Rating: Summary: Wish I could Give It 0.5 Stars, or Even 0... Review: First of all: I had to read this book for school, was forced to, was made to. And I must say, usually the books are good(Animal Farm, Of Mice and Men). But i CAN NOT see why we had to read this. The Author did not even know what she was doing. She sounded like she was an illiterate Hobo who wanted to write a children's book to get some money so she could buy some clean clothes. Every chapter (if you could call it one) is five paragraphs long, and all about this stupid little girls llife in her Mexican neighborhood in Chicago. The author isn't descriptive, and is not a literary master or anything. She has no clue what she is talking about, and the book deserves to be burned.
Rating: Summary: Growing Up in a Latino Community Review: Sandra Cisneros, author of Women Hollering, Creek, My Wicked Wicked Way, and Loose Woman, takes us through her childhood experiences and growing up in a poverty stricken latino community in the Bronx with The House On Mango Street. The House On Mango Street is somewhat of a fictional biography. It vividly paints a picture in reader's minds, through the fictional eyes of Esperanza, of feelings and events that made up Sandra Cisneros's childhood. Overall, we were disapointed with this book. None of us were realy able to connect with the book or the characters, which made it hard to follow. If you are able to connect with and have an understanding of Latino culture, you would probably be able to enjoy this book much more than we did. In the end, this book earned 3 stars and although we don't consider it great, it is worth checking out.
Rating: Summary: Good, but not for everyone. Review: To some, Sandra Cisneros is one of the best writers of the modern age. They also believe The House on Mango Street is a masterpiece and a perfect example of Cisneros's talent. Having not read any of Cisneros other works, I can't make a judgment on her talent. I can say that my review title says it all. Let me give you a little overview: Esperanza is a Hispanic girl who is unhappy with her life because she lives in a rundown house on a bad neighborhood. Now I would not know how it feels to live in a dilapidated house. But she should be grateful. It sure beats "The Cardboard Box on Mango Street". Esperanza also doesn't like her name. Now I admit that Esperanza might be a bad name (For her). But I think it is a great name. The other characters in the book think the same thing. The thing I liked about this plot line was how it reminded me of myself: I don't think I have a great name or that I'm good looking, but others seem to disagree. The main reason I dislike this book is because it can get pretty tiresome talking about it for more than a month in English, analyzing it chapter by chapter, page by page, paragraph by paragraph. Most of the boys seem to dislike not because of the length (As far as books go, this is one of the shortest). Some might find more and more to appreciate as they delve into it, but some might just find only another stereotype of Hispanics. I didn't, but I can see how such a stereotype could be found. I don't mind the style the book is written in too much. Sure, there is no real structure and out of dozens of characters few have any importance or any major role. But there are a lot of movies and other books written this same way. In a way, this writing style reflects life, in how we pass by people every day that we are bound to never meet again. However, I can understand how this approach is disliked and even loathed by others. But, at the most, this book can only bore you. If my diary were published, people would have to get drunk after reading it and I would be recommended to a mental institute. So by all means read House on Mango Street. It has some good parts and is rather interesting because of the creative way it is written. Just don't believe all ghettos are populated by perverted males and females are always the innocent ones. Now, to read other Cisneros books to make a judgment on her talent.
Rating: Summary: If this can be considered a book, anyones an author Review: The House on Mango Street is an erratic collection of loose fitting extremely brief short stories, jammed between a cover and called a book. The writer, Sandra Cisneros, maintains no chronological order to the story, providing a confusing jumble of randomly selected topics that have little in common, save a few of the same characters or setting. The book, if you want to call it that, is written in first person. Esperanza, the main character, is the narrator throughout the writing. Though the story in general is poor, some of the writing is very descriptive, very poetic in nature. For instance, the main characters description on their house, "It's small and red with tight steps in front and the windows so small you'd think they were holding their breath. Bricks are crumbling in places, and the front door is so swollen you have to push hard to get in." The very unique description of the windows as "holding their breath" really emphasizes the way the narrator feels about her house. Also the description of what she though would be the perfect house, saying that it would "boast running water." Most people would take it for granted that a house would have running water, this obviously shows the poor conditions this girl has grown up with. The theme of the stories seems to be a family's constant struggle through everyday life. Their dreams of leading a normal life, of living in a decent house, and the harsh reality that they would have to "win the lottery" as they put it, to fulfill these dreams. I think that with a great deal of help, and a writer that knows what he/she is doing, this story could be saved and rewritten in a much more appealing format.
