"We went our own ways, we became ourselves... And maybe that is what it means to be a free people..."

Although I didn’t expect In the Time of the Butterflies to have a happy ending, I was still both shocked and saddened by the book’s conclusion. Although I knew from the start of the book that the three sisters all lost their lives fighting against the Trujillo regime, Alvarez managed to describe the sisters’ incredible perseverance and determination in a way that boosted my hopes for their survival. The brutal conclusion came very suddenly: one minute I was caught up in the miraculous story of the Mirabal sisters, and the next minute they were brutally murdered and the story came to a crashing halt.

Minerva, Patria, and Maria Theresa had been on their way back from visiting their husbands where they were being imprisoned in the mountains, driving through a storm. Maria Theresa and Minerva had just been released from prison themselves after several months there, having been taken in because of their revolutionary plans and activities. Around this time, the country’s dictator Rafael Trujillo informally announced his only two problems in running the country as the church, which had been doing its part to encourage change and reform, and the Mirabal sisters. Thus, right on cue, Minerva, Patria, and Maria Theresa were pulled over in their car, strangled, clubbed, and mercilessly killed. Their bodies were then dumped back into their car, which was pushed off the mountain in an extremely poor attempt to make it appear as though the deaths were only accidents.

One of the most memorable aspects of this book was Alvarez’s phenomenal ability to bring these four characters to life. She did an excellent job giving them each a distinct personality and defining traits, and I really felt like I knew each of the sisters and could predict exactly how they were feeling and what they might do next. Since Alvarez dedicated so much of the book to character development, it is easy to see why she made the ending so abrupt. Alvarez clearly wanted the readers to remember the book for the extraordinary heroism of the Mirabal sisters, for their contribution to their country, and for their legacy that lives on past their deaths. To commemorate Alvarez’s four main protagonists and to give those who have not read this novel a better idea of how their personalities developed throughout the book, I have given each of the sisters a celebrity doppelganger.

Minerva was the Mirabal family rebel and reformer ever since she and her sisters were young. With her revolutionary fever and contagious spirit, she seemed unstoppable for a time in her fight against Trujillo’s regime. Despite warnings to watch out for her own safety and well being, Minerva continued to push boundaries and dared to go where all other Dominicans feared to go. Fittingly, her doppelganger is Jack Bauer, the almost superhuman hero of the hit TV show 24. Moreover, after Jack is forced to go into hiding, he leaves behind his legacy to his daughter Kim Bauer. Patria left behind her own historical legacy and heroine status to her daughter Minou.

Patria was the religious, faithful sister, who showed her hidden audaciousness when she joined Minerva in her revolutionary scheme. Patria’s doppelganger is Bree Van de Camp from the ABC drama Desperate Housewives. Bree as well is extremely religious and family oriented but had proved she will go to extremes to protect her beliefs and her family members. Just as Patria slightly shifts her religious views as she develops throughout the novel, Bree shifted her own after her discovery that her son was gay.

Maria Theresa was the happiest, the most upbeat, and the most agreeable Mirabal sister. She initially joined Minerva’s cause because she became caught up in the excitement and daring of the operation. In the beginning, she was only along for the ride, but as she continued to work towards change for her country, she became more and more inspired and touched by her own goals. Her doppelganger is Dory from Finding Nemo, who shares a similar personality and story.

Lastly, Dede was always the most cautious and careful sister. She was one who remained relatively uninvolved with her sisters’ revolution. In fact, Dede had warned the others that were danger and that should not go up to the secluded prison on the twisting mountain path through storms. She was the cynical one, and although her sisters tried more than once to include her in their cause, she adamantly refused. Dede’s doppelganger is therefore Simon Cowell, the famously cynical former American Idol judge.

As evidenced by these four very different TV/movie characters, the four Mirabal sisters were very unique from one another. Although Minerva, Maria Teresa, Dede, and Patria had similar hopes for their families and for their country, Alvarez did a fantastic job in ensuring that each had a very distinct personality. Each girl was remarkably selfless and heroic, but at the same time, Alvarez gave each sister certain unique traits that made it possible for the reader to distinguish between the four protagonists. While the ending of this book will inevitably be remembered as upsetting and slightly alarming, this book stands out to me as a story of great heroism and personal sacrifice. It is a fantastic work of historical fiction, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.