As we go back in time farther with the second half of this compilation of stories, I feel like one thing sticks out at me. How different do we approach and criticize these stories having gotten to know these main characters starting as adults, and going back into their childhoods. I feel like having gotten to know these girls first as adults, and later as children made a huge difference in the impact the story had on me. I almost feel like we have more compassion for them because in reality, their lives simply got more and more complicated and problem-ridden as they grew older. Their lives as children in the Dominican Republic were quite peaceful and problem-free compared to the second half of their lives, as adults. I really think Julia Alvarez purposely structured the book this way to show the impact of their immigration and the outcome of their assimilation. Like we discussed in class, was the assimilation being portrayed as a positive or a negative theme?

Anyway, my favourite story in second half would have to be “Snow”. I know I know, easy for me to say because it was so short and such a crowd pleaser. I really feel like it shows an interesting side to Yolanda’s character. I found myself saying “classic Yolanda” when I read it, which proves that she plays an important role as a main character throughout the novel and that Julia Alvarez did a fairly good job of helping us connect with her on a personal level. I feel like she put this story in the novel not only to highlight the inoccence of the young immigrant girl, but also because it shows an important aspect of Yolanda’s personality. Later in the novel, it’s brought up again when Yolanda at a young age dreams of seeing New York, which her grandmother calls some sort of indoor/outdoor concrete paradise. I think the story is there to show the vast depths of Yolanda’s imagination and also the fact that her mind is always racing and her thoughts always full of curiosity and the future.

Overall, I liked the first half of the book better than the second half, although overall I thought the entire book was pretty good. I wouldn’t say I thought it was amazing, but I might read it again just because I think I would see things differently, and notice things I didn’t notice the first time around. I’m also curious about it’s sequal “Yo”, I hear it got pretty good reviews.