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Summary: A Mex-American Must!!
Review: Sandra Cisneros has a way of weaving words that really move you. Her descriptions of "the Awful Grandmother" and the smells she describes brought back memories. Although I am much younger to know the setting when this book took place, I can relate as many mex-americans have the same traditions. Especially second generation. I would have to say a must for anyone wanting to go back and remember their past. I love the nicknames. We always have nicknames for family members, I was La Huera, we had Toto, Kika, Chela, Mariquita, etc.,, Bring back so many memories!
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Summary: A fantastic, vividly descriptive book!
Review: This book is one of the most amazing books I have read and definitely makes me want to read more of Cisneros's books. Parts of it can also work very well as sample text for any teachers trying to show students how to visualize various types of action and description in novels and help them enjoy their reading experience more.
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Summary: Wonderful multi-generational tale
Review: Sandra Cisneros is a master at sketching word pictures and creating characters which are so real that they practically leap off the pages of her book, Caramelo. She details the life of a large Hispanic family, who take an annual trip to Mexico to visit with the grandparents of the main character, Lala Reyes. Cisneros follows the Reyes family back for three generations, and makes her characters understandable because of what they've been through. The family lives in Chicago and San Antonio, and the details of their everyday life ring true. Cisneros paints the lives of these characters, warts and all, and shows outsiders what it's like for a young girl to live in a family with no privacy, but with bonds that securely link these characters together. There is a lot to be learned about the Hispanic culture between these pages, and the reader is left a lot wiser for having read this book.
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Summary: Not a very good book
Review: I loved House on Mango Street but I couldn't even make myself finish this book. Too many characters and too much spanish splashed into the novel for me personnelly to be able to complete it. House on Mango was so great and this is so drab - amazing the difference in the two.
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Summary: Spectacular, Spectacular
Review: Sandra Cisneros has out done herself! What a spectacular book that practically anyone can read. With stories to keep your eyes glued to the book and your mind asking for more. What I thought was best about this book was that I felt as if it has many stories in one novel. With her gift to give her readers that "want to read" need. I may not be the person who reads novel after novel but I can really say that i enjoyed reading this book. Even though it was a book assignment to be read on my winter break I am happy to say that it was a great way to spend my free time. Reading this book kept me satified and enetertained. I may not be a real critic but I can give my opinion on what I think a great book is and this is a great book. I have had the privledge to read her other books and poems and think every time she only gets beter and better. I cannot wait till I can get my hands on her next book!!!
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Summary: The best book I've read in a long, long time
Review: I haven't enjoyed a book so much for a long time. The writing is magical. Sandra Cisneros paints pictures with words that make me feel like I am there with the Reyes family. I love the narrator Lala. I love her quirky family that is everybody's family. I enjoyed learning about mexican culture and lifesytle and what it is like for mexican-americans. I can't wait to read more of Sandra's books.
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Summary: AN ENCHANTING MEXICAN-AMERICAN FAMILY
Review: CARAMELO begins with the story of the young Lala, the youngest of seven children living in Chicago during the school year and with her grandparents in Mexico during the summer. Sandra Cisneros gives the reader a beautiful depiction of life between these two opposed worlds, each thought of as 'the other side'. Not only are these two cities geographically distant but they are also culturally distant from each other. As Lala grows older she begins to conceptualize how her family fits into the larger social framework. Most inspiring is Lala's relationship to Soledad, her paternal grandmother she refers to as the Awful Grandmother. Soledad is certainly not a likeable character even when we learn of her painful past. Her most treasured possession is a scarf the color of candy, or caramelo, that her deceased mother never finished. Lala's ties to Soledad continue even from the grave as the Awful Grandmother guides Lala to do the right thing through her young adulthood. Most impressive in CARAMELO was Cisneros' use of footnotes to explain the meanings of various Mexican culture and history inferences. There are times when there are footnotes inside footnotes! This was most helpful for the reader who is not familiar with these topics (such as myself). For these reasons and many more it is apparent that a great amount of time and research went into writing CARAMELO. Cisneros should be commended for her efforts. The depictions of the Mexican Revolution were breathtaking. This is a piece of world history that I was not previously aware of. The descriptions of Mexico City makes me want to visit it to witness its glory and view the characters on the street often described. It should also be stated that Cisneros does a marvelous job in depicting Chicago, especially Maxwell Street which fails to exist. This is an important part of the history of Chicago that should not be forgotten. I enjoyed reading CARAMELO and would recommend it to others.
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Summary: Enchanting
Review: Cisneros captures (most) Mexican and in general Latino families perfectly. Yes she does use some sterotypes but in my opinion they are sterotypes that many times are true and I do not feel that they are all necessarily shameful. I'm mexican American, and I'm not trying to speak for the entire community in any way. I felt she gave the reader a deep understanding of this rich culture even the importance of the reboza does not seem that important but when I thought back to my visits to Mexico I just remembered that many if not most women even from different classes wore a rebozo so it can be seen as an important aspect of many Mexican women's lives. I enjoy Caramelo because of it's honesty and her desire as she says in the novel to simply tell a story.
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Summary: Reliving my childhood
Review: Sanda Cisneros taps into my memories of childhood as a Mexican immigrant growing up in the states and driving back to Mexico in caravan with other cousins, time and time again for our annual vacation. Simply amazing!! Reading this book brought a smile to my face, reminding me of so many quirky qualities of my own family. The family arguments, the mannerisms, slang, etc. Wonderful!! I can't recommend this book enough.
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Summary: Caramelo : A Story Woven with Love
Review: Sandra Cisneros has achieved greatness with Caramelo. Her storytelling is much like the weaving of the rebozo which is the story's heart and core.Each character is like a colorful thread which is entwined with another thread and another until none can be fully appreciated without all of the connections.Just as the rebozo's beauty comes from the unique, complicated patterns and interweaving of designs, so does the beauty of the story come from the weaving of truths, exaggerations and selective memories that connect three generations of Reyes characters. Caramelo is a wonderful tribute to family........and the love that is the driving force in every family's rebozo.
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