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Book Review: How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

Title: How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
Author: Julia Alvarez
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5
Reviewer: Julia



The Los Angeles Times said that this book is "Simply wonderful." The Washington Post Book World stated that it is "Movingly told." And now I'm here to add to the large amount of praise for this book.

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents tells the story of the Garcia girls: four sisters, from oldest to youngest, named Carla, Sandra ("Sandi"), Yolanda ("Yo", "Yoyo", and "Joe"), and Sofia ("Fifi"). The Garcia Girls, as everyone refers to them, move to 1960 New York City when their father is discovered to have tried to overthrow the dictator of the Dominican Republic. When they do arrive at their new home, they are unhappy about how different life in the U.S. is compared to life in the Dominican Republic. However, they must face the truth that they cannot go back home, and that they must adjust to their new life whether they wanted to or not.


Anyone who has siblings would understand the arguments and bonds that comes with having such a relationship. You might feel like you hate one another at times, but in the end you realize that you really need your sibling when others won't be there. That's what the Garcia girls realize when things get tough. If you look close enough, you notice that they all have their own issues, and even if things might be hard and tension might be large, they still come back to each other to give and receive support and love.

What makes this book especially interesting though is that it is written in backwards chronological order. This means that it is the opposite of going in order; it is written from finish to end. Thus, readers are first introduced to the adult Garcia Girls (more like the Garcia Women), and the book then gradually transitions to the children they were on an island of the Dominican Republic. This unique way of formatting the book pulls you back and forces you to look at the past, and relates to the how the characters are constantly looking back into their pasts.

Sometimes I wish that I could go back to my past so that I can fall in love with this wonderful book all over again.

Check out this review on another one of Julia Alvarez's books: Book Review: In the Time of the Butterflies
"'It is November 25, 1960, and three beautiful sisters have been found near their wrecked Jeep at the bottom of a 150-foot cliff on the north coast of the Dominican Republic.' 
Who are these sisters? Why are they dead? What lead them to such a horrible death?' Read more

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