hoppin noppin

Is it really just me that finds it strange the author chose to write so detailed about the sex lives if dead women? Patrias chapters specifically were chock full of it. One big example of this is when Julia Alvarez chose to write about patria breast feeding her husband. Not to kink shame anyone but seems like a pretty intimate thing to include about someone you never knew, and that the author admired weren't anything like the real butterflies or even the butterflies of legend. And speaking of legend, this book was supposed to be about revolution right? Well it is but only barely. Most chapters were talking about romantic issues and just man issues is general. Which leads to the sexism of the book. Now i wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. The book is historical fiction so the characters aren't going to have modern ideas of feminism. However when after all these women's thoughts have been reduced to almost nothing but about men and THEN the phrase "the woman won over" is used when Minerva was deeply upset (because she was traumatized) i just. Why. This isn't the first time in Minerva's chapters 'the woman' has been used as the part of her who likes romance and feels scared. What is the part that is brave, intelligent and outspoken? I don't know, certainly not 'the woman' because women are just lovesick hysterical idiots aren't they? Ugh. There are some parts i enjoyed about the writing style but that characters were so unlikable and uncomfortable to read through that it all got ruined.