Frontera Street

Rating:
Summary: a charming cultural exploration
Review: Frontera Street displays a cross-culturalism that breaks down the elitist assumptions of the upper class. I love when Dee figures out that "Barrio" means "Neighborhood," not "Slum." After a slow start, I was drawn into the story and found I could identify with all three narrarators, regardless of their ethnic background.

Rating:
Summary: Warm, funny, touching, real...
Review: I am really enjoying this book and feel close to the characters. While not "high literature", the author has a way with words and a certain understanding of people, inside and out. The contrast of class/culture with the unity of "women's issues" rang true. Her format, point-of-view of different characters nicely rounds out her narrative. However, it is the occasional humor that got me; I laughed-out-loud-til-it-hurt about the story of the Miracle Muffin. More, More!!!

Rating:
Summary: Here's a good read!
Review: i loved this book. it is the ultimate girl book. the relationships between these women, each strong in her own right, is the essence of friendship. i honestly couldn't put it down and was sad that it had to end. i urge everyone to buy this book and one for their best friend!

Rating:
Summary: a book you don't want to end!
Review: Our book club read this book and every member loved it (which is unusual for our club). You get to know the characters so well you forget they are not real. The book deals with many real life issues such as the challenges of true friendship, failures of relationships, the ups and downs of life, cultural differences, and the support of family and friends. The author draws you in to the life of characters and it is an enjoyable ride. It is one of those books that you don't want to end.

Rating:
Summary: This Hispanic Texan loved it, too
Review: The issues are real; keeping secrets from friends, facing your
own prejudices and problems from your family and past and
deciding what to pass along to the next generation, and crossing
over into a new world (crossing fronteras) emotionally,
spiritually and socially. It does "explain" culturally biased
terminology but that is because it switches viewpoints so that
the story is told from a "white" viewpoint and then from a
"mexican" viewpoint and then from a Mexican-American (Chicana)
teenager viewpoint and it lets you see the emotional, social
borders from many different sides. I found that the characters
were realistic in that they "think" like real people do. They
have faults and act on misconceptions and jump to conclusions.
As for the portrayal of Hispanic Women ... there was definitely
a difference in views between Alma (the somewhat traditional
Mexicana who rebelled in her own youth and resented whites who
mistreated her when she was a maid) and the teenage Socorro,
who was struggling with how much of her white and brown
background to bring forward into her own life.
I didn't find any degrading or condescending views which
were not included as intentional misconceptions and which are
later shown to be wrong like the "barrio/slum" thing; Also, I
know lots of real women (white and brown) that are single
parents and struggle with how to find a companion without
getting hurt again. I found it to be "very real" to me.
It's a great read and an excellent vehicle for discussion with
anyone who's ever lived along the Texas border.

Rating:
Summary: If you've ever been blindsided by life...
Review: then you'll relate to Dee, newly widowed, pregnant and in search of somewhere to belong in a world that is suddenly so foreign to her. It's fitting, then, that her numb search takes her from her affluent neighborhood to work and life and a new kind of family in the barrio. I'm so happy I went along for the journey, and have found a new author to watch for.

Rating:
Summary: Here's a chicana who loved it
Review: This book is a great read! On a deeper level it is about crossing all kinds of borders. Each character has prejudices to overcome and it is touching to find out how they do that. While you read the story, you get to know Dee and Alma and Socorro as funny, loving women who live in a vibrant, welcoming neighborhood. Suddenly class or color doesn't matter to them anymore. It's a great book club pick because there's plenty to talk about!

Rating:
Summary: Not for Chicanos in Texas
Review: This book is for white people. I am aware that the author was born Latina but she caters to a white audience. When Dee learns that a barrio is a neighborhood and not a slum, I wanted to cry. Such clarifications are provided for the white New Englander with unspoken but twisted stereotypes about people of color. As a Chicana born and raised in Texas I felt the book did a huge disservice to people of Mexican descent. I found nothing comforting or familiar about her descriptions of my home state. Throughout the book the author tutors us on what it means to be Mexican yet she degrades the principal Mexican character Alma. Instead of making Alma a strong woman with a true desire to better herself through something as fundamental as education, she creates a stubborn mother who harms her child emotionally and whose idea of betterment is sleeping with one white man after another. In addition to the ignorant characters, white and brown, the actual prose leaves much to be desired. I have been torn whether to write this review for nearly a month now, as I do not mean to hurt the writer, yet it troubles me deeply that others like myself will spend their hard-earned money on a book that depicts Latina women as dependent on the approval on white men- father or lovers, etc. ... It's highly distrubing as a reader, as a woman, and lastly, as a Mexican-American, to read how she portrays us to the rest of the world.

Rating:
Summary: Book club contender
Review: While Frontera Street carries a strong message about crossing borders, both physical and self-imposed, the story that reveals the message is unbelievably full of extreme highs and lows. From the loss of husbands, lovers, jobs and businesses to the excitement of new love, full scholarships, babies and quinceaneras, it is impossible to get to know these characters and their true selves. Back stories and dirty laundry abound but do not amount to real insight into each characters heart.

Both Dee, a white woman from the Westside, and Alma, a Mexican woman from the barrio, could easily be the same woman - struggling with backgrounds of rejection and loss, single parenthood and prejudice, but Barrientos has gone out of her way to make an important and single distinction between the two women - money. Dee's wealth is, ultimately, what keeps everyone happy and although the strength of the Frontera Street neighborhood bond comes through it is disappointing to watch Alma and her daughter leave the Street solely for the purpose of wealth and prestige.

Barrientos' writing is stylish and, at times, fun. By far the most engaging part of the story is a flashback detailing the story of "The Miracle Muffin." Initially a short story of its own, the description of the milagro and its effect on family, community, and faith is the most in-depth, provocative and endearing section of the book.

A good book club read, Frontera Street will provoke discussions about our own boundaries and the development of friendship, it also allows for interesting discussion on what it means to read about a character and feel as if you "know" them.