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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tempest-tossed on land and sea, April 28, 2006
Julia Alvarez' new novel was a Book Sense pick of the month. I've never been quite satisfied by her earier books, but after dedicating five months to the Spanish-language telenovela "Alborada", I was in the mood for something at least partially set in the same early 19th century time period. I gave "Saving the World" a try.
What a fabulous surprise. "Saving the World" is not without flaws, but it is a marvelous read, completely satisfying and highly recommended.
There's a parallel story structure, one modern, one historical. In this case the historical one is the most compelling. Isabel is the director of a Spanish orphanage, who is approached by Dr. Francisco Balmis, who asks her to help him carry smallpox vaccine to the new world. This will be done by vaccinating one boy, then transferring the live vaccine from one boy to the next until they reach their destination and begin a vaccination program. Moved by Dr. Balmis' drive, Isabel agrees. She also agrees because she lost her family in the smallpox epidemic that left her disfigured.
And then you have Alma, who is supposed to be working on a Dominican family saga novel but who instead is spending her time reading about Isabel. Her husband Richard is going to the Dominican Republic to work on an environmental project while she remains at home in Vermont. That's the plan, anyway, but before the novel's end Alma will also cross the waters to try to rescue the mission of a visionary man.
Isabel's fantastic, little-known story is the more gripping. Crammed on tiny ships with rowdy little boys, touchy adult men, and bouts of seasickness, she keeps her eyes on the prize and helps the others focus in that direction as well. Alma is depressed and in trouble with her publisher, who is getting tired of waiting for this saga novel and may want the advance back. You want to shake Alma, but who hasn't used that diversionary tactic of putting too much energy into the wrong thing? She allows herself more tempest-tossed by life than Isabel, a woman who faces real tempest-tossing in a small vessel on a vast and unknowable sea.
How much you like this novel will depend on how well you're able to accept Alma. Just ride these sections and pretty soon, you'll be swept up.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ultimately disappointing, June 8, 2006
After reading the wonderful "In the Time of the Butterflies" I eagerly picked up Alvarez' new novel. Here we have two paralell stories, and Alvarez betrays early on her real interest in the historical. First, we are introduced to Alma, a novelist in a black mood with a bad case of writer's block. Instead of concentrating on her Hispanic family saga, she holds off her publisher and agent and dips into the fascinating story of Isabel, an amazing woman of the early 19th century. Alma has a loving husband, good friends and a successful career, and Alvarez' attempts to portray her "crisis" didn't ring true to me. Alma sends her husband off alone to the Dominican Republic, despite his begging her to go, and then spends hours second-guessing herself, and using the illness of her elderly neighbor Helen as an excuse not to go. Helen's crazy son and daughter-in-law, who style themselves as ethical terrorists, made no sense to me.
On the other hand, the real-life story of Isabel was gripping. After barely surviving but losing her entire family to smallpox, Isabel takes the job of running an orphanage. Scarred for life, there is no other option left to her. Then she is approached by Don Francisco with a remarkable proposal--take any boy who has never been exposed to smallpox and begin a journey to the new world. The boys would be vaccinated in sequence, in the hopes of keeping the virus alive during the long journey--at the time there was no way to store and transmit the vaccine other than by live carriers. Isabel's deeply buried spirit grabs the chance to leave her shut-in existence. This part of the book is based on history, and the mission saved thousands of lives.
I couldn't help but find Alma's troubles trivial compared to Isabel's dramatic story. Isabel constantly worries about her own future and that of her boys, but her concern is real and realistically portrayed--this is a woman with no options in traditional Spanish society, and she has jumped off a cliff without much of a safety net beneath her. Alma's mid-life crisis, the illness of her friend, and her separation from Richard pale in comparison, and the dramatic ending of Alma's story doesn't help much.
I'd rather Alvarez had focused on Isabel and her remarkable story--the mission was flawed in some ways, but it ultimately meant a lot to many people, while Richard's work in the Dominican Republic is only one more example of well-intentioned first world projects gone awry.
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Move along..., July 15, 2006
I am an avid reader of Julia Alvarez. I collect first-editions of her novels and poetry collections.
However, I had to force myself to finish this one. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Isabel but each time one of her chapters would end, I'd suffer through another one about Alma. I'd put down the book for days on end and have to make myself pick it up again.
I'd love to see Alvarez try again and write a story about the Spanish Royal Philanthropic Expedition with nothing else to distract from it.
If you're interested in Julia Alvarez, try "In the Time of Butterflies" or "Garcia Girls" instead. Skip this one.
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