The House on Mango Street

It is a short book, and could be read in a couple hours, but I took my time with it. I was absorbed by the poetic storytelling told within these pages, the life of the author as a young girl and woman growing up at her father’s house. Telling the story of the neighborhood denizens and their eventual outcomes, it provides a peek into what it was like living on the house on Mango Street.

Beautifully written and very highly recommended. I'm a longtime fan of the author and this book in particular. Ms. Cisneros does a fine job of opening up her life and experiences to readers by creating a slightly fictionalized version of herself as the main character. Through the years, I've purchased many copies of this book, in fact, as gifts for friends and family who have asked for guidance on writing their own life stories.

In A House on Mango Street, the author, Sandra Cisneros, describes the life of young Esperanza’s growing up in the rural area of Chicago. This book tastefully describes the hard topics of discrimination and assault but also is at some points hard to follow due to the vagueness in the chapters. In a summary, Esperanza, being a young hispanic girl in the 50’s was a very hard thing to go through. In her first job she was kissed by an old man who “[kissed her] hard on the mouth and [didn’t] let go,” for just one example (55). She lives on the poor side of friend and faces discrimination anywhere she goes. She goes through life experiencing assault, hardship, friendships, family issues and more. It is somewhat heartwarming and somewhat terrifying read. I really enjoyed the way the other wrote this book. The story is grouped into small anecdotes instead of the normal chronologically written books. Each chapter is 2-5 pages making the book a quick read. Although the book does not have much depth to it, it is a fascinating read and adds many topics that you would not expect to appear within this book. The author uses lots of great comparisons like “my mother's hair, my mother's hair, like little rosettes, like little candy circles all curly and pretty because she pinned it in pincurls all day, sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you, holding you and you feel safe, is the warm smell of bread before you bake it, is the smell when she makes room for you on her side of the bed still warm with her skin, and you sleep near her, the rain outside falling and Papa snoring.” This book was a good and simple read but did not hit me the way a 5 star book would so that is why I gave it 4 stars. I did not truly dislike any part of the book. I think it was a very nicely written book, tastefully covering a wide range of topics. Although like I previously mentioned, it is not a book of depth. It does cause much deep thinking and analyzing so if you are looking for a hard read this is not the book for you. But if you are looking for a easy and interesting read, A House on Mango Street is a great choice.

loveeeeed this book . i relate to it so much and always recommend it.

This book consists of a series of vignettes loosely linked by themes of poverty, oppression, and unrealized dreams. The book stunningly conveys the emotions and fears of a young girl coming to age in a harsh world, a world where options are limited. Sandra Cisneros illustrates that young girls living in the slums, feel forced into marrying, to escape an endless life of poverty and hardship. However, she critiques the idea of marriage being a viable solution; she shows that many of the girls, who choose marriage as an escape, marry abusive men who treat them as possessions and the girls end up in a prison just as bad as the one they left. I felt that her ideas on women oppression and feminist ideas were interesting and well founded, but I did think it was a little over done, portraying all men in abusive roles. I thought it was really interesting that in her author's note it states that "she is nobody's mother and nobody's wife". This statement carried mixed emotions to me. On the one hand it shows that twenty seven years after writing "The House on Mango Street", she has remained true to her feminist ideas of marriage and independence--an accomplishment because very few actually stick to their youthful convictions--but it also filled me with sadness because it shows that she has never gotten over her childhood trauma to find someone she could trust enough to want to marry. The reason I gave this book three stars is that some of the vignettes are really powerful, while others are just forgettable. Also, the only character in the book that truly has dimension is Esperanza. Throughout the book, Cisneros tries to critique stereotypes of class and race, yet her characters, except Esperanza, remain cardboard cutouts of people from the slums. Overall it's a good book, with some minor flaws.

Buen estado.

As I see it, the vignettes were easily understandable, so even suitable for my students who learn English as a foreign language. I liked the way the story is written through a first person narrative, revealing information on the life on Mango street. The plot makes you think a lot about immigrants in the US, their lives and struggles, as well as their hopes for a better life. Thus, a good novel. Moreover, I appreciate the story's open-end which enables us, as readers, to imagine how Esperanza's future life will look like. Where will she go to? All in all, a good novel.

I like the way how the book is written, the plot is very sincere and involving

O Livro chegou no prazo em ordem. A história é legal são pequenas histórias

When I was in college, one of my professors recommended us this book.... She told us and I quote "that every girl should read this book once in her lifetime" .... So finally I read this book and I am just glad I did... All I want is to read this book with some of my fav quotes from this novel (though mera bas chalta to saare ke saare hi pages yahan type kar deti 🤭) 🌷As a girl, she dreamed about