This is an epic story, a remarkable achievement for a writer making her first foray into the literary landscape. Balibrera demonstrates a fearlessness that is rare ... This is not a perfect novel. Deep into the story, too many minor characters are introduced with flourish, never to reappear. The end seems hurried, as if the Furies had suddenly been released and couldn’t decide which direction to go. But these are mere blots on a richly drawn canvas. Mainly, what emerges triumphantly from Balibrera’s pages is a gifted new storyteller with a nose for history and a prodigious imagination.
Lush ... The narrative flow suffers from a lack of context for non-Spanish speakers and rambling story lines that minimize significant events in El Salvadoran history. Still, the young narrators provide irreverent commentary alongside dramatic storytelling depicting the hardscrabble lives of determined sisters yearning for better lives.
...parts of the story slip by almost too quickly for the reader to connect with them emotionally. Still, Balibrera brings a bravura, magical-realist style to this story of resilience and love through impossible circumstances. With its depictions of the 1930s Hollywood scene and Paris art world, and its imaginative retelling of a difficult piece of Central American history, The Volcano Daughters stands out.
