Reviews

Dancing with Butterflies by Reyna Grande

jesy's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

She starts slow but it's worth finishing. So many hard moments that you can relate to, or know someone who went through something similar. Real, raw, relatable and, the unfortunate part of that is it makes it predictable but, I was ok with it. 

Grande weaving in Baile folklórico was stellar - I loved every second of those descriptions and relationships they built in the company. As a kid who couldn't afford it, but dreamnt being a part of that community, I really appreciated the storyline and it really tugged on my childhood dreams. 

carbaji's review

4.0

There’s a lot to love about this book, the characters, the humanity, and the culture that brings them together. It’s a beautifully written book with a great perspective on 4 women who are flawed in their own ways but very realistic. I think for its time (2009) the book was progressive; however, there’s quite a bit of problematic content that just doesn’t really fly in today’s society and I think that kept me from really enjoying it.

naemy's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I really enjoyed the first third of the book but unfortunately it became a bit repetitive after that and the character made quite a few (predictible) choices which made me like them less, so that in the end I was glad to be finally finished with the book

bianca27's review

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

belovedsnail's review against another edition

emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The prose is clean, perhaps not subtle. The stories of the women and their flawed choices are told with great compassion. Some pieces were a bit too obvious, but worth reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, and Rape

klchristian's review

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting how the lives of four women intertwined through dance. They all have their individual struggles and although they try, they don't fully understand the struggles of the others. The book is written from the perspective of all four women. It is easy to see yourself and your friends in these four women as they strive to find love, beauty, a true home and overcoming the loss of a child. It isn't a "sappy" book, but rather a book that reflects reality. I highly recommend this book.

so_many_libros's review

challenging emotional informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

amyg42's review against another edition

3.0

This story told the stories of four Mexican-American women whose lives intertwined through a dance company. The story stayed basic and the writing simple, but to good effect.