A unique concept and a whimsical story - I honestly was a bit skeptical when I first started the book but it definitely grew on me as we got to learn more about the characters and the stories . Magical Realism isn’t my fav genre but I wanted to try this as it is set in the Dominican Republic which I will be visiting and it has a lot of elements of historical fiction . I learned a lot reading this book about DR history ( google helped) during the dictatorship of El Jefe and I definitely want to do more reading before my trip - including another book by this author - In The Time Of Butterflies

My rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I did not end up finishing this book. I believe that there is an audience for this book, I’m just not it. I do believe it is well written (from what I did read of it), but it’s not a style of book I typically enjoy. This is my fault by judging by title alone

If you're a writer, author, or someone who loves bookish stories, this book is for you.

Genre: literary fiction
Rating: 4⭐
Diversity: Latina community. Dominican & Dominican-American
Trigger Warnings child death, murder, genocide, sexual assault, violence

Set against the backdrop of a small village in the Dominican Republic, Alvarez invites readers to follow a celebrated author, Alma Cruz, who is seeking to bury all the stories she couldn't finish. Hoping this will give her characters and herself peace.

Alvarez's writing is both poetic and rich, seamlessly blending elements of historical fiction and magical realism. I loved as a reader we got to see a different side of authors. I feel like this book was cathartic and maybe personal for Alvarez. Here we get to see a side of authors who are at a point done with their career and don't know what to do with the untold stories they carry.

We get four different perspectives sprinkled in perfectly, between Alma, Filomena, and two of Alma's story characters. This is a character driven plot, that may feel slow for any action or climax. The alternating of Alma and Filomena's perspective helps alleviate the slowness feeling tedious.

Thank you to Ms. Alvarez's team and Algonquin Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Can we take a brief moment to appreciate the STUNNING book cover. I will be purchasing a copy of this book for the cover alone. It needs to be on my shelves.

I'm happy to share that the book cover is not the only stunning thing about The Cemetery of Untold Stories. This is admittedly my first novel by Julia Alvarez. I have In the Time of the Butterflies somewhere on my shelves waiting to be read and after finishing this book, I will be prioritizing my read of it.

The closest thing I can compare The Cemetery of Untold Stories in terms of how it made me feel is to Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. Similarly to Sea of Tranquility in The Cemetery of Untold Stories we follow the lives of several families and people are are interconnected in one way or another. Alvarez gives us glimpses into these characters lives and breaths life into their stories,

The book starts off with Alma, a second generation Dominican writer living in Vermont. Her father has passed away. Alma decides to move back to DR and build a cemetery for all of her untold stories. There are elements of magical realism. Overall it was a quiet and charming book with beautiful story telling.

The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because the author does use the N word and imo it was not necessary.

Thank you to Netgalley and Algonquin books for an advanced reader copy of this book.

An interesting story, but not accessible without knowledge of Spanish language and understanding of Dominican Republic culture,

I love the idea of honouring drafts to stories, art, crafts, etc that didn't get finished. We all have some project we started and lost passion for mid-way through. I like that this story thinks about creating a space to witness and give value to things that aren't finished and may never be.

This was my first book with heavy Spanish influence, and I don't know much about the Dominican Republic. There are a lot of words used that even my Kindle translate option couldn't return results for, which made me feel excluded. Without a better understanding of DR culture, I didn't always understand our character's motivations. For example, there's a scene where our main character is returning to her 'casita' and there's a group of neighbours waiting at the gates to her property demanding entry because they are so curious about what's beyond the walls. I don't have a context for why this is happening, if this is unusual or that all neighbours are expected to be welcomed into each other's properties/homes.

If you are a Spanish speaker, and comfortable with Latin American culture, this this book may resonate differently for you. I DNF'd around 30%.

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for access to this title.

Gosh. I so wanted to like this one, and while I'm thankful to the publisher, author, and Netgalley, this one wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

At times, it's not just the book covers that capture my attention. Once in a while, the title itself is enough to pique my interest completely. This particular book has an interesting concept where the author hides their untold stories, but the characters come to life and tell their stories through a stream-of-consciousness writing style. I read numerous glowing reviews of this novel and was excited to read it myself.

But I am going to be honest.

I didn't get it

I had high hopes for the literary fiction book I was reading, but unfortunately, I found myself disengaged. It felt like all the characters were on one side of the river while I was stranded on the other. As I progressed through the book, I found myself skimming through pages. If it weren't an advance review copy, I might have given up on it altogether.


All in all, I don't think it was the book for me as a reader.


Publication Date 02/04/24
Goodreads Review 04/04/24
#TheCemeteryofUntoldStories #NetGalley.

