In the Time of the Butterflies

This is one of my long-time favorite books because of the relationships of these sisters and the way they react to a vicious dictatorship in their home country, the Dominican Republic.

Birthed from a true story, this author deftly weaves the tensions of the times with the real impact the violence has on each character. The bravery of these woman calls me to reread the dramatic, beautifully crafted book from time-to-time. 

A novel based on the real-life story of the three Mirabal sisters, known as las mariposas (the butterflies) who became national heroes for their resistance to the dictator Generalissimo Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. The murder of these three courageous women by Trujillo’s henchmen helped to catalyze his downfall after more than 30 years of iron-fisted rule. When my publisher sent her an advance copy of my book in 1999, Julia sent me a lovely hand-written note that began more than two decades of friendship. Readers particularly interested in the contemporary relationship between the Dominican Republic and Haiti will find her… show more.

The Mirabal sisters, known in the Dominican Republic as Las Mariposas (the Butterflies), were part of an underground opposition group during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. The strength of Alvarez’s novel is in showing that strength and courage are not always displayed in dramatic ways. Sometimes they are shown in the small compromises one refuses to make.