This book had an interesting approach.  Starting from adulthood back to childhood was a compelling take on character development.  She gives the reader a taste of who these women seem to be, and the proceeds to deconstruct and give insight in their whole life.  Using this technique seemed fitting because it made the book feel like a jig-saw puzzle.  Alvarez would finish a chapter on one of the girls and then completely switch gears and focus on another girl, which to me, added to the puzzle.  Because each girl is completely different, I had to read each chapter a little differently to complete the picture that Alvarez was painting for each character.  Then she would switch back to the other girl she was previously describing. Subsequently, she would then switch eras forcing me to put together what I knew about these girls to try and build an overall picture of how they came to be.  Her style and fluidity is what impressed me in her delivery.  This technique shows that she is thoroughly involved with each character and every page has meaning and is there for a purpose I felt.  Having said this,I felt as if Alvarez focused mostly on describing Yolanda during most of the book.  To me Yolanda seemed to be the most engaging character.  To me Alvarez was more revealing into the complexity of Yolanda when she was describing her failed relationships.  Possibly because she emits herself through that character.  The book seemed to wimper out towards the end.  Alvarez started the book off with so much velocity that at some point it had to slow down.  But the last chapter "the drum" tied everything together while simultaneously leaving a lot of loose ends for the reader to figure out.