In the Time of the Butterflies

I am having a hard time reviewing the story itself because after reading it I feel so much anger toward the real-life antagonist, Rafael Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic from 1930-1961. There are few first-hand encounters with him in the book, but the effects he had on the islanders are so lucid that it's hard not to come away from reading this with at least a little rancor.

That aside, In the Time of Butterflies is a beautifully written story of how a family of strong women and their husbands lived, loved, and fought under an oppressive regime. It's a very human introduction to the recent history of the Dominican Republic and, apart from the parallels to actual history, a well-paced, well-written story with plenty of action and emotion.