I found certain parts of this book to be extremely amusing, yet there were also parts that really irritated me.

At times, I found the constant going back and forth rather confusing. Additionally, I felt that the four sisters, in some aspects, almost sounded the same.

I believe I was lacking a certain depth of character that I desired to see. I only had brief glimpses of this in Yolanda.

However, I think my favorite character was the mother with all her wonderful stories. Her tales added a rich and interesting dimension to the book.

Overall, while the book had its enjoyable moments, it also had its flaws that prevented me from fully engaging with it.

I hope that in future works, the author can address these issues and create a more satisfying reading experience.

I was truly intrigued by the title, which led me to keep it on my to-read list for years. However, when I finally sat down to read it, I didn't immediately fall in love.

I felt that the "voices" of the various sisters were overly similar, and all of them seemed rather shallow. It was a bit disappointing at first.

Nevertheless, the book does have its merits. It moves backwards in time, and as the girls got younger, I found myself becoming more interested in their characters. I especially enjoyed reading about their lives before they moved to the States.

My favorite part was the description of their family as a shared community: "We lived in each other’s houses, staying for meals at whatever table we were closest to when dinner was put out, heading home only to take our baths and go to bed…" It painted a vivid picture of a close-knit and unique family dynamic.

Favorite Quotes:

(about childhood)

…the wonder of the world seizing me with such fury at times that I had to touch forbidden china cups or throttle a little cousin or pet a dog’s head so strenuously that he looked as if he were coming out of the birth canal…

The Catholic sisters at Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrows Convent School were teaching me to sort the world like laundry into what was wrong and right…

…three black cars idling in the driveway like great, nervous, snorting horses.

These quotes added depth and color to the story, making it more engaging and memorable. Overall, despite its initial shortcomings, the book had its moments that made it worth reading.

"The Sisters" was an extremely quiet and entertaining novel from start to finish. The story commences with the sisters as adults and then works its way backwards to their childhood in their home country. I really relished this reversed storytelling technique as it initially gave a sense of who they had become and then gradually revealed the reasons behind their individuality.

I firmly believe that the author did an excellent job in narrating the story of an immigrant family, capturing all the ups and downs that come with it. I read the book cover to cover and only later noted that the author herself is an immigrant. This fact further solidifies my belief that perhaps there is a part of her in each of the sisters. It also helps me to understand how she was able to do justice to the entire experience.

Being of Mexican origin myself, throughout the book, I could vividly hear the voices of my parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts. I adored the way the author intertwined Spanish throughout the text and ensured that the words were accented correctly. I also loved how she described the dress of each adult in the book from the Dominican Republic, as this added to the authenticity of each character. The dialogue was so true to the family and the culture that I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions because I had experienced similar things with my own family.

I am convinced that this book will strike a chord with anyone who has immigrants in their family. It offers a fresh perspective from the children's point of view, encompassing feelings such as fear, joy, and excitement, to name just a few.

This book was an easy read for me because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although I was initially puzzled by the abrupt ending, upon reflection, I feel that it is perfect as it gives the reader a proper understanding of the writer of the story (even though it is narrated by all) and concludes the depth of the older sister.

This book truly threw me off balance.

It was astonishingly different from what I had initially expected, but that's not necessarily a negative aspect.

However, I'm of the opinion that the reverse chronological narrative didn't blend well with the almost standalone short stories.

The stories are presented as chapters in the lives of one of the four Garcia girls, yet they don't seem to have a strong connection.

Perhaps the author's intention was to scatter the narrative in this manner to shatter all expectations.

Despite not being a huge fan of the structure, I have to admit that the cultural setting was masterfully crafted.

The writing was also extremely poetic, adding a certain charm to the overall reading experience.

It made me reflect on different cultures and the unique experiences of the characters.

Overall, while the book had its flaws in terms of structure, it still managed to offer some interesting insights and beautiful writing.

I would recommend it to those who are open to exploring different narrative styles and cultural themes.

