Julia Alvarez provides readers with a profound look into the numerous hardships that immigrants encounter as they strive to assimilate.

It's not so much a traditional novel as it is a collection of short stories presented in reverse chronological order.

The tales commence from the adult viewpoints of the four Garcia sisters after they've integrated into American culture.

The middle section of stories details some of the family's experiences as immigrants in the United States.

The final set of stories centers on the family's early life in the Dominican Republic, with its political turmoil and more traditional male and female roles.

The stories are frequently told from the perspectives of each of the four daughters.

The writing is so masterful that I truly began to sense as if I could fathom how an immigrant might feel truly homeless - forever displaced from their birthplace and yet not belonging to the land where they reside.

What a terrible way to exist. Nonetheless, these characters (whom I believe are loosely inspired by the author's own family) exhibited strength, integrity, and determination in their attempts to make the most of their circumstances.

I truly valued what this book had to offer.

This is the second time that I have read this book.

I hadn't read it in a while and thought to myself, "Why not?"

I still thoroughly enjoyed reading about the sisters' struggles. They had to grapple with the dilemma of remaining true to the Spanish heritage they were born into or attempting to adapt to the country where they now resided.

As I delved into the story, I witnessed what the girls went through and how those experiences shaped them into the people they are today.

It is truly a remarkable and very enjoyable book that offers a deep exploration of identity, culture, and the challenges of assimilation.

I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating read that will leave them with a newfound understanding of the immigrant experience.

Alvarez's debut novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents was published in 1991.

It vividly tells the story of a wealthy family who had to flee the Dominican Republic due to the father's participation in a plan to overthrow Rafael Trujillo and their subsequent adjustment to life in New York City.

The novel is written almost as fifteen short stories, presented through the perspectives of the four sisters: Carla, Sandi, Yolanda, and Sofia. Regarding her unique choice of telling the story in reverse chronological order, Alvarez states, "I want the reader to be thinking like an immigrant, always going back to where we came from; instead of progress toward a climax, a return to a homeland." I believe this structure enriches the story, as we witness how their adult identities are shaped through deconstruction.

Similar to most immigrants, the Garcias encounter conflicts between their longing to preserve the culture of their homeland and their necessity to change for adapting to life in America. They have to surmount the barriers of language, skin color, and class. Thanks to their class, the Garcia girls have access to predominantly upper-middle class, white schools. However, this privilege also isolates them from other Dominican immigrants, and they feel lonely while navigating the assimilation process and experiencing racism.

My paternal grandparents immigrated to this country as children, and I grew up listening to their stories of the challenges in merging cultures. I also have a good friend who came here from Hong Kong to attend university. By the time she was in graduate school, she often lamented, "I'm too American for most Chinese, and too Chinese for most Americans." as she struggled to build a community for herself.

Like many of us, these girls/women are both surviving and thriving in different ways, as they balance their true selves and desires with what their society and culture expect them to be. It's truly wonderful to read a book where the siblings show love and care for each other.

I read this novel for my local book club. Overall, it was a great read, although I did need to inquire about some of the symbolism that was not clear to me. Alvarez's prose is beautiful in certain parts, and she effectively evokes the atmosphere in each scene.

The story of the Garcia-de la Torre family is a captivating one. It consists of the mother, father, and four daughters.

It starts with the family in the US and then unfolds in a reverse chronological order. Told in three parts, the first part delves into their difficulties in America from 1989 - 1972. This is followed by the account of the family leaving the Dominican Republic during the Trujillo dictatorship. The final section details the family's privileged upper-class life on the island.

Each chapter is presented from the perspective of one or more family members. Most frequently, the daughters are the central point of view, but at times, it focuses on the mother and father.

Although the chapters/stories are enjoyable, they are often loosely related and feel more like a series of vignettes or snapshots of the family's experiences rather than a tightly-knit plot.

The novel explores from various angles the racism and xenophobia that the family encounters in America, while also occasionally referring to the anti-black/anti-Haitian racism within the family in the Dominican Republic, as seen through the children overhearing their parents' conversations.

An episodic coming-of-age novel that centers around four Dominican-American sisters is presented in reverse chronological order, spanning from the 1990s back to the early 1960s. This unique narrative structure gives the story an interesting twist. However, while the concept is engaging, it may not be entirely successful in all aspects.

Author Alvarez seems to downplay the immigrant story to some extent. Instead, she focuses more on the personal growth and experiences of the sisters. This approach allows for a more in-depth exploration of their individual characters and relationships.