4/5

“A rough life, that is true. But then, who doesn’t? … Seems like everyone who lives has endured some sadness, sometimes buried so deep inside them, even they don’t know it’s there.”

Alma Cruz is a celebrated author in the U.S., but as she gets older, she realizes that some stories are harder to tell than others. When she inherits a plot of land in the Dominican Republic, her homeland, she decides to build The Cemetery of Untold Stories - quite literally. Creating a graveyard for her unfinished work, the voices from her writing come to life, speaking their stories to groundskeeper, Filomena, who has her own interesting background. Filomena becomes their sympathetic listener, among them: Bienvenida, forgotten wife of dictator Rafael Trujillo, and Manuel Cruz, Alma’s father who fought against the Dominican government and escaped to the U.S. A wonderful book that asks: who’s story gets to be told, and who’s buried.

“Why am I still asking for reassurance, encouraging others to participate in my self-deception? Have I learned nothing from my life, would I make all the same mistakes again, I wonder? A life of wrong turns and dead ends. Time and time again the abyss would open up before me.”

I’ve always been intrigued by Julia Alvarez’s books, especially In the Time of Butterflies. Not only is the cover of this book beautiful, but the stories within are as well - making me so excited to pick up her other work. While there were multiple perspectives and stories that the reader uncovers as they go through the pages, all of them were equally fascinating. From Alma to Filomena to Bievevida to Manuel Cruz, each perspective was interconnected with the other. If you love books about books, then you’ll love this one as we hear the voices of an authors untold writing. With a gothic atmosphere and magical feel, I took my time going through this book and felt so attached to every character at the end.

In the cemetery of untold stories by Julia Alvarez we meet Alma Cruz an author who in the beginning tells us about an unnamed friend who was essentially driven mad by a story she for one reason or another couldn’t write. She at one point ask Alma to write the story but Alma already has a passel of untold stories herself. After her friend passes away Alma has a dream of her friend telling her she should burn or bury her untold stories and Alma takes this to heart. More than just a story about the cemetery we also threw the caretaker of the cemetery and Alma bury in her transcripts in the cemetery, learn about a life her father lived unbeknownst to Alma and also about the caretakers sister who has lived in America for 30 years has now been arrested by immigration and is charged with two murders but she won’t speak to anyone. I am not going to lie at some points of this book I was a tad bit confuse not many but a few I was also intrigued as to who Alma‘s dad was sending money to but then I caught on before the end long before the end I enjoyed the story all of them and although the book had lots of echoes of How The García Girls Lost Their Accent another book written by Julia Alvarez that is a total five star read and although this one has echoes of that this is totally wholly original at the same time I love this authors books and find her dual perspective refreshing you can tell that she writes from the heart and gives an honest viewpoint for her characters of what it’s like to be in a tug-of-war of two cultures and trying to make it work. I can’t believe I have a read more from her but I definitely will rectify that problem soon. I want to think Algonquin books and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

THE CEMETERY OF UNTOLD STORIES by Julia Alvarez is hypnotic, heart stopping beauty. When a writer retires to her native Dominican Republic, she brings with her the untold stories, unfinished works, and characters she'd created but never shared with the world. Intending to bury the stories once and for all, she quickly learns this is not so easily accomplished, particularly with the story of her father and the story about the forgotten second wife of a brutal dictator. What I particularly loved was the lush details of the island, the rich, full-bodied characters, and the underlying magic of storytelling, in all its forms. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

I understand why this is a highly anticipated book.

Part literary fiction, part historical fiction with a healthy dose of magical realism, THE CEMETERY OF UNTOLD STORIES is about a famous Dominican/American author who is nearing the end of her writing career but is left with a multitude of stories that she tried to tell over the years but was unable to complete.

After she inherits land in her native country of the Dominican Republic, she decides to move back from the US and open a cemetery where she can finally put her stories to rest. But some need to be heard and the characters come through to ensure their tales are known.

There are so many things that I loved about this book: the characters Filomena and Bienvenida— the 2nd wife of dictator Rafael Trujillo, learning some of the history of the Dominican Republic under his brutal reign, reading about the culture of the island, the food, all the Spanish sprinkled into the narrative. How all of the stories were intertwined and connected.

Now it's time to get my hands on Julia Alvarez' IN THE TIME OF BUTTERFLIES and HOW THE GARCIA GIRLS LOST THEIR ACCENTS. She sure knows how to tell a story.

