Caramelo

I read "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros, and had enjoyed it. However, I had not read any of her other novels until I came upon this one. I found the title in a reading list at the back of another book, "How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez. This book is interesting to me on many levels. First, it delves deeply into a complicated family relationship. Many of the themes resonate with me, because they remind me of my own family. My grandparents were immigrants from Italy, and the family dynamics between Italian families and Latino families are so similar. Perhaps that is because of the immigrant experience, as well. This book explores those relationships against the backdrop of a Mexican family that emigrated to the U.S. So intertwined with family themes are all of the struggles of adapting to and living in a different country..specifically, Latino/Mexican struggles. In order to explore these themes, the writer goes back in time as the granddaughter of the family, trying to learn more about her family's past. I really loved this book for it's study of familial relationships, as well as it's focus on one Latino family's experience in the U.S. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Latino culture, the experiences of immigrants, as well as anyone who also has complicated family relationships and seeks to understand these more. The book keeps your attention, and is very funny and entertaining in many parts, as well.

For us, the San Antonians, the book was nostalgic and chewy, full of life, delicious, and bitter-sweet. So was the same for many other Mexican-Americans who live in Texas. The book presented an honest reflections, life and souls of an important slice of American population; and more importantly, peoples of our own town. The voice, the blocks of words full of local idiom, and Mexican proverbs were exhilarating. The plot was a story of the awful grandmother but more so mini tales of individual characters who appeared in the novel. The group agreed that the book was a great and pleasant read; here are some delightful passages: Sweet sweeter, colors brighter, the bitter more bitter. Tin sugar spoon and how surprised the hand feels because it's so light. If you leave your father's house without a husband you are worse than a dog. Only people you love drive you to hate. The book also reflects upon the transformation of the city and appearance of a new milieu.

This was a long book. It took me forever to finish. I want to read it a second time because I feel I will enjoy it more than the initial reading.

Cisneros has been a favorite writer of mine for many years. It started when I read and then taught portions of House on Mango Street to middle school students. It is amazing to read and feel personal connections with a text as a Mexican American who grew up in south Texas. While her subject, setting and characters strike a chord with me on a cultural level, it is her imagery and use of figurative language that thrill me as a reader. That is not to say that the message and the generational insight on family relationships are not well developed and profound, but to find a powerful message presented with equally powerful display of word-craft is praiseworthy.

It is not a "healthy lie"; I really enjoyed this book spanning generations of the Mexican/Hispanic immigrant experience. I lived in South America for six years where my husband is from. It was surprising that there were so many similiarities between Caramelo and people I knew and am related to by marriage. The book does tend to wander, (although I thought it came together well at the end) and I truly wish that someone would have married their sweetheart, but there is still plenty of love in the story and plenty of beautiful, colorful writing. Knowing Spanish made the book come to life since in many cases a dictionary wouldn't be that helpful, but the relationship between the father and daughter as they learn about themselves and where home really is hopefully will still pull non-Spanish speakers through.

Sandra Cisneros is an exquisite writer. Caramelo is a big book with a large heart that transports you to a world rich and wonderful. Caramelo and her immediate family visit their relatives in Mexico every year. The transition from Caramelo's American life and her heritage in Mexico inspires her imagination as she discovers her heritage and the diversity of beauty in the world. Cisneros uses language to highlight the diversity so be prepared for a book peppered with untranslated Spanish. Even if you don't know a word of the language, it enhances and reveals. Caramelo is highly recommended as one of the best novels of our times. If you haven't already, be sure to also read Cisneros' House on Mango Street.

I enjoyed this overall and finished it. I thought it meandered too much in parts though and then my attention wandered.

Loving this book