Overall, the novel offers an interesting look at the lives of these four sisters. The reverse chronological order adds an element of mystery and keeps the reader engaged. Although it may not be a perfect masterpiece, it is still a worthy read. With its engaging story and well-developed characters, it earns a solid 3.5 stars, which we are rounding up for its overall charm and appeal.

A Few Thoughts:

Alvarez truly did a remarkable job of encapsulating various aspects of womanhood, such as femininity, motherhood, and sisterhood. Her portrayal was vivid and engaging, allowing readers to gain a deep understanding of these complex themes.

However, it is a pity that there were sections of the novel, approximately 30 pages each, that contained the most inane plot possible. These parts seemed to drag and detracted from the overall enjoyment of the story. To be fair, perhaps my perception would have been different if I had a more personal connection to the immigrant experience that is central to the novel.

All in all, it is an enjoyable novel with likable characters. Although there are perhaps too many characters to keep track of at times, they each bring something unique to the story. The novel also contains some truly jaw-dropping encounters with the female experience, which are both powerful and thought-provoking.

I firmly believe that this is an outstanding piece of writing if one has a genuine desire to gain insights into the immigrant experience.

It offers a unique perspective that delves deep into the complex and often overlooked aspects of the lives of latinx families.

Specifically, it explores how machismo and anti-blackness insidiously infiltrate their daily lives, yet at the same time, it showcases the remarkable power and resilience that these families possess.

By reading this, one can not only understand the challenges they face but also appreciate the strength and unity that binds them together.

It is truly a thought-provoking and engaging read that provides a valuable window into a world that is often hidden from view.

Whether you are interested in sociology, cultural studies, or simply want to broaden your understanding of different experiences, this is a must-read.

It has the potential to open your eyes and expand your perspective in ways that you may not have anticipated.

So, if you are looking for a book that will both educate and inspire you, look no further than this one.

Cuando las hermanas Carla, Sandra, Yolanda y Sofía García huyen de República Dominicana con sus padres, encuentran un nuevo hogar en los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, en el Nueva York de los 60’s, la vida se presentaba muy diferente a la que habían dejado atrás.

Bajo la presión de asimilarse a una nueva cultura, las muchachas García se planchan el cabello, dejan de hablar español y conocen muchachos sin una chaperona al lado. Aún así, por más que intentan distanciarse de su isla natal, no logran desprenderla de su corazón. Es como un tatuaje incrustado que nunca se puede borrar.

Lo que han perdido para siempre y lo que logran encontrar, se presenta en esta novela magistral. Álvarez aborda sus vidas con una sutileza envidiable, propia de la prosa de esta escritora.

Las chicas García encarnan a todos aquellos que han tenido que partir, y se recrean en una mirada feminista. Ellas rechazan la idea de que un esposo debe solucionar todos nuestros problemas, lo que las lleva a ser doblemente marginadas, por ser mujeres e inmigrantes.

La escritora va en regresión, a través de personajes como tú y como yo, que se debaten entre dos países. Siguen las modas de uno y se aferran a las raíces del otro. En este panorama, el idioma juega un papel fundamental.

Cada una de las hermanas lleva consigo su propia catástrofe, su lucha contra lo que son y lo que significa vivir entre dos mundos. En la obra, \\"La lengua es la única patria\\".

En definitiva, en De cómo las muchachas García perdieron el acento, Julia Álvarez aborda diversos temas de la cultura latinoamericana. La novela es indispensable en la literatura de nuestros días, pues reconstruye nuestras problemáticas a través de cuatro hermanas que pierden su acento, pero que se reafirman en la lengua como el pilar fundamental de su patria propia y particular.

Lately, I have truly developed a brand-new appreciation for short story collections that possess a unified theme along with tangent characters. In essence, it's like a text neatly set within a single book. How incredibly economical is that?

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents is a bit more gritty than what I typically prefer when reading for pleasure, especially during vacation. However, I simply couldn't resist getting completely caught up in the complex power plays between the husband and wife, parent and child, and sibling and sibling within a Dominican family. This family was compelled to emigrate to the U.S. in order to flee persecution in a country under the rule of a tyrannical dictator.