4.5⭐️

The daughter of Dominican immigrants, renowned Latin American novelist Alma Cruz, decides to relocate to the Dominican Republic after she retires from academia, much to the surprise of her sisters. Despite her successful career as a writer, she carries the burden of several unfinished and abandoned manuscripts that she has decides to lay to rest in a “cemetery” she builds on a piece of land inherited from her late father. Collaborating with a local artist, Alma plans to burn and inter the remains of her notes and manuscripts with artistically sculpted markers for each of her unfinished works. Visitors would be allowed at the cemetery of untold stories but only if they meet some very specific criteria.

Two of the unfinished manuscripts, both of which had a special place in Alma’s heart, don’t burn and are buried as is – one of which was based on the stories shared by her father, Dr. Manuel Cruz, a Dominican immigrant who fled from the Trujillo regime; and the other inspired by the life of Bienvenida Inocencia Ricardo Martinez Trujillo, second wife of former Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. Alma employs Filomena, a lonely woman who has been visiting the cemetery as a groundskeeper. But Filomena does much more than just tend to the property. Capable of hearing the words floating around the cemetery, she lends a sympathetic ear to the interred characters who share their stories with her – stories that inspire her to reflect on her own life.

An ode to the power of stories, storytelling and orature, The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez is an exquisitely penned character-driven novel that combines elements of historical fiction, magical realism and family drama. The narrative is presented from multiple perspectives across past and present timelines. As the four separate threads of the story converge and diverge, the narrative explores themes of family and sisterhood, the immigrant experience and how the stories of those who came before us are never truly gone and continue to influence the lives of those they left behind. I loved how the magical realism aspect of this story was executed and appreciated that the author did not resort to melodrama while describing intense emotional moments. Though there are moments where the narrative might come across as disjointed (the narrative does jump timelines a tad abruptly which takes a while to get used to), this does not detract from the overall reading experience. There were a few aspects and storylines that I wished had been developed further, but I was satisfied with how the author chose to bring all of the threads of the story together. With its fascinating premise, complex characters, rich historical context and powerful writing, I found this novel to be a compelling read.

I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by Alma Cuervo for an engaging immersion reading experience. I should mention, however, that the narration is more in storytelling mode with minimal variation between character voices. While this itself did not bother me, I feel that given the structure of the novel, it might be difficult to follow the multiple tracks and timelines if one plans to rely solely on the audiobook. I would recommend pairing the book with the audio.

Many thanks to Algonquin Books for the digital review copy and RB Media for the ALC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a beautiful novel about the magic of the stories we tell and how they become so important to us. It is also an ode to sisterhood and the love and drama of family. This was a slow read for me, because I really wanted to savor it. It has magical realism and enigmatic characters.

"All stories are good stories if you find the right listener," Alvarez writes via one of the many characters in this.

And I was among what I'm sure will be many right listeners for this, very much a 4.5 read for me.

This novel captivated me because we flow through a flurry of characters all slowly unraveling their own life stories, even when others tried to bury some of those stories, showing the power of everyday life minutiae and of major events as well. There are changing POVs, that I love because some are told first person and others through a narrator but all feel fully their own person, with the stories slowly coming together in shared throughlines much like the way people in real life come in and out of other people's lives.

Alvarez makes each character pop in different ways and I found the distinctness of each of these characters to be really well developed so as not to overwhelm while showing the reader why each is worthwhile listening to. Can't wait to reread it in Spanish as well.

Many thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Julia Alvarez experienced a health crisis that made writing challenging, and I suspect that situation informed her latest novel. The protagonist of “The Cemetery of Untold Stories,” Alma, is an established author who had received tenure and purchased a “starter home” in Vermont. When her friend and mentor died because, as Alma viewed it, she was killed by a “novel she could neither write nor put aside,” Alma recognized that she “was trying to hold on to the literary version of good looks, the plastic surgeries of astute agents and auditors nipping and tucking the flagging work.” To close the story of her own writing life in a satisfying way, Alma decides to retire to the Dominican Republic, the island that she still called home. Alma took her inheritance, a large lot outside of the city next to the town dump, where she intended to bury her abandoned drafts or “[s]tories I’ve failed to bring to life.”

Alma’s cemetery, which was not intended to bury people or even pets or toxic materials, was the subject of neighbors’ gossip. Brava, a Dominican sculptress, places some of her “wild and fierce” creations on the grounds, and Alma burns her boxes of manuscripts, except for two that won’t catch fire. One of the intact boxes holds notes for a book about Alma’s enigmatic father, Dr. Manuel Cruz, who fought in the Dominican underground and fled to the United States; the other is research for a book about Bienvenida Trujillo, the forgotten first wife of a ruthless Dominican dictator. Entry to the cemetery is available if the invitee tells an acceptable story. The first to gain entry is a local woman, Filomena, who, despite being illiterate, is accosted by “voices, young, old, rich, poor, male, female, telling tales.” Filomena, whose own backstory is breathtaking, is hired by Alma as the cemetery’s caretaker, and is later joined by her beloved nephew Pepito, an aspiring academic, from whom Filomena had been separated for decades.

