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Summary: Mr. Negative's review of The House on Mango Street
Review: _The House on Mango Street_Words cannot describe this book. Oh wait, I have one, "BLOWS". This book blows. Halfway through the book I was hoping the girl would commit suicide and the other half of the book would be blank pages. How these pointless ebonic passages became a book I will never find out. I would rather stratle a barbed wire fence then read this book again.
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Summary: There are better
Review: Yes, I "get it," but if you want spanish literature, Jorge Luiz Borges is better.
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Summary: This is the best book I have ever read!
Review: When I read this book in my seventh grade English class, I was instantly in love! This book tells the story of Esperanza, a young girl living in the Latino section of a poor city though a series of vignettes. It talks about the joys and hardships of being a young girl and having to live with what is around her, even something as simple as wanting her name to be something more like "...Zeze the X. Yes, something like Zeze the X will do." Cisneros' distinct style of writing captured my mind and got me lost in these vignettes. It's a very unique style, this one is like no other. My class wrote a book based on the style of writing and storyline Cisneros' displays in The House on Mango Street because of how much we love it! This book is one you will read and will not be disappointed with!
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Summary: Classic House
Review: Well, I think it's now safe to say that Sandra Cisneros's "The House on Mango Street" is a classic. Not just a "Chicano/a Classic," but a book that rightfully is included in school curricula throughout the United States. This heartbreaking coming of age novella is presented in short but powerful chapters. Esperanza Cordero (note: "esparanza" means "hope"; "cordero" means "lamb") is about a young girl in a poor Latino neighborhood who tells us her story in vignettes. One of the most moving chapters is "Red Clowns" where Esparanza tells her friend Sally about being raped at the carnival: "Sally Sally a hundred times. Why didn't you hear me when I called? Why didn't you tell them to leave me alone? The one who grabbed me by the arm, he wouldn't let me go. He said I love you, Spanish girl, I love you, and pressed his sour mouth to mine." This short chapter displays the beauty and potency of Cisneros's prose: she uses simple language, that of a young girl, and juxtaposes the child-like world of the carnival with the adult ugliness of rape. This a moving, well-crafted book that should be on your list of "must reads."
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Summary: An ok short book
Review: This book is almost like the book seeds except from one person's perspective. This book is about a Hispanic family moving into a crummy neighborhood. The people and places give it a ghettoish feeling. This book is okay, but you really need to be in the mood to read this book. This book could have been a lot better, but it seemed to drag on. If you needed to read a book on a Hispanic poor family then this book is a prime choice
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Summary: students point of view
Review: This book is directed towards females so that might be why I didn't like it. It never got my attention. Maybe it was the way that it was written or maybe the contents of the book. There were very few parts of this book that I enjoyed. One part I enjoyed was when Louie's cousin stole a car and all of the kids asked where he got it from and he said, "get in." Another part I liked was when she got her first kiss and it wasn't all she thought it was supposed to be. Esperanza said, "I waited my whole life. You're a liar." Reading this book was like reading French, another language because it was a girl book. I would recommend this book to a girl, but not to a guy. "One day you wake up and they are there," says Esperanza. She was talking about hips, and growing up from a girl to a young woman throughout the whole book.
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Summary: Fascinating and exciting book for all ages!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: The House on Mango Street is an excting book, filled with youthful emotion and hopes. The book is filled with Esperanza's life, dreams, and hopes that describe of who she is. " A home in the heart", a powerful emotional quote that brings out hope and despair throughout Esperanza's life. Her dream is like a simple wish which all she wants is a house of her own, " Not a flat. Not an apartment in back. Not a daddys. A house all my own". In her story, Sandra Cisneros deals with her personal life struggles and how she achieve her dream through the obstacles that kept her away from leaving the House on Mango Street. In an expeculating result, the House on Mango Street sets Esperanza free. This book is recommend for all ages who interest in reading the adventure of someone else past. Reading this book will open your mind to someone else dream.
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Summary: Sandra Cisneros is a brilliant**
Review: She truley shows her reader what it was like growing up poor, and yet still suceeding in life"
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Summary: Cisneros reading on abridged tape a treat
Review: Sandra Cisneros has been telling me stories for the last few days and it's been a pleasure. I'm sure that with 200+ reviews, a reader can get a good sense of the substance of the book. I'd like to put in my vote for the tape. First, the tape is narrated by the author. Usually, this is a disaster. Indeed, Cisneros has a high pitched voice that probably wouldn't work for most books. However, in evoking the voice of the child/woman, Esperanza, her voice seems just right. And, since this book is a memoir, she can convey the emotion in a true fashion. The other treat is the introduction. I don't know if this is in later editions of the printed page version. On the tape, Cisneros tells of the writing of the book and the public's reaction. It's a powerful five minutes. The stories vary. The strongest message for my middle aged anglo ears was the amazing commonality in growing up female in the USA - wanting nylons, not being sure about boys - in spite of ethnic and class differences.
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Summary: A wonderful underated book? Let me explain the meaning....
Review: I read some reviews for this book and I could not believe how underated it is and how many people didn't understand it. Some people say that it is just a collection of random thoughts, but that is not the case. You see, this book a whole story and instead of having chapters of episodes, it contains "vignettes" which the dictionary defines as "a short descrioptive literary sketch". Each vignette contains an important part of the story. The whole story describes the thoughts, feelings, and meories of Esperanza, an hispanic girl living in the poverty corner of the city, with dreams to escape her world. At the same time, she grows up and starts to leave her childhood, while learning about the fears and dangers of the world she never knew of before. Becomeing an adult turns out to be a hard challenge. The first vignette called "House On Mango Street" is meant to describe the setting. The second "Hairs" describes the looks and characteristics of the characters. The third called "Boys and Girls" tells the difference between genders, which is important because the story deals with men and women. The following vignette called "My Name" paints the image of self and the feelings of hope and the future. Therefore, these vignettes are not mere collections of random thoughts and uneducated language, but a poetic story with a well drawn setting, characterization, and gripping tone. Even though the story evolves around hispanics, this is a book for all races. The poverty and dreams of home remind me of the experiences of African-Americans and Chinese, as well as Caucasians. When I was in a Creative Writing class, we wrote many vignettes and if you are a student in Creative Writing you HAVE to get this book and share it with your class and teacher. It will help you understand the importance writing free verses, for this is the best example of vignettes I have ever seen. The voice of the author does not sound profesional or too fancy, but like the ordinary words people say today. it is a story of our time and a tale for all. My only complaint is that it was too short! I wanted to know more about what Esperanza does and her wishes. I also wanted to know what happened to her after the story. Even so, it is pretty plain to see that Esperanza learned how to escape from her cruel world, unlike the people who never knew where she went. I haven't seen such an exquisite story of our modern times since I read the "Joy Luck Club" about two years ago. If you want to read a beautiful story about growing up, living life, and with musical poetry, you must read this book.
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