The Butterfly's Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe

My 2 cents:

Mary Alice Monroe loves monarch butterflies. She grows milkweed in her Isle of Palms garden to feed them on their journey each year, as the big orange and black butterflies fly thousands of miles from America's northernmost parts to southern Mexico. In her book, The Butterfly's Daughter, newly out in paperback, Luz Avila sets out toward Mexico in an old VW bug to take her beloved grandmother's ashes home; and ends up following the butterflies.

Luz's story is one of loss and discovery, forgiveness and redemption, sorrow and happy times. She must grapple with the loss of the grandmother who raised her, while forging a relationship with the mother who abandoned her. All the while on a journey to relatives she's yet to meet in Mexico. Once there, Luz finds resolution in more ways than she'd ever imagined.

Length: 382 pages


Worth Your Time? Yes, Mary Alice Monroe is a master of telling stories about mothers and daughters, and weaves in Luz and Mariposa's story with that of the magnificent monarch butterfly. Classified as adult fiction, high school girls will enjoy this book as much as their moms.

 

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