Laura sat across the table. She was the only one who appeared to be listening intently to him. Yoyo and her sisters were gradually forgetting a significant portion of their Spanish. Moreover, their father's formal and overly elaborate diction made it extremely difficult for them to understand. However, Laura wore a soft smile on her face. She gently turned the lazy Susan at the center of the table around and around. It was as if the lazy Susan was the prime mover, the very first gear that engaged her attention.

She seemed completely focused on the movement of the lazy Susan, as if it held some sort of mysterious allure for her. Maybe it was a way for her to zone out from the chaos and confusion around her. Or perhaps she was simply lost in her own thoughts, using the rotation of the lazy Susan as a form of meditation. Whatever the reason, it was clear that Laura was in her own little world, separate from the rest of the family.

I truly relished the episodic and poetic manner in which Alvarez narrates the story of the Garcia girls.

The book managed to hold my interest firmly throughout, and numerous of its images are highly evocative and original.

However, I do have two rather significant criticisms. Firstly, I don't believe that the reverse structure enhanced the narrative. It seemed a bit forced at times and didn't necessarily add any profound depth or new perspective to the story.

Secondly, the voices of the girls don't sound markedly different from each other. This lack of distinctiveness made it a bit challenging to truly differentiate between them and understand their individual personalities and experiences.

Despite these drawbacks, it remains a great read overall, with its engaging storyline and beautiful prose.

I always feel that those who leave their homeland never feel at ease and remain torn between longing for their country and adapting to their new society. Even when they sometimes return to their country, this feeling persists and they cannot get rid of it, for they are strangers in their own country and strangers outside it.

Scenes and glimpses of the life of a Dominican aristocratic family who immigrated to America because the father participated in the opposition to the dictatorial regime in the 1960s.

The novel progresses in a reverse chronological order, which initially caused me some confusion.

The novel deals with the feelings of alienation, longing for the homeland, and adaptation to the new country for that family whose life has changed from a wealthy family living in a palace and served by servants to a family barely living in poor material conditions in America, in addition to the puberty problems that the girls face.

The family consists of a father who is a doctor, a mother, and four young girls of similar ages, and each of them tells some events from their point of view.

The mother has a significant role in the novel, which reminds me of the mothers in the old Egyptian movies

This book is, without a doubt, one of the most dreadfully boring, mind-numbing, and soul-sucking stories I have ever had the misfortune to read. I loathe it with every fiber of my being. In fact, I specifically created this account just to pen a scathing review of this utter garbage. If it can even be dignified with that term. As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but in this case, one man’s trash has the power to turn another man’s brain into mush. I’m only 177 pages into this 313-page train wreck, and already every part of me is filled with cold indifference. Reading this book is akin to being confined in a sensory deprivation tank and having your vocal cords brutally ripped out, so that you can’t even hear the sound of your own empty voice. You know that feeling when you start watching a movie and you keep wondering “when is the actual story going to start”? Well, that’s precisely what this book is like, except it persists throughout the entire thing. The level of monotony and sheer filler that this book presents is sufficient to make listening to TV static seem exciting. If only I could travel back in time, I would prevent my parents from conceiving me so that I wouldn’t have to be born and thus wouldn’t have to endure the agony of reading this atrocious novel. The title essentially encapsulates the entire book. If you read the title, you already have a good idea of what it’s about, where it takes place, and how it unfolds. It’s as clichéd as it gets. The characters are highly unlikable and shallow, and they do nothing to redeem this sorry excuse for a story. In conclusion, this book is the antithesis of a suicide hotline and should be avoided at all costs by anyone with a will to live. Screw you, Ms. Bright, for subjecting me to this hellish experience, and screw the government for permitting what is essentially a torture device to be published and sold across the country.

Good read!

This remarkable book delves into a plethora of great themes and topics. It's truly astonishing how it manages to cover so many areas that I haven't encountered since my college years. The depth and breadth of the content are truly impressive. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to other young Latinas within my network. I firmly believe that it would hold even greater significance and meaning for someone in their teens or early twenties. At that stage of life, they are just beginning to explore and understand the world around them, and this book could serve as a valuable source of inspiration and knowledge. It has the potential to open their eyes to new perspectives and ideas, and perhaps even help them navigate the challenges and opportunities that come their way.