Ironically, the family dynamics also bear a striking resemblance to tyrannical relationships, with numerous attempts to overthrow the oppressors. These coups, both unsuccessful and successful, unfold over a span of more than four decades, across two culturally bipolar countries. Essentially, it can be regarded as a non-comical Latin American rendition of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

This is an interesting story of four sisters, which consists of 3 parts and develops from the current situation (a little before the publication of the book) to the time when they were children and had no idea that they would live outside their country. I think this makes it interesting because most of the books I have read go in ascending chronological order, and in real life, we get to know people first before their story, that is, in the opposite sense.

For me, it has its ups and downs, although not so low as to make you leave it unfinished.

The chapters are narrated both in the first person and in the third person, and sometimes I found that despite the previous paragraph being in the first person, the next one was in the third person, and the transition was not very evident (this shocked me at first).

It presents various aspects of Dominican culture, some history (at least in concept), and some of the difficulties that immigrants have in the USA.

I was surprised by the use of some terms, popular in the Dominican Republic but not very orthodox when referring to sexual relationships, and on several occasions, I found myself laughing, either at what happened or at how it was presented.

The title makes you understand that you will know how the girls lost their accent, and it is so, only that for some it may not be so evident. But ultimately, it shows you what things made them be as at the beginning of the story and what things marked and defined them.

I read some reviews that say that the 4 have the same voice, and this may be due to the confusing transition between interlocutors, but each one is different and tells their story.

The book seems as if it were told by them in an individual interview, and each one presents it from their perspective.

Overall, it's a captivating read that offers a unique look into the lives of these four sisters and their experiences.

This is truly a remarkable book, unlike any I've read before.

Structurally, it presents as a collection of interconnected short stories. What makes it truly unique is that instead of progressing chronologically, it moves backward in time. Each story occurs before the previous one, much like the concept in the movie Memento, but without the murder, tattoos, and amnesia. It mimics the way we get to know someone. When we first meet, we learn about the present, and then gradually, they share stories from the past, becoming more detailed as we go along, until eventually, they're telling us about their childhood.

The writing is often enhanced by a wry humor and ironic dichotomies. For example, in one scene, after the youngest teen daughter is caught with marijuana and chooses to move back to the Dominican Republic as punishment, Carla warns, "You’ll be climbing these walls before the year is out." The description that follows, of a maid's underclothes on the wall and a lizard in the cup of a brassiere, adds a touch of absurdity and lightness.

There are also many passages that beautifully capture the bittersweet feelings and awkward moments of growing up. Carla's confusion about her changing body and her wish to stay the same is something many can relate to.

I suspect that The Blood of the Conquistadores was written first as a standalone short story and the rest was added later. It has a different feel, more complete and complex, with more characters.

The story being autobiographical, and the fact that Alvarez's mother refused to speak to her after its publication, makes me think it's very true to the details. This makes me feel a little bad for the oldest sister, Carla, as she doesn't come off very well in the "adult" stories.

This is an enjoyable read once you figure out the structure.

First, each chapter is a story in itself. It can be argued that it is a collection of short stories centered around the four Garcia girls (Que? No ijos?) and their parents, Carlos Garcia, the good doctor, and his wife, Laura (Mami) de La Torre. Despite their good breeding, being devout Catholics, part Swedish, and formerly belonging to a wealthy farming family in the Dominican Republic, it doesn't assist them as desperate refugees arriving in the states.

Second, each chapter moves further back in time, starting from when the girls are adults, married, and settled in the US, and going back to when they were children just before they had to flee Dominica (like the Von Trapps) to escape Trojillo's dictatorship. Some of the chapters aren't well-written, as if they were poorly translated or quickly edited. However, most of the stories are filled with nostalgia and intensity during the growing pains as the girls adapt to the US after leaving their beloved home so abruptly. At times, Alvarez' writing is so personal that it seems autobiographical, but that's not the case.

I gave it five stars because I adored the structure of going backwards. I was captivated by the intensity of the situation: running away from a terrible dictatorship, leaving behind a comfortable estate with orchards and servants to live in a small apartment in NY. Facing prejudice and poverty, yet full of dreams, we learn how the girls, mostly Yolanda, assimilate into the melting pot while remembering their roots. I admired the mother's tenacity in raising her girls with Catholic morals and proper manners. The chapters where Mami plays a prominent role are especially entertaining. I also work with people who experience this story daily, although they left DR because it's generally not safe. Thankfully, the regime is gone, but there's no police, and one could easily get kidnapped and ransomed, as the second chapter implies. While my coworkers' parents left affluent lifestyles to live at the poverty line in the US, they have elderly relatives they frequently visit back in DR and still consider it home.