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Summary: A powerful tribute to Salome and Camila
Review: I've read Julia Alvarez' other books, and I can say this one was my favorite. I was engrossed from beginning to end and she brought Camila and Salome, as well as the male characters to life. I was familiar with Salome Urena's poetry BEFORE reading this novel, as well as Dominican history, and the book transported me back to the Dominican Republic, where I lived for a short while. I was in tears by the end of the book. Particularly for those familiar with Dominican literature and/or history, this novel is a moving tribute to Salome, Camila and the rest of their family.
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Summary: A deeply imaginative novel about the poet Salome Urena
Review: In recent years, literary authors and publishing houses have published dozens of fictionalized accounts of historical figures, with Joyce Carol Oates' BLONDE (Marilyn Monroe) and Russell Banks' CLOUDSPLITTER (John Brown) being prime examples of this genre. Because I'm tiring of such fiction, I never would have bought IN THE NAME OF SALOME if I had known Alvarez had joined this literary trend - and I would have missed out on a fabulous book as a result. Yes, this may not be Alvarez's best work, but the literary standards and emotional impact are still higher than most novels published today. This deeply imaginative portrait of the Dominican poet Salome Urena and her daughter Camila captures the people behind the revolutions in the Dominican Republic and Cuba without idealizing them, without relegating them to mouths spouting political dogma. As Salome says to her young husband when he chides her for writing a non-revolutionary poem, "I am a woman as well as a poet." This is exactly what Alvarez accomplishes: an adept melding of the public and private sides of her characters to give her book real heart. This novel spans over a hundred years, from the 1850's (the beginning of Salome's story) to the 1970's (the end of Camila's story.) Because the two stories are interspersed and are not told chronologically, the time and place can sometimes be confusing despite the chapter headings meant to give the reader his bearings. Don't let this frustrate you; the story is well worth this flaw. My advice is just to give yourself up to Alvarez's skill and let her take you where she wants. I think most of Alvarez's fans will not be disappointed, and I believe she will gain a few more with this novel, perhaps enticing these newcomers to read her earlier work.
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Summary: To read this book, the reader needs...
Review: In the Name of Salome is a novel about one woman, (Salome) Camila , living under the legend of a woman she barely got to know- her mother, Salome Henriquez Urena, the Dominican heroine lauded for her patriotic poems. The plot is not the traditional plot. Instead, it is more of a historical fiction piece based in fact and biography. In the Name of Salome is a book about triumph, family, patriotism, and love. To read this book, the you'll need: (A) a good memory- those reading this review are perhaps well aware of the book's setup- a grand scheme put together by placing chapters of the lives of a mother and a daughter side by side. Your memory will come into play when trying to discern one plot from the other, one time period from another, although it is true that both stories intermingle into one. Though Alvarez is skillful and creative in this effort, it is in some ways the book's flaw due to the lack of overall flow. (B) some understanding of the political situation in the Dominican Republic during the late 1800s- Salome's life revolved around the political turbulence of the time. (C) to have at one point felt the heartache in wanting something so very badly- while you may not have searched for a stable patria as Salome did, you'll be able to relate. (D) an appreciation of Julia Alvarez's beautiful manipulation of words: "thermometer look" "narrow corridor between old enough and old maid" and lastly "I would never write verses out of politeness. Rather than write something pretty and useless, I would not write at all." Alvarez puts these words in the mouth of Salome, but it is she, Alvarez, who succeeds in writing such a piece.