Rating: Summary: don't let em' con ya' Review: The House on Mango Street was a complete waist of time. It is about a fifth grade reading level. the book consists of many (about 82) short "chapters". it is about a girl called Esperanza and the most exciting part is when she got raped. i have to go to class now.
Rating: Summary: New light Review: The book The House On Mango Street, was an interesting book. It made you look at things differently and see what life would be like as a Mexican, or even Mexican American. For people who really aren't open to the culture, it gives them a look into the lives of others, and for me, gave me a respect for the women of the Mexican culture. I think that this is a very good book for people to read, and learn about others.
Rating: Summary: One star for nerve, No stars for talent! Review: It would be hard to criticize a woman with a following larger than Jim Jones, but here goes... Her stories are cute, like a cake decoration made out of buttercream that will eventually lead to diabetes, but I would hardly consider this book a literary blockbuster. She does manage to sell her ethnicity every time she makes references to butterflies, corn, and of course the Virgen de Guadalupe. It's done in overabundance that one is left wondering if Ms. Cisneros is unsure of her ethnicity. By the way, the functional illiterate who translated this title into Spanish should know that it is "La Casa en la calle Mango."
Rating: Summary: Mango Review: The House on Mango Street Growing up in a rough neighborhood, Esperanza looks past her narrow world to discover herself. The House on Mango Street portrays the life of a young adolescent girl trying to find a balance between her Spanish culture and American ideals. Throughout the novel Sandra Cisneros shows the reader how Esperanza overcomes all of the obstacles on her path; such as growing up as a female, realizing her responsibilities, and defining her own destiny. As a female, Esperanza experiences and sees a lot of injustice done to women. Even though Esperanza is surrounded by other Spanish women who accept things like harassment and a second class status as the norm; she is brave enough to stand up for her own thoughts. It would be very easy for Esperanza to just accept the place of a woman, but instead she decides to follow her heart. Esperanza defines her own destiny by having an open mind, and not letting herself become a victim of the same vicious cycle that places her grandmother in front of the window. One of the greatest things about this novel is the fact that Esperanza empowers herself. She doesn't need anyone else to tell her that she can do whatever is in her heart. By following her heart, Esperanza gains the strength to overcome all of her obstacles. Strength comes from the inside, not from anywhere else. Esperanza realizes this at a very young age. As she is growing up, her father starts to look to Esperanza as sort of a caretaker to her younger siblings. Her responsibilities are also a source of her strength. Esperanza takes pride in watching out for her family members, and takes it upon herself to take her family off of Mango Street. Esperanza carves out her own destiny by taking her own fate into her own hands. She will not wait for a man to take her off of Mango Street. Esperanza will work and be an independent person, thus breaking a century old chain of an unjust tradition. Overall, The House on Mango Street is a very powerful novel. Sandra Cisneros tells a unique story with a very unique style. Her short vignettes make the themes of the novel stand out. The style of this novel is parallel to the life of Esperanza. Sandra Cisneros ventures out of the traditional style of writing, while at the same time portraying a distinctive story of a young girl who does the same thing with her life. This 110-page novel is well worth the read and can be discussed for years and years after reading it. There are so many layers of meaning within this novel, it is recommended that one read many times. For every time one reads it, they are given even
Rating: Summary: For The Young At Heart Review: The House on Mango Street, a novel written by Sandra Cisneros. This novel while written thoughtfully was quite refreshing. The storylines were sort of difficult to follow, but when the message was finally figured out, I must admit that I was quite pleased. In the beginning I wasn't quite sure how I would enjoy this book, but as the discussion grew deeper, my interst in Esperenza grew. I felt her displeasure as she talked about her name, I felt her shyness at school. I could actually picture myself in her shoes. I enjoyed the innocence expressed especially during the part when God was talked about and it was described as if God's just there. Did I enjoy this story? Yes. Would I recommend it to everyone? Depends on the person. But I do know that this book turned out to be better than I thought.
Rating: Summary: A Book LIke No Other Review: The novel House on Mango Street was not really the novel for me. Sandra Cisneros did a wonderful job in bringing Esperanza's story to life, but she did it in a way that was not very catching. The reason for me saying this is because Sandra has Esperanza tell her life story, but she breaks it up into sections that don't let the story go with its natural flow. For example, I was wondering why Esperanza went from talking about her house on Mango Street, to talking about the different hairstyles that her family has, and then to why her brothers would not talk to her sister and her. Sandra did this through the whole book, and I felt that this was not a great way to express the tale.
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