In The Time of The Butterflies - Julia Alvarez

The writing style of this novel is definitely not something I am used to. Not only was it difficult to train my eye to pay attention to who was talking but also what dates they were talking about. The fact that the entire novel was a back-and-forth not only in voices but in time created a really difficult flow. Out of all of the books we have read thus far this semester, this is my least favorite. Although the story is a great accomplishment when it comes to telling a story that many people can relate to, of struggle, loss, suffering, and personal growth, the way it was written really threw me off. The novel starts off with the voice of Dede, starting in 1994. The first chapter of the book was not that hard to get through, she talked about herself in a way I am comfortable reading. When she begins talking about the past it was easy to see where the change happened. There is a break in the text and it begins with the words "she remembers". If the entire book had these fantastic clues it would have been a lot easier to get through. The easiest pieces for me to read were in Maria Teresa's voice. Her journal-entry style was clear and her voice was younger which made it feel more direct and personal. I felt like I could connect to her voice much easier than the other three voices through out the story. The way that Alvarez writes these four voices is a unique technique to get her readers to see a difference between the girls. I feel like with all the differences in the way the women speak and write shows a clear difference in personality and experience.