Saving the World, Julia Alvarez
Saving the World, Julia Alvarez
1 Rating(s)
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Saving the World

Author: Julia Alvarez

Narrator: Blanca Camacho

Unabridged: 16 hr 16 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 10/14/2011


Synopsis

A finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award with In the Time of Butterflies, author Julia Alvarez is a beloved voice in modern fiction and poetry. In Saving the World, she weaves the stories of two courageous women-separated by two centuries-into a breathtaking novel of love and idealism in an increasingly troubled world. A best-selling, Latin-American author living in Vermont, Alma stays behind when her husband travels to the Dominican Republic to help fight AIDS. She needs the time to work on her latest book, but she has terrible writer's block. Soon, her focus is diverted to an entirely new story, that of the early 19th-century anti-smallpox expedition of Dr. Francisco Balmis. Accompanying Dr. Balmis was DoNa Isabel, who cared for the orphan boys serving as living carriers of the smallpox vaccine. It is the narrative of the courageous DoNa Isabel that provides hope and inspiration when Alma's husband is taken captive. Mesmerizing and poetic, Saving the World is a visionary tale that raises profound questions about the world we live in-and whether or not it is beyond redemption.

About Julia Alvarez

JULIA ALVAREZ vivió en República Dominicana hasta los diez años, cuando emigró con sus padres a los Estados Unidos. Es autora de varias novelas, obras de no ficción, poesía y literatura infantil y juvenil. Su prolífico trabajo le ha merecido importantes reconocimientos, entre ellos, el premio Latina Leader in Literature y el Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature. Fue nombrada Mujer del Año por la revista Latina y en 2013 el presidente Barack Obama le otorgó la Medalla Nacional de las Artes por su extraordinaria carrera. Sus bestsellers incluyen En el tiempo de las mariposas y De cómo las muchachas García perdieron el acento.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Erin

I actively decided to stop reading this book, over 3/4 of the way through. Enough was enough. And stopping a book once I've started it is a rare occurrence. I was surprised myself--I loved Alvarez's "In the Time of the Butterflies", but this was nowhere near up to that standard. It was interesting,......more

Goodreads review by Rebecca

This belongs that hit or miss category of novel that attempts to connect a contemporary story rooted in the modern woes of a writer/journalist with the subject of her historical research. The novel becomes the story of two women from vastly different circumstances and eras whose stories begin to mer......more

Goodreads review by Lee

Two stories alternately told are separated by time but linked thematically. Excellent story (ies), beautifully written. I thought it "worked" overall and was fascinated by the true story of the Spanish Royal Philanthropic Expedition which I had never heard of until I read this book. Although some cr......more

Goodreads review by Ana

quotes I like: "There has to be a place left in modern life for a crisis of the soul, a dark night that doesn't have a chemical solution." "people don't just belong to themselves, ..., they belong to the people who love them." "...they keep the world running.Somebody's got to do it. Just like someone h......more