I thought it read more like a history text in some ways than a novel, lots of facts to keep track of. Also, I thought that Llosa wasn't so great into getting into the heads of women, based on the narrative voice he used for the one female protagonist. If you want to read a novel about the Dominican Republic, I think your time is much better spent with In the Time of Butterflies, a novel about the Mirabal sisters by author Julia Alvarez

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International version, so it's wordier than the American version;
Translated from the spanish by Edith Grossman.

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This is the fourth book by Vargas Llosa that I've read, and the subject matter was of the most interest to me, but I found this the hardest to read of all his books. He jumps around in time with no warning so the characters and situations can easily become confused. That said, I think the story and history are worth the eventual payoff and it's worth sticking with it. As I became accustomed to the writing style as I went along I found the book easier to read and understand. While it's not a straight nonfiction history of the Trujillo era, reading a well-researched novelization like this in some ways gives you a more intimate idea of the time and people.

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Really well done history of the Trujillo era in Dominican Republic.

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