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Summary: pudo haber sido un buen libro
Review: In the name of Salome. By Julia Alvarez La novela esta escrita de una forma ingeniosa, 16 capítulos, 8 dedicados a Salome y 8 a Camila. Los de Salomecuentan la historia de forma lineal, de principio a fin mientras que los de Camila van al revés, de fin a principio. Ambas se pueden leer por separado y no se hacen falta mutuamente para ser entendidas. Este sistema es muy ingenioso pero lo que cuenta la novela es extremadamente aburrido. La parte de Salome es la idealizada historia de la musa de la patria, una historia sosa y sin vida, un personaje etéreo que no logra parecer real, ni nos llega a gustar. A ratos me recuerda el Duarte de El Cristo de la Libertad de Joaquín Balaguer, todo meloso. En cuanto a Camila, es el personaje más débil y timorato que he visto. Sé autocuestiona por todo, no quiere enfrentar su amor por otra mujer, en fin huye de sí misma. Este personaje se hace cada vez mas pesado y menos simpático mientras más avanza el libro. Esta vez Julia me ha decepcionado. Espero que en su próxima aventura literaria pueda recuperar el terreno que perdió con este mal libro. Luis Mendez
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Summary: In the Name of Salome: A Novel
Review: In the Name of Salome: A Novel is a good book, and by other author's standards could even be considered excellent, but I do not think it is as inspiring as Alvarez usually is. It is interesting to learn about a famous poet from the D.R., but I could not connect with the characters and they lacked the approachability that "les Mariposas" had in In the Time of the Butterflies. The plot is a little sketchy, and it jumps in time periods so it is hard to figure out what is going on all of the time. However, it captures the feeling of the woman who has lost her mother at such a young age and has had to live with the her oppressive legend for her whole life. I would recommend it, but it is not one of Alvarez's better endeavors, and for the first time reader of her, I would suggest they choose another book.
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Summary: IN THE NAME OF SALOME
Review: JULIA ALVAREZ HAS DONE IT AGAIN! TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF GREAT DOMINICAN HISTORICAL AND LITERARY ICONS INTO A STORY THAT ALL CAN RELATE TO. THIS NOVEL UNCOVERS THE LIFE OF SALOME URENA THE GREAT DOMINICAN POETESS, AND THE LIFE OF HER DAUGHTER CAMILA. THE NOVEL IS WRIITEN FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF BOTH WOMEN, ALTERNATING THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL. THIS FORMAT IS ESSENTIAL, IT GIVES THE CHARACTERS A CHANCE TO BE THROUGHLY DEVELOPED AND ALLOWS THE READER TO SHARE AND BECOME IMMERSED IN THEIR LIVES. A PASSIONATE NOVEL THAT WILL LINGER IN THE MEMORY LONG AFTER THE BOOK HAS BEEN PUT DOWN.
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Summary: The best from a seasoned writer
Review: Julia Alvarez is truly at her best with the beautiful "In the Name of Salome". I really loved it. Often extremely funny, often heartbreaking and always so very well-written, this is one of my favorite books.
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Summary: Beautiful Book
Review: Julia's use of words to describe things in a way we would never think of, "the Africa in my skin and in my hair," is just very beautiful, there's no other way to put it. This book just confirms that she is one of the best.
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Summary: A good read, but...
Review: Let me start by saying that I love Ms. Alvarez's work. I read all of her books as soon as they were published. This was an interesting book, but it was not up to par with her other books, my favorite being In the Time of the Butterflies. If you are new to this author, read any of her other works first. If you are a long time fan, do not expect too much, and you will enjoy it.
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Summary: Excelente!!!!
Review: No sabía que Julia Alvarez había escrito este libro hasta que me encontré con él en la Feria de Libro que recién finalizó aquí en la República Dominicana. Pensé en un inicio que sería una biografía más, sólo con "nació, fue poeta nacional y murió", sin embargo, al leer el resumen del libro y al pasar unas paginas me percaté que no era así, debo admitir que me impresionaron las primeras 5 líneas del 1er. capítulo. Compré el libro sin saber que los cápítulos interactuaban uno con el otro de manera tal que logran que el mismo sea todavía más fascinante. Me encantó leer la vida de Salomé Ureña según iba creciendo y luego ver la vida de Camila, su hija, desde su vejez hasta su niñez. Fue sencillamente EXITANTE!!!! no podía dejar de leer, terminaba un capítulo y no podía esperar para empezar el otro. Me sorprendieron muchos detalles de la vida de Salomé que desconocía aún siendo dominicana, pero más grato fue conocer la vida de Camila de la cual no sabía nada. (Aún cuando sé que hay aspectos de la vida de ambas que son producto de la imaginación de la autora). Ahora bien, recomiendo que antes de leer "En el nombre de Salomé" adquieran los poemas de Salomé Ureña, para así leer cada uno de ellos según son mencionados en el libro y así entender mucho más esta magnífica obra y la grandiosa vida de esta poeta.
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