Anyone who knows me knows that I love to read! Reading is one of my “great American passtimes” and in my personal opinion it can be a great time, anytime. How can I sit behind my computer acting like reading is some great love anymore, right? Reading can be fun and insightful, unless you are doing it wrong. I have been reading some really fun new books lately, but I still find myself drawn to an older narrative about life’s journey to discovery. The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe had captivated me from the very start when I saw the book on the shelf at my local bookstore. I recall finding the cover of the book, blue and red, held a distinct feeling of knowing something that no one else knows. The girl on the cover made me question the direction the book might take me, but I had no doubt The Butterfly’s Daughter would leave me feeling a bit happier than I was before.
A quote to introduce The Butterfly’s Daughter “Life is more about the journey than the destination. With a touch of as gentle and as beautiful as the butterflies she celebrates, New York Times best selling author Mary Alice Monroe delivers a new powerful and compelling novel of self-discovery that mirrors an awe-inspiring event in nature, as four very different women embark on a transformational journey across the United States to Mexico.”
The Butterfly’s Daughter uses the Monarch Butterflies take from the U.S. to Mexico and opens your eyes to life’s perils and the courage it takes to fly into the unknown in order to find one’s self when you have gone all your life without knowing who you are and living a lie crafted for you by the people you’ve been raised by and loved when they are no longer around to explain things and answer your questions. It is also about the individuals you meet along the way and the impact they have upon your life.
When Luz (the main character) wakes up one morning to find her abuela, Esperanza known to the neighborhood kids as La Dama Mariposa (the Butterfly Woman), deceased she finds that she must make a journey of discovery that she wasn’t quite prepared for.
The Butterfly’s Daughter connects with us by connecting Luz (the main character) with her long lost mother Mariposa where they journey forth to Mexico and both learn valuable lessons about themselves, where they come from and where they would like to go. Finally, through the butterflies they find the release they each need to move forward happily. If you are looking for a good book full of inspiration from a place you maybe never would have previously thought to look for it then be sure to check out The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe.
Between The Tales 