En el tiempo de las Mariposas

Rating:
Summary: The Story of Four Sisters and Their Struggle
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: BUENA DESMITIFICACION
Review: CONSIDERO ESTE LIBRO COMO UNO DE LOS MEJORES DE JULIA ALVAREZ. ESTE LIBRO DESMITIFICA LAS HERMANAS MIRABAL Y LAS LLEVA A UN CONTEXTO MAS HUMANO, MENOS IDEALISTA Y MAS REALISTA, MAS PROXIMO A NOSOTROS QUE NO ESTUVIMOS AHI Y NECESITAMOS MARCOS DE REFERENCIAS. NO QUEREMOS TENER HEROES Y HEROINAS QUE PAREZCAN INIMITABLES, SINO PERSONAS DE CARNE Y HUESO QUE LUCHEN HASTA EL FINAL POR LO QUE CREEN. EXCELENTE LECTURA

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Summary: El punto de vista femenino
Review: Este libro ofrece una visi?n muy femenina de hechos reales. Aunque esto pueda sonar a que est? escrito para mujeres, no es cierto. Es un libro que todos deber?an leer primero, para conocer a fondo la historia, y segundo para entender un poquito mas la naturaleza de la mujer.

Rating:
Summary: El punto de vista femenino
Review: Este libro ofrece una visión muy femenina de hechos reales. Aunque esto pueda sonar a que está escrito para mujeres, no es cierto. Es un libro que todos deberían leer primero, para conocer a fondo la historia, y segundo para entender un poquito mas la naturaleza de la mujer.

Rating:
Summary: El punto de vista femenino
Review: Este libro ofrece una visión muy femenina de hechos reales. Aunque esto pueda sonar a que está escrito para mujeres, no es cierto. Es un libro que todos deberían leer primero, para conocer a fondo la historia, y segundo para entender un poquito mas la naturaleza de la mujer.

Rating:
Summary: EXCELENTE... SUMAMENTE CREIBLE!
Review: Este libro, pienso, que es el mejor que he leido de Julia Alvarez. Me fascino! Al yo ser Dominicana, ya sabia la historia de las hermanas Mirabal y la forma en que Alvarez les da vida es formidable. Yo le recomiendo este libro a todo mundo!

Rating:
Summary: Fascinante!!!!!!!1
Review: Lo mejor que eh leido de Julia Alvarez.Lo recomiendo a toda persona que le gusta leer una historia bien elavorada.Es simplemente Fascinante.Deja muy claro quienes fueron las hermanas Miraval.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinante!!!!!!!1
Review: Lo mejor que eh leido de Julia Alvarez.Lo recomiendo a toda persona que le gusta leer una historia bien elavorada.Es simplemente Fascinante.Deja muy claro quienes fueron las hermanas Miraval.

Rating:
Summary: EXTREMELY MOVING
Review: MARVELLOUS WRITTING. THIS BOOK PRESENTS A MORE HUMAN TOUCH TO THE STORY OF THE MIRAVAL SISTERS. I GREW UP IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC , AND STUDIED THE LIVES OF THE MIRAVAL SISTERS AS PART OF MY HISTORY COURSES. AFTER READING THIS BOOK, THE FACTS I LEARNED IN SCHOOL HAVE GAINED A NEW LIGHT.

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Summary: La dictadura en un pais latinoamericano
Review: Mucho se ha escrito sobre la dictuadura de Trujillo en Republica Dominicana, pero esta historia es la mas humana de las que se han contado. Nos lleva a conocer QUE ES lo que convierte a una persona en heroe o heroina. Nos muestra la dictadura desde la perspectiva de los habitantes mas sencillos. Es lindo conocer la personalidad de cada una de las hermanas Mirabal. Recomiendo leer este libro y tambien "La Fiesta del Chivo", de Vargas Llosa, para tener un panorama completo de lo que es una dictadura. Ambos libros se complementan de una forma genial, pues los dos son excelentes a su manera.