This novel was not my favorite by Julia Alvarez. I prefer "In the Time of the Butterflies". However, although I had difficulties reading the two voices, that of Salomé about her life in chronological order and that of her daughter, Camila, going back in time, I liked what Álvarez was trying to do - unite the two women in the end.

I read the novel in Spanish, although it's not my mother tongue, so the changes in time and perspective were difficult. And there were many characters in the novel, mainly the members of Salomé's family. I think the number of characters weakened the development of the important characters. Also, the novel starts when Camila is returning to Cuba to fight in the revolution. But we don't see this - the most important part. We see Salomé's struggle, for her poetry and her teaching, in the Dominican Republic. But the life of Camila that Álvarez presents to us is boring. Only her lesbian relationship provides some interest, and I wanted to know if it was true or part of the fictional character.

However, Álvarez has introduced me to Salomé Ureña, an important person in the history of the Caribbean, and has inspired me to learn more about this poet.

I really hated this book.

I should have put it down and stopped reading it a long time ago. However, I didn't want the time I had already spent on it to go to waste.

The writing style was way too formal for my taste. It made it difficult for me to get into the story and enjoy it.

The characters also seemed very distant and hard to relate to. I just couldn't seem to connect with them on any level.

The storyline was a real struggle for me as well. It was confusing and didn't hold my interest.

I didn't enjoy the book at all until the last 50 pages or so. By that time, it was almost too little, too late.

Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone. It was a real disappointment.

In the Name of Salome’ by Julia Alvarez stands out as a remarkable work due to its unique narrative structure of being told in two voices. One voice belongs to Salome’, a renowned poet in the Dominican Republic. The other is that of her daughter, Camila (Salome’ Camilla), who maintains a connection with her mother's spirit through her own poems.

When the story commences, in 1960, Camila is leaving her position at Vassar College to journey to Cuba. She desires to partake in its literary revolution. Her family had once resided in Cuba after fleeing the Dominican Republic, where the governments changed frequently.

Salome’, Camila's mother, had penned patriotic poems over the years to inspire her people during times of constant upheaval. She was not only a poet but also a teacher. She waited until after achieving fame to marry a younger man, eight years her junior. However, the marriage was unhappy as he was selfish and unfaithful, causing her great distress. They had three sons, and during her severe illness with consumption, she gave birth to her only daughter, Salome’ Camila.

Camila, a Spanish professor, taught and recited her mother's poems to her students. Although her mother passed away when she was just three, Salome’ had suffered from an incessant cough and was often separated from the family. Camila grapples with understanding her philandering father, who may have loved her mother's intellect but perhaps not her fully. She also attempts to love her step-mother, who had been one of her mother's students.

In the Name of Salome’ reveals numerous little-known details about the struggles of the Dominican Republic and the impact of its various governments on the people. Some fled, many perished, and others remained. But Salome’ persevered, writing poetry and becoming the voice of the people. Her rhyming father had told her that “Tears are the ink of the poet.” In her final days, she held on until she gave birth to her only daughter, Salome’ Camila, who would go on to safeguard her mother's poems and keep the flame alive!

Everything of ours--from lives to literature--has always been so disposable, she thinks. It is as if a little stopper that has contained years of bitterness inside her has been pulled out. She smells her anger--it has a metallic smell mixed in with earth, a rusting plow driven into the ground.

Around 1844, the Dominican Independence War granted the Dominican Republic freedom from Haiti. However, years later, the Dominican President handed the country over to Spanish rule, leading to inevitable disorder. A revolution to save la patria followed. This serves as the backdrop for this historical fiction book about family, exploring how each generation is influenced by the choices and lives of the previous ones.

Just as song liberates the soul, so does poetry. Poetry is like a song, and verse is a form of liberation. Tears are the ink of the poet. At the heart of it all is the young poet, Salomé.

It was time for poetry, even if it was not the time for liberty. Sometimes I wondered if this didn't make sense after all. The spirit needed to soar when the body was in chains.

