The Mirabal sisters, Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa, were real women who opposed the dictator Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. They were murdered on November 25, 1960, and are now remembered as Las Mariposas, the Butterflies. Julia Alvarez imagines their lives in four voices: the three sisters plus Dedé, the sister who survived and kept the memory alive. The novel follows their childhoods, the radicalization of the family, imprisonments, and the growing fear under Trujillo's regime.
Readers who like historical fiction based on real events, with female narrators, will find a moving story. It also serves as an accessible way to learn about Trujillo's rule in the Caribbean.
Thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2005
- Publisher
- Plume
- ISBN
- 9780452286863
- Language
- ES