Alma’s abandoned characters take on voices of their own, revising and rewriting their narratives, and as they unspool their tales, their plots weave together to create a rich and saga of Dominican history. Alvarez returns to many of her familiar subjects: family and especially the complicated relationships among sisters, the experiences of immigrants and, in this novel, the life of an aging celebrated author who lacks the time to complete her work. Alvarez’s novel is charming, buoyant, exquisitely written, and thought-provoking. Thank you Algonquin Books and Net Galley for a novel that I will not hesitate to recommend to everyone.

"The Cemetery of Untold Stories" by Julia Alvarez is a magical tribute to the power of storytelling. The world created by Alvarez's breathtaking prose is absolutely spellbinding. The multilayered plot completely captivated me and I was swept up and along from one bewitching page to the next. I loved all of the strong women characters, and learning some important Dominican history as well. This book is a testament to the stories that refuse to stay silent.

I am new to Julia Alvarez's books, but this certainly will not be the last one I read. Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this exceptional book and for introducing me to another talented writer.

4.25⭐️

The Cemetery of Untold Stories is a lovely story of stories and storytellers, full of insights and humor and quiet reflections. It’s layered, and through the use of magical realism, some of Alma’s characters come to life to tell their own unfinished stories - because sometimes trying to bury a story is just what brings it to light. This one will continue to linger in your thoughts long past the final page.

Thank you Julia Alvarez, Algonquin Books, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Julia Alvarez, proves herself once again to be a creative and dramatic storyteller through her latest novel, The Cemetery of Untold Stories, which is being released today, April 2, 2024. The protagonist of this exotic, magical and enticing tale, is Alma Cruz, who like the author is an American writer of Dominican heritage .

As an aging Alma reflects upon her career, with her successes and failures, she harbors deep regrets for the stories and characters she failed to bring to life. When she inherits a parcel of land in her native Dominican Republic, she decides to turn the property into a cemetery in which she can let go of and bury the manuscripts she never completed.

A local woman, Filomena, becomes her confidante and helper in this huge task. Filomena finds purpose for her previously impoverished, disappointing existence. As the property caretaker, Filomena must decide who gains entry to the cemetery by listening to their stories before granting admission. Filomena’s life story comes to be told along with that of Alma’s own father , a physician, Manuel Cruz. Having little knowledge of Dominican history, I was most captivated by the little known tale of beautiful and naive Bienvenida Trujillo, ex wife of the Dominican dictator.

Alvarez deftly weaves together, historical facts and magical realism with beautiful almost poetic prose and interspersed Spanish phrases. I fell under the spell of this enchanting story. I recognize that this book is not a quick nor simple read. I highly recommend it to readers who like to dig deep for meaning in books that have a lot to teach about the joy and process of living with an eye for creating, while transporting the reader to another place and time. It was a five star read for me from beginning to end. My thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this powerful piece of fiction.

{3.5 stars}

Thanks to Algonquin Books with the gifted copy. All opinions below are my own.

All writers have stories that failed to be completed and released to the world. Alma is a writer who wants to put these characters to res so they don't continue to haunt her. She decides to literally put them to rest in her homeland in the Dominican Republic. There the stories take on a life of their own redefining who they are and how their stories are told.

This story is rich with culture and emotion giving us the realities of life in the DR as well as the actions and decisions that define a family. The characters are all so likable and I found myself immersed in their inner lives and interested in the new connections they were forming.

Thank you Algonquin for the review copy of Julia Alvarez's The Cemetery of Untold Stories. A powerful examination of voice, culture, family, and identity, this is an excellent audiobook and I highly recommend it. This is a great choice for book clubs.

Alvarez's work here is wonderful, I loved the story about characters that "won't be buried", the idea that writers have characters/books they never finish and might be haunted by stories that maybe still need to be told, characters who need a voice, and the bigger idea, perhaps intentional about diversity in writing and publishing, about who gets to tell stories and who gets to have their story told. The book is also reflective, reads as highly personal from a talented writer, and brings in a hint of satire, a little commentary on writing, and offers a series of stories that, though at times hard to read, all become important for bringing to light the power of stories.

I also had this on audiobook and that is an excellent way to engage with this story, so thoughtfully produced in a way that truly honors the heritage and cultural themes in the book, and important to the story, and appreciate that the narration was so rich, Alma Cuervo was the perfect voice for this book.