Dancing with Butterflies: A Novel

by Reyna Grande

Book Overview

In Dancing with Butterflies, Reyna Grande renders the Mexican immigrant experience in "lyrical and sensual" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) prose through the poignant stories of four women brought... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1439109060
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Washington Square Press
• Length: 392 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 1.1" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

MAGNIFICENT

When I ordered this book, I thought, "Oh, how cool. A book about Folklorico dancers." I love Mexico's beautiful traditional dancers. I envisioned a fluffy read, beautifully costumed. Forget that. This is a serious piece of literature set within a world of dance. It's an ensemble work, centered on Alegria, a Folklorico dance ensemble, and a group of Latino men and women associated with the dance troop. I'm not going to go into more detail about the characters, because other reviewers have covered them thoroughly. I recall reading an interview with one of our great living authors. He said words to the effect that making readers care deeply for intriguing characters and then doing terrible things to them was the secret of writing. Author Reyna Grande does that to the max. Her portrayals are so vivid that I almost stopped reading this book a couple of times. Watching her characters making obviously destructive life choices over and over really disturbed me. But I couldn't stop reading. "That's the definition of a good book," my husband said. "You can't stop reading." I read on to the end and was very rewarded. I would never use the term "chicklit" to describe Reyna Grande's work. This is too deep and impactful and carries a compelling message for and about all human beings. The author also weaves information about Folklorico and love of dance throughout. A highly recommended book.

Mexican Heritage

If you are interested in other cultures, then this is the book to get. This book focuses on some girls that are Mexican that are trying to keep their traditions and culture alive within the USA. This is quite hard for them, since their heritage is not recognized or celebrated within their state, or school system. There are a band of girls who hang out together, that are Mexican and they do the best as they can when it comes to their heritage and cultural beliefs. Good read.

a wonderful read that draws your attention even when you don't have it open

This riveting book writes on a micro-scale about the day-to-day lives of 4 Mexican-American women that are involved in a Folkloric dance company in Los Angeles. Although the book focuses on their daily lives and not with suspense or action, the characters are so well portrayed that the reader is drawn in. And there WILL be at least one character if not more that you can relate to. They all have their flaws, and their charms, and are fully three-dimensional. Each chapter is labelled by the voice it will be written in, and to the author's credit, each voice is authentic. It is easy to forget that these are not true stories but fiction. I was immediately drawn into Yesennia's story. I'm a dancer myself and if you replaced Folklorico with Bellydance, there are many similar feelings. You do it for the love of it, not money, and you come to love and care for the dance, the music, the culture. Yesennia was living my dream, running her own studio and company. But, like me, she has a knee injury. Her knee injury however is bad enough that she is forced to give up dancing. I can't imagine how difficult that would be. She turns to plastic surgery, focusing on her appearance as a way to regain the joy in her life that she lost with dancing - dancing had made her feel forever youthful. Adriana is an interesting character. She suffered a lot of abuse from her family, and as a result, she is drawn to abusive men. Although she has a kind Gringo neighbor who would love to treat her well, she keeps returning to the same relationship that she had with her father. The experiences written here perfectly capture the experiences and feelings of a battered woman, and it's so visceral that I remember physically clenching up my whole body as I read certain passages. It shows how Adriana can want the abuse, can keep returning to it, even though it's clearly not good for her. This portrayal is so real you can taste it. Then there's Elena. She has a troubled marriage after her miscarriage, and the sadness from that has also caused her to give up dancing. One of my good friends lost her soulmate and likewise was not able to dance again. So I, again, saw echoes of real people and real lives here. Finally, one of the most eye-opening segments of the book focuses on Soledad. Soledad is the seamstress for the group, an illegal. She goes back to Mexico to see her grandmother on her deathbed, knowing she may never be able to return. She sacrifices everything she has for her family. She's a very compelling character, and I haven't read too many narratives of this nature. This story within a story - of all of them - really brings in some issues of the day - immigration - and raises awareness without seeming like it was intended to do that. I only wished we had learned more about Ruben/Ruby's story. She was introduced as such an interesting character, but turned out to be only a foil for Soledad as well as a way to reflect upon cosmetic surgeries in comp

Live to Dance, Dance to Live

Reyna Grande has written an autobiographical novel in which she reveals her personal and family history through four very different characters. The Hispanic women, living in Los Angeles, have a common focal point, Folklorico, but have divergent interests and goals. Folklorico is traditional Mexican dance that draws on the regional culture of Mexico, each region with its own favorite dance and costume. The choreography involves creative interpretations of the rich history of Mexico. The characters express culturally determined dreams but also hold realistic personal goals. The interesting dilemma is that there are two cultures fighting for the souls of the women who take turns narrating the story. Yesenia in her 40s is the oldest, and has pushed her body so hard in her years of dancing that she has permanently injured her knee. The Grupo Folklorico Alegria was founded by Yesenia but her injury causes her to look at it with bitter regret instead of pride since she can no longer dance. Elena is younger and one of the best dancers in Alegria. She took maternity leave from the group but maintained contact with the dancers. A tragedy makes Elena reject Folkorico, her husband, and her Mexican culture as she suppresses her desire to dance. Adriana, Elena's sister, is the youngest of the four narrators with a history of an alcoholic father who sexually abused her. She has only a week bond with Alegria, and her dance shows some technical skill but no heart. She blames Elena for abandoning her allowing their father to have a free hand with Adriana. Soledad is the costume designer for the group, an overweight non-dancer. She is the most self-sacrificing of the four characters. Yet, she feels the closest bond with Folklorica and her Mexican heritage. She would like to open her own dress shop. Unlike the others though, she is without "papers," an illegal immigrant. The women interact closely with one another and come to individual turning points where they have one more chance to fully embrace their heritage, their meaning in life. The decision, that must come at great personal cost, is worth it if they can dance with butterflies. Butterflies are the souls of dead loved ones who return on the Day of the Dead to visit the living and revitalize the connection with the bountiful Mexican culture. The novel contains a "Conversation with Reyna Grande" at the end. She reveals that the four characters represent aspects of her being. She indicates that Adriana is the character with whom she has the greatest personal identification. Grande's meaning in life is expressed not in dance but in creative writing, drawing, and painting. She drew the line sketches of Flokorico dancers at the beginning of each chapter. The integration of the four parts of the author's inner life creates a realism of thought and behavior in the characters. Dancing with Butterflies is reminiscent of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but is written in a