters, their story is one of the most memorable cases of human rights abuses on record. Trujillo, son of biracial parents, never was accepted into traditional Dominican society due to his skin color. In a country where race plays a very important role in your social standing, this was a slap to the face, and after meeting one of the Mirabal sisters before his ascent to power, and getting rejected by her, it seems like the main motives for their murders was primarily for vengeance. Told from the point of view of the only sister to survive the accident that claimed the lives of the other three, Dede's view is somewhat blurry to an extent. Seeing that some of the novel has fictional dialogue, it is understandable why the novel moves in a slow, yet respectful approach. Julia Alvarez, who also wrote "Yo!" and "How the Garcia Sisters Lost Their Accents" is probably the best writer to come out of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean in recent years. A resident of Vermont, Ms. Alvarez is an intelligent, well-researched woman who has given the world works that explore the trials and tribulations faced by many Dominicans on and off the island. The Mirabal sister's legacy has been remembered worldwide. The date three of the sisters died now has become the United Nation's "International Day Against Violence Towards Women." Also in an ironic twist, one of Dede's sons became Vice-President of the Dominican Republic in 1995 when he and presidential candidate Leonel Fernandez defeated incumbent Joaquin Balaguer in that year's elections. Joaquin Balaguer was Trujillo's protege and right-hand man, and it was at Balaguer's insistance that Trujillo be buried at Paris' Pere LaChaise cemetery (final resting place of "Doors" singer Jim Morrison and author Oscar Wilde) in order to prevent his grave's desecration. Presently, Mexican superstar Salma Hayek has purchased the rights to this novel, and is currently filming the story of the Mirabal sisters into a motion picture that will air on the Showtime cable network in 2001. Hopefully, Ms. Hayek's film will capture the importance of Ms. Alvarez's novel without leaving out any details. Overall, "In the Time of the Butterflies" is a tragic, yet moving tribute to four heroes and their struggle for liberty in a country where justice, equality, and democracy are all threatened.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Maravilloso ! Vivan las Mariposas !, May 13, 2000
Soy dominicana, y conozco la historia de las heroinas Mirabal de las paginas de mis libros de Historia.. Sin embargo, el libro describe con una profunda delicadeza el caracter de estas tres "Mariposas" que aunque distintas, se mantuvieron siempre firmes a su ideal de ver a nuestra tierra libre de la horrenda tirania... Desde las narraciones de la pequena Maria Teresa, la devocion de la buena Patria, la voluntad y fortaleza de Minerva, la pena y la dedicacion de Dede, la sobreviviente.. La estupenda narracion de la vida de las ninas, las hermanas, las esposas, las amigas, las madres, las martires... El libro es maravilloso... La historia es triste, pero real.. es un capitulo de nuestra historia dominicana que no podemos olvidar, y una muestra de volundad e idealismo que debe sembrarse en todo el que conoce sobre las mariposas..!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Story of Four Sisters and Their Struggle, October 1, 2000
Based on actual events, "In the Time of the Butterflies," is a tragic look at the four Mirabal sisters and their struggle to bring an end to the tyrannical regime of the Dominican Republic's most notorious dictator, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Known for his ruthlessness and his ability to make his political enemies disappear without a trace, Trujillo's regime was one of the most brutal in Latin American history.After taking over the country with the assistance of the military, Trujillo began a campaign of making himself somewhat of a demigod, even renaming the nation's capital from Santo Domingo to Ciudad Trujillo ("Trujillo City"). During this time, four sisters unified the Dominican resistance in trying to bring freedom and justice to that nation. While their husbands suffered in the nation's worst prison, the Mirabal sisters face uncertain perils and repression from Trujillo's henchmen. While the author doesn't really discuss the main reason for Trujillo's infatuation with one of the sisters, their story is one of the most memorable cases of human rights abuses on record. Trujillo, son of biracial parents, never was accepted into traditional Dominican society due to his skin color. In a country where race plays a very important role in your social standing, this was a slap to the face, and after meeting one of the Mirabal sisters before his ascent to power, and getting rejected by her, it seems like the main motives for their murders was primarily for vengeance. Told from the point of view of the only sister to survive the accident that claimed the lives of the other three, Dede's view is somewhat blurry to an extent. Seeing that some of the novel has fictional dialogue, it is understandable why the novel moves in a slow, yet respectful approach. Julia Alvarez, who also wrote "Yo!" and "How the Garcia Sisters Lost Their Accents" is probably the best writer to come out of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean in recent years. A resident of Vermont, Ms. Alvarez is an intelligent, well-researched woman who has given the world works that explore the trials and tribulations faced by many Dominicans on and off the island. The Mirabal sister's legacy has been remembered worldwide. The date three of the sisters died now has become the United Nation's "International Day Against Violence Towards Women." Also in an ironic twist, one of Dede's sons became Vice-President of the Dominican Republic in 1995 when he and presidential candidate Leonel Fernandez defeated incumbent Joaquin Balaguer in that year's elections. Joaquin Balaguer was Trujillo's protege and right-hand man, and it was at Balaguer's insistance that Trujillo be buried at Paris' Pere LaChaise cemetery (final resting place of "Doors" singer Jim Morrison and author Oscar Wilde) in order to prevent his grave's desecration. Presently, Mexican superstar Salma Hayek has purchased the rights to this novel, and is currently filming the story of the Mirabal sisters into a motion picture that will air on the Showtime cable network in 2001. Hopefully, Ms. Hayek's film will capture the importance of Ms. Alvarez's novel without leaving out any details. Overall, "In the Time of the Butterflies" is a tragic, yet moving tribute to four heroes and their struggle for liberty in a country where justice, equality, and democracy are all threatened.
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