Imagine poetry as the voice of liberty. Salomé Ureña was a pioneer of poetry in the Dominican Republic during the 1870s. At a time when women were not trained to read or write, she was publishing poems at the age of seventeen. Later, she would establish the first center of higher education for young women in the Dominican Republic. The fictional character in this book is inspired by this feminist hero.

There is only one way to make it stop, a way which Papa has been trying to teach me, and that is to sit down and think of the words for it all, then write them up the verses my mother copies neatly into her letters to my father.

Salomé's daughter, a college professor, pays tribute to her mother's work and life through the present narration. But oh, how I wish the young Salomé had been the narrator. How I wish the disjointedness of the narration had vanished through Salomé's account of Cuba's fight for independence, Santa Domingo's struggle for liberty, the women's movement of that era, the battle against censorship... How I wish I had learned about these significant time periods through a more unified structure, without the fragments of time, place, and space. How I look forward to reading In The Time Of Butterflies to gain a better understanding of that place and time.

The book is interesting as I didn't know the historical characters (nor the history of the Dominican Republic). However, it has a lot of "cafajeste" faces.

"Cafajeste" is a term that might refer to a certain type of facial expression or appearance that is perhaps a bit mysterious or hard to define. It adds an element of intrigue to the description of the book.

Perhaps the author used this term to convey the idea that the characters and the story have a certain complexity or depth that is not immediately obvious. It makes the reader curious to explore further and try to understand the true nature of the people and events in the book.

Overall, despite not being familiar with the subject matter initially, the book seems to have enough interesting aspects, including the mention of these "cafajeste" faces, to keep the reader engaged and wanting to learn more about the history and characters within its pages.

This is, if I remember correctly, the first book I ever read with a lesbian subplot.

Since then, I have read other lesbian books and authors such as Hard Love, Cherríe Moraga, Adrienne Rich, and Dorothy Allison. However, it has been quite some time since I last read a book with a lesbian character in it.

If I don't remedy this situation quickly, I might turn into an insensitive bastard :P. My mental to-do list for the summer includes: a) figuring out why I've never finished Dorian Gray, b) learning more about the Oscar Wilde trials, and c) reading some good lesbian fiction.

I just visited Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category...) and discovered that there are a plethora of writers to explore. It's exciting to think about delving into their works and expanding my literary horizons.

I'm looking forward to finding some new favorites and perhaps gaining a deeper understanding of the lesbian experience through literature.

I've read this book no less than three times, and each time I turn its pages, my affection for it grows stronger and stronger.

It's truly an amazing read that has the power to captivate and engage me from the very first sentence.

The story is filled with vivid characters, exciting plot twists, and profound themes that make it a literary masterpiece.

Every time I read it, I discover something new and gain a deeper understanding of the story and its characters.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's a must-read for anyone who loves a good story and wants to be transported to another world.

Whether you're a seasoned bookworm or just starting to explore the world of literature, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.

So, pick up a copy today and prepare to be amazed!

It took me a while to really get into this.

Salome's story was truly captivating and kept me constantly longing for more. However, the constant back and forth with Camila's story made it quite challenging to push through.

It wasn't a horrible experience by any means, but there was definitely something lacking. I'm not entirely sure what it was.

Perhaps it was a stronger connection between the two storylines or a more seamless transition.

Maybe the pacing could have been adjusted to give more focus to each character's narrative.

Despite these drawbacks, I still found myself somewhat engaged, curious to see how everything would unfold.

Overall, it had its moments but fell short of being a truly outstanding piece.

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

I read this book for a book club, and it wasn't until the end that I realized it was based on a true story. I think if I had known that from the start, I might not have been as annoyed by some of the storyline. "In the Name of Salome" is about a famous poet from the Dominican Republic and her daughter.

My favorite aspect of this book is its unique structure. The chapters alternate between the mother's story (told in the first person) and the daughter's story (told in the third person), and they mirror each other both in timeline and chapter title. For example, the first chapter for the mother, "El ave y el nido" (The Bird and the Nest), is about her birth, while the last chapter of the book, also "Bird and Nest," is about the daughter's birth. The book progresses as the mother ages and the daughter's story is told in reverse. This structure is really compelling and makes the stories more engaging.

The writing in this book is quite beautiful. It uses poetic and insightful descriptions and metaphors that hold the reader's interest. The author also uses different styles, like a chapter composed of letters between a husband and wife, which really engages the emotions. The use of Spanish language throughout the book helps set the context and gives a sense of authenticity.

However, there are some elements of the book that I didn't like. The negativity towards the U.S. and North Americans was a bit off-putting, especially since almost half of the story takes place in the U.S. The secular catholicism represented in the book was also grating, and the family's focus on politics and "la patria" at the expense of everything else was not to my taste. Additionally, I had a hard time keeping up with the many places and characters involved in the plot.

Overall, this was an interesting story with a unique structure and beautiful writing. I learned a lot about the history of the Dominican Republic, but the characters and some of the themes left me feeling a bit disappointed.

I really liked it.

It was an experience that left a lasting impression on me. The moment I encountered it, something within me was immediately drawn to it.

The details, the colors, the overall atmosphere - everything seemed to come together in a perfect harmony.

It had a certain charm that was impossible to resist.

I found myself completely immersed in it, losing track of time and everything else around me.

It was as if it had a magical hold on me, captivating my senses and my imagination.

Even now, as I think back on it, I can still feel the same sense of excitement and wonder.

It truly was a remarkable thing that I will always remember and cherish.

Hat mir sehr gut gefallen.

This novel presents a captivating tale of two remarkable women, a mother and her daughter. The mother is a poet, while the daughter is a teacher. It delves into how they faced the challenges of machismo within the context of two Caribbean revolutions. Set in the Dominican Republic during the late 19th century, on the campuses of three American universities, and in Communist Cuba of the 1960s, the story is firmly rooted in the real lives of a passionate, opinionated, romantic, and intrigue-loving family.

Ms. Alvarez' descriptions are vivid and engaging, growing stronger with each successive book. The seamless integration of fiction with the facts of this real history is masterfully executed. However, the book's layout proves to be a significant drawback, making it rather difficult to read. It constantly shifts back and forth between the stories of the mother, an iconic poet from the DR, and her daughter, who later became a professor of Spanish in the US. Just as the reader begins to understand the identities and relationships within one narrative, the scene abruptly switches back to the previous story. Moreover, the chronological order is not maintained, despite the chapters being headed with dates. Additionally, all the Spanish phrases are left untranslated into English, which is somewhat inconvenient. Fortunately, I possess an understanding of the language and the cultural context behind it.

Overall, I found great enjoyment in the language and the insights provided by the author into the lives of individuals living under tyranny, both in the DR and Cuba, as well as under the prejudices against "dark" people that still persist in the US. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to my Latina family and hope that Ms. Alvarez will continue to grace us with her publications, albeit in a more lucid and organized manner.

"Em nome de Salomé" is a unique book written in two voices with interwoven narratives. It goes beyond a simple biography of Salomé and Camila, mother and daughter. Salomé, a poet, reformer, professor, and Dominican idol, and Camila, a writer, professor, and critic. The book is a hymn to longing, love, and the search for denied affections.

Salomé dies when Camila is young, and her absence shapes Camila's life. The idealized image of her mother serves as a moral, ethical, and affective compass for Camila, who struggles to grow and find herself in a deeply patriarchal society.

Camila, in her old age, reconstructs the story of her life based on the ideals of her mother, the national hero, the poet, the artist, and the woman. She tries to break free from the common narrative and understand who her mother really was, and in doing so, discovers her own identity.

The book also explores the gradual loss of national values, the assimilation of American culture, and the repetition of the curse that limited her mother's life - the non-acceptance of a woman's talent and genius.

As Camila searches for the truth about her mother and herself, she discovers that the only place to find the dead is among the living. Once she recovers the image of her mother and completes her own identity, she can finally assign a value to herself and bloom. The reader is taken on a magnificent journey as Camila finds her place in the world.

Salomé Ureña Díaz de Henríquez (21 October 1850 - 6 March 1897) and Camila Henríquez Ureña (9 April 1894 – 12 September 1973) left a lasting legacy. Their story is a reminder of the importance of love, longing, and the search for identity.