I Lived On Butterfly Hill

I picked this one up at the library simply because of the pretty cover. Mum let me have it because it's historical fiction and she loved me reading historical anything.

It was brilliant.

Celeste Marconi is a dreamer. She lives peacefully among friends and neighbors and family in the idyllic town of Valparaiso, Chile—until the time comes when even Celeste, with her head in the clouds, can’t deny the political unrest that is sweeping through the country. Warships are spotted in the harbor and schoolmates disappear from class without a word. Celeste doesn’t quite know what is happening, but one thing is clear: no one is safe, not anymore.
The country has been taken over by a government that declares artists, protestors, and anyone who helps the needy to be considered “subversive” and dangerous to Chile’s future. So Celeste’s parents—her educated, generous, kind parents—must go into hiding before they, too, “disappear.” To protect their daughter, they send her to America.

As Celeste adapts to her new life in Maine, she never stops dreaming of Chile. But even after democracy is restored to her home country, questions remain: Will her parents reemerge from hiding? Will she ever be truly safe again?

I loved the colorful language the author used, almost like the whole book was a poem. Everything was described so vividly that I could almost see it. Or taste it. You know. The plot was wonderful and well though through. And I confess, I cried. And not just because of my injury (I'll write another post about that), but because of the book.

It dealt with several heavy themes; the lose of family members, homes, and close friends and the uncertainty of exile as well as the oppression brought about by a cruel dictator and the suffering of the poor. But the author also included enough humor and happier things to balance this out, without dissipating totally.
All in all, I do think it was a masterpiece.