Historical Fiction - In the Time of the Butterflies

bewald

Some may know this novel because of the film starring Selma Hayek, but it is actually based on the real lives of the Mirabal sisters.

I loved the novel, it touched my heart and made me want to become politically active like the Mariposas!

But in general, anyone else love/hate the book or movie?

What about political/historical fiction novels in general? Some think they are rewriting history and writers should stick to facts when writing about history, but how important is actual accuracy when creating mood, theme, character development, etc. in books and movies?

pevensie

I just finished that book yesterday, and I really really liked it. I hadn't known anything about the events of the book before, and I'm quite interested to know how much of the characters were real and how much was made up to make it a novel. I've not seen the movie, but if it does the book justice, maybe I will.

vlnjodie

I've been writing a book set in the twenties and it's been really hard to not let modern ways of thinking and acting enter my characters lives. I think it's important to stay as accurate as possible, especially if you really want to capture what it meant to live in that time period. I think it would be unrealistic for it to be entirely accurate though. It's too hard to shut off your own experience not to mention it would make for a very boring book. Some of the best stories are based off of personal experiences