The story is set during the dictatorship of Trujillo. The García family was prestigious and wealthy, which attracted the attention of the dictator. It was a tense climate with strict surveillances.

The main characters are the four García sisters: Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofía. Due to the family's social position and the attention it provoked in Trujillo, the García family abandons their home in the Dominican Republic and emigrates to the United States. There, they face all the difficulties of being immigrants, the radical change of customs, language, etc. Accustomed to a certain status, it was difficult for all of them.

After 9 years of exile, Yolanda returns to the island, and that's where the story begins in the book. Yolanda tells us her childhood stories in the Dominican Republic until the move to the United States.

I really liked the story. It is one of the most common in the Dominican Republic, as many families had to practically flee the country during the dictatorship of Trujillo. It's an easy-to-read book, simple and fluid. 3 1/2 ⭐️

**"How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" Review**

"Cómo las chicas García perdieron sus acentos" begins with Yolanda's return to her native Dominican Republic at thirty-nine, after five years away. Her aunts force her to speak Spanish, but she seems to have forgotten the words. All she wants is to go to the countryside alone, in a car without a chaperone, which causes a scandal in her family. From there, the story goes back in time. The García girls no longer have their accents, and their Spanish has changed. The book takes us back to before they moved to the United States, due to a political situation that threatened their father.

This book is a fictionalized account of Julia Álvarez's life. She is Yolanda, known as Yo, Yolo, or Joe in the US. A poet who has stopped writing, much to her mother's frustration, and has become a teacher. The book tells the stories of the four sisters: Sofía's marriage, which angered her father and with whom she is only now reconciling after having a grandson; Sandi's problems after a disappointment that led to her being hospitalized in a psychiatric ward; how Yolanda feels extremely liberal within her family but still conservative compared to American freedom; and Carla and her red shoes.

Latin America is incredibly diverse, with different customs, heroes, and dates. The Dominican Republic has a particularly complicated history. But in essence, all Latin American families of the past century are a bit similar, at least in books. The contrast of female liberation is evident, especially between Yolanda and her sisters, who are feminists but can't get anyone on the island to join their cause, especially their older aunts, who believe it's not feminine to fight for rights. The duality of their identity - both American and Dominican - is especially noticeable in Mundín, their cousin, who is part of them in the US but becomes a macho again when he returns to the Dominican Republic each summer.

Despite the book going backward in time, it's not difficult to follow. The narration is simple, and although we already know how the García girls' story ends (without their accents), the earlier parts are new and unfold gradually. Like any Latino book by a Latino descendant or immigrant, it's full of Spanish expressions and idioms in both languages, making it feel more familiar.

Among the characters, all feel human, with their contradictions and identity crises that make them debate between two countries. The plot doesn't have a strong core, unfortunately, despite the scenes being well-connected. It's a book about identity but doesn't focus solely on that, instead covering various problems. Sometimes it doesn't manage to cover them all, which is a pity and leaves some questions unanswered. But overall, the book is beautiful.

Would I recommend it? Of course. It's a very interesting book if you like these themes, although it can be a bit difficult to find. I hope if you read it, you like it.

http://divagaciones-de-una-poulain.bl...

This work felt more like a compilation of short stories rather than a unified novel.

Even though the short stories revolved around the same four sisters, it gave the impression that they could be read independently.

There was no real need to read one story to understand what was happening in the others.

Moreover, the constant "reintroduction" of characters we already knew became tiresome.

I almost gave up on it, but a part of me wanted to see if it would somehow turn around and redeem itself.

Unfortunately, in the end, it was a disappointment.

The lack of a cohesive narrative and the repetitive nature of the character introductions detracted from the overall reading experience.

It failed to engage me on a deeper level and left me feeling unfulfilled.

I had hoped for a more immersive and interconnected story, but what I got was a disjointed collection of short tales.

Perhaps with some revisions and a stronger editorial hand, this could have been a more engaging and satisfying read.

As it stands, however, it falls short of expectations.