Julia Alvarez

Stories, stories, stories - so many to be savored in one glorious book! Dona Alma Cruz is a well-known writer from the Dominican Republic (much like Alvarez herself) who has left the US to return to her homeland with the intention of burying her never-and-partially-written stories, to give them a comfortable resting place and to allow her a peaceful retirement. There she hires an elderly neighbor, Filomena, as a caretaker for her and for the slumland she converts into a sculpture garden and show more home for her unpublished works. Philomena's story, and that of her sister Perla, is told with great tenderness, even though Perla performs a shocking act. The two primary characters whose stories are recounted are of Manuel, Alma's father, who pursues his wife Lucia over the objections of her wealthy family, struggles to become a doctor in the US with his qualifications from the DR, and then finds a sympathetic lover as Lucia rises in the diplomatic world; and Bienvenida, the second wife of El Jefe, the Dominican dictator Trujillo, who suffers through his love, abuse, and his ultimate rejection when she cannot produce an heir. The entwinements between the characters and their lives, alive or not, are remarkably told and the narrative is suffused with empathy, reminding me , in scope and humanity, of The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. I hope that Julia Alvarez writes on forever! show less

I love this book! It is beautiful inside and out and is so well-crafted that tiny details mentioned at the beginning surface again later, expanding context and meaning. Antonia Sawyer has 2 major simultaneous life changes: she retires from college teaching and her husband Sam has an aortic aneurysm, leaving her adrift in a new phase of life. 9 mos. later, her struggle gets compounded and distracted by the needs of others: her oldest sister, Izzy is in a mental health crisis which rallies The show more Sisterhood (3 of them) to try to come to her rescue. The dynamic among them is another treasure in this book - each sister has a role that they fall back into easily once gathered, and is hinted at in their ring tones (Antonia is church bells) but they fiercely love each other and will do whatever it takes to support the current weak link. Then, next door, there is a migrant crisis. The farmer employs undocumented workers and one wants to bring his girlfriend to his VT location after she crosses from Mexico with coyotes. Antonia translates since she is 'Spanish' in the eyes of the small town, though her heritage is Dominican. Soon she is embroiled in their domestic drama, though she strives to set boundaries against all this neediness. Sam was the 'good cop' in their marriage as the town doctor and philanthropist and Antonia feels he was truly the 'better half.' The part I liked best is that literature is her guide and companion (Tolstoy's Three Questions, for example) throughout and she has a rolodex of authors and literary works in her head that she pulls out as needed, though she eventually learns that it is her own voice she needs to listen to. It is a gorgeous story of healing and becoming 'more than' despite what loss has taken away. Favorite quote: "Let us see what love can do." show less

"All stories are good stories if you find the right listener."

I was in awe of Julia Alvarez and Edwidge Danticat's discussion of The Cemetery of Untold Stories at The Center for Fiction. Hearing about the power of storytelling and the importance of oral histories to preserve culture left me inspired and I couldn't wait to meet the characters that I heard so much about.

Reading this one felt like I was listening in on all the good chisme being discussed at a family gathering. I instantly fell show more in love with Filomena and her ability to receive all the stories from the ghosts of the cemetery. I also fell in love with her own personal story that has yet to be told to the world. It has been difficult to read lately but this completely captivated my attention and I found it so easy to immerse myself in this world and forget everything heavy I was going through in real life. Filomena and Bienvenida are unforgettable and by the end of the book I just couldn't let them go. I find myself wondering about them.

This is a book that is heavily driven by the characters and the stories they share and there is no real plot, but the vibes and the feelings are perfect. I loved how some of the ghost stories were interconnected and how the use of language, including Dominican Spanish, added even more flavor. It wasn't my favorite of Alvarez's work, but it is one that I will always think of because it feels like a warm hug from the Caribbean. Thanks to @algonquinbooks for the gifted copy.

Some thoughts I'm left with are:
• Who decides the validity of stories and oral histories?
• What happens to stories when authors stop writing?
• Every story has its ideal listener, so they all need to be told.
• How do authors reconcile aging and end of life with the amount of untold stories left in them?
• The best stories come from your own families.
• Dominican history has facets that have been erased and can only be uncovered through the stories of ordinary people.
• Where do stories go to die?
• Caribbean stories are a vital part of literary legacy.
• You can't undo harmful history without uncovering stories from different aspects of an event.
• "There are stories in the silence." show less

4.5⭐️

“She needed a place to bury her unfinished work, a space honoring all those characters who had never had the chance to tell their stories. She wanted to bring them home to their mother tongue and land.”

The daughter of Dominican immigrants, renowned Latin American novelist Alma Cruz, decides to relocate to the Dominican Republic after she retires from academia, much to the surprise of her sisters. Despite her successful career as a writer, she carries the burden of several show more unfinished and abandoned manuscripts that she has decides to lay to rest in a “cemetery” she builds on a piece of land inherited from her late father. Collaborating with a local artist, Alma plans to burn and inter the remains of her notes and manuscripts with artistically sculpted markers for each of her unfinished works. Visitors would be allowed at the cemetery of untold stories but only if they meet some very specific criteria.

“If a story is never told, where does it go?”

Two of the unfinished manuscripts, both of which had a special place in Alma’s heart, don’t burn and are buried as is – one of which was based on the stories shared by her father, Dr. Manuel Cruz, a Dominican immigrant who fled from the Trujillo regime; and the other inspired by the life of Bienvenida Inocencia Ricardo Martinez Trujillo, second wife of former Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. Alma employs Filomena, a lonely woman who has been visiting the cemetery as a groundskeeper. But Filomena does much more than just tend to the property. Capable of hearing the words floating around the cemetery, she lends a sympathetic ear to the interred characters who share their stories with her – stories that inspire her to reflect on her own life.

As the narrative progresses, we follow all of these characters and the history, people and places that have shaped their lives.

An ode to the power of stories, storytelling and orature, The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez is an exquisitely penned character-driven novel that combines elements of historical fiction, magical realism and family drama. The narrative is presented from multiple perspectives across past and present timelines. As the four separate threads of the story converge and diverge, the narrative explores themes of family and sisterhood, the immigrant experience and how the stories of those who came before us are never truly gone and continue to influence the lives of those they left behind. I loved how the magical realism aspect of this story was executed and appreciated that the author did not resort to melodrama while describing intense emotional moments. Though there are moments where the narrative might come across as disjointed (the narrative does jump timelines a tad abruptly which takes a while to get used to), this does not detract from the overall reading experience. There were a few aspects and storylines that I wished had been developed further, but I was satisfied with how the author chose to bring all of the threads of the story together. With its fascinating premise, complex characters, rich historical context and powerful writing, I found this novel to be a compelling read.

I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by Alma Cuervo for an engaging immersion reading experience. I should mention, however, that the narration is more in storytelling mode with minimal variations between the character voices. While this itself did not bother me, I feel that given the structure of the novel, it might be difficult to follow the multiple tracks and timelines if one plans to rely solely on the audiobook. I would recommend pairing the book with the audio.

“Seems like everyone who lives has endured some sadness, sometimes buried so deep inside them, even they don’t know it’s there. And if you could hear other people’s stories all the time, what then? Would you understand them better? Would you forgive them?”

Many thanks to Algonquin Books for the digital review copy and RB Media for the ALC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. show less