Title: The Butterfly’s Daughter
Author: Mary Alice Monroe
Publisher: Gallery
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
Hardcover: 400 pages
ISBN: 978-1439170618
Genre: Fiction
From the Publisher:
Four very different women embark on a transformational journey that follows the migrating monarchs across the United States to Mexico. The story begins when Luz Avila’s grandmother, the local butterfly lady, purchases an old, orange VW bug for a road trip home to Mexico. When she unexpectedly dies, Luz is inspired to take her grandmother’s ashes home. In the manner of the Aztec myth of the goddess who brings light to the world, Luz attracts a collection of lost women, each seeking change in their lives. The Mexican people believe the monarchs are the spirits of the recently departed and Luz taps into ancient rituals and myths as she follows the spectacular, glittering river of orange monarchs in the sky to home.
My Review:
The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe is a beautiful tale of a young woman’s exploration and discovery, yet it turns out to be so much more than that. Luz Avila is a Latina, living with her grandmother while working in Milwaukee. Readers will learn how her grandmother, Abuela, known as “The Butterfly Lady”, plays a central role in Luz’s discoveries about life and in particular, about her family’s life. Monroe’s character descriptions are realistic and each character has their own flaws, peculiarities and beauty, making The Butterfly’s Daughter a story that captures the emotions of the author and provides readers with a connection to those emotions through her writing. Monroe draws in expert manner from the parallels of the young Luz exploring, growing, discovering, and changing much as the life-cycle of the monarch butterfly goes. In that sense, readers will too learn some new things about this wonderful species and the treacherous and demanding journey it must make from places like Milwaukee to Mexico. Monroe has crafted an intriguingly beautiful story that brings to life the journey of the monarch butterfly as she does the life of Luz, and I recommend The Butterfly’s Daughter to all readers and discussion groups.
To learn more about author Mary Alice Monroe and her books, please visit her website.
I received a complimentary copy of The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe from Gallery Books. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.
I really enjoyed this book too. Mary Alice Monroe is such a wonderful author and person.
I adored this book, I had not heard of her before reading this book and now I hope to read much more by Mary Alice Monroe.
Dear Jennifer,
Thank you kindly for the lovely review!
Much love,
Mary Alice
Mary Alice,
You are most welcome. Thank you for writing such a beautiful book and I look forward to reading more of your works.
Jennifer
I adored The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe. The incredible beauty of the language and events in the last chapters of the book and the information learned about butterflies have inspired me to reread this incredible book.