Book Traveling Thursdays is a weekly feature created by Danielle’s Book Blog and The Girl Who Read Too Much that highlights book covers from around the world. It is now hosted by Lauren at Comma Hangover.
This week’s prompt is a book featuring a Latinx protagonist.
For this week’s prompt, I chose In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. I read this book years ago, it’s set in the Dominican Republic which is part of Latin America, and tells a fictionalized account of three real sisters.
Now, onto the covers!
Original Covers
These are the two covers I’ve seen around the United States. On the left, is the 1995 paperback version that I read originally.
The right is a newer paperback version that came out in 2010! I really like the newer version myself, but the beauty in these books really isn’t on the cover, it’s in the story.
Favorite Covers
My favorite covers for this book are the Polish, German (I think), and Spanish editions of this book. It’s been a while since I’ve read this book, so I don’t remember some of the details and symbols, but I like the overall aesthetic.
The first one is the Polish edition. I like the aesthetic, but I almost wish that the hair was a little darker. I also think a slightly darker hair would bring out the gold butterflies, but I really do like the way the butterflies look woven into the braid. It gives the impression that something as simple as a nickname can shape and become a part of the fabric of a person.
The purple cover is the German edition. (I think, if I am wrong please correct me because this is one of those orphan editions that Goodreads didn’t assign a name.) I really like the colors on this cover, and the text stands out really nicely.
The Spanish edition feels more in tune with the mood of the book. While I always got the impression that the scenery was beautiful, it’s a very dark time in the Dominican Republic’s history. I am not sure what’s being depicted, but I appreciate the subtlety.
Least Favorite Covers
My least favorite covers are the Portuguese, Turkish, and Persian editions. Some of these covers are over ten years old, and it feels a little unfair to judge them by 21st Century standards, but there is so much amazing butterfly imagery that out there that I feel like even if they are from the late 20th century, they could use an update.
The first cover is a 1999 Portuguese edition. I really like the idea of it, just not for this book. The wash of the green and yellow reminds me of a Stephen King or a Shirley Jackson novel. While the novel is about three sisters in a resistance during Trujillo’s dictatorship in the 1960s, I think it needs a slightly more inviting cover.
The middle cover is a 2017 Turkish edition. I like the macro image of a butterfly, but if feels like this over could be so much more!
The last one is the Persian edition, which feels a little disjointed and not very inviting. I like the colors, and I think maybe if the photo on the bottom right was removed and replaced with an illustration throughout, it would be taken up two steps.
That’s the end of this edition of Book Traveling Thursdays. What do you think of my cover choices for In the Time of the Butterflies?
Want to join in on the fun? Join the Goodreads group and share a book that fits the theme. Next week’s theme is a book with a setting from your travel bucket list!
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