Saving the World

i had no idea about the historical parts of this book - the way balmis brought (or tried to bring) the smallpox vaccine all over the world. so interesting how it had to be done back then, to keep the vaccine active. and an interesting fiction to make of it. i was less interested in the present day parallel story for most of it. although the common themes of poverty, who gets medical treatment/care, and more were all intriguing. especially the main issue (based on the title) of spending your life to save the world of one thing (in this case smallpox) and see it ruined by something else (in this case war). do you still try? is it worth it? can you justify the sacrifices that must be made (that includes people) if the world will fall to show more something else? what does it mean to save the world if it's at the cost of certain people and their sacrifice? what does it mean to save the world if that's from the perspective of wealthy white people, bringing "salvation" to poor people of color in a different part of the world?

really interesting conceptually, and she writes well. i'm not even entirely sure why i'm not wholly satisfied with it. it's good, but not great. thematically, though, it's fantastic. show less

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. This is literature, not just an amazing compelling read. Julia Alvarez is truly an American treasure. I could not put this book down and read it over a period of 2-3 days. It is partly historical fiction. The book moves back and forth between two remarkable women, one a present day American Hispanic writer, and the other a Spanish woman who in 1803 travels from Spain to the Americas with Francisco Balmis to vaccinate the populations of Spain's American colonies against smallpox. The historical Isabel selected 22 orphan boys from Spain to be the carriers of the cowpox virus so that vaccine could be made continuously. She is brought to take care of the boys on the 2 year show more expedition. The Latina novelist Alma, finds herself obsessed with Isabel's story, but faces a similar adventure in her own life which takes her to the Dominican Republic. The two women in the book face the dilemma of plagues (in the case of Isabel, small pox, in the case of Alma, Aids), poverty, politics and altruism. Do the ends justify the means? Can poor people be used for the greater good even if their lives and health are endangered in the process? The use of the orphans in 1803 to prevent smallpox and the use of poor people in the third world to test an Aids vaccine raise similar dilemma's dilemmas in the lives of these two women. The book is written with great compassion and insight. Now I must read "In the name of Salome" which has been sitting on my to read shelf for some time. show less

Honestly, this book probably deserves more stars. It is beautifully written, and, unlike some of the other reviewers, I liked the back and forth between the two stories/time periods. The themes of the present day events are illuminated by the events in Isabel's story; Alma's story would certainly lose something if readers were not able to read the novel she is working on.

But I don't plan on re-reading it, and I can't think of friends to whom I'd recommend it off-hand.

It was ultimately much more sad than I'd expected, either from the cover copy or from the beginning of the novel itself. In fact, the tragedies of the latter half of the novel seemed to undermine the hopefulness so much a part of the beginning.

I had never heard of the Smallpox expedition to Spanish America. It was interesting to learn about. Francisco Balmis is portrayed as a brilliant yet flawed man. I had never thought about what they would have had to done to keep the smallpox vaccine viable. With no refrigeration it would have to be live carriers. I loved Isabella's struggle to maintain hope in the face of the obstacles that they faces.

Although I preferred In the time of the butterflies, I enjoyed the travails of Isabel and her smallpox carriers juxtaposed to Alma's need to reestablish meaning in her life. Some of the characters seemed contrived and exaggerated for effect (Alma's friends and the young Dominican rebels)and I was actually more interested in Isabel's story. But all in all, I enjoyed the novel.

My first Alvarez novel. While I found it hard, at first, to like Alma, with her doubts about her husband & her dithering about her progress on her contracted novel, I did like the love she showed for her elderly neighbor, & the moments of self-awareness that shone thru the more she delved into the historic story she was writing. I loved how Alma's thoughts at the end of one chapter were reflected in Isabel's in the historic chapters.
I found some great quotes to inspire me. Living outside of your comfort zone, taking that blind step forward into the future, appeal to me.
I was disappointed in the ending, how Alma appears accepting of the way things turned out, yet we aren't shown the struggle this would take (other than in the first few show more days) so it seemed false. show less

Very, very entertaining, very, very well written. The two stories of Isabel and Alma are put together in a way that makes them mirror each other, a voice from the past with a voice from the present. I enjoyed the character Tera - everyone knows someone like her. The idea of doing something crazy on a whim to try and solve a problem bigger than oneself is prevalent, as well as the victories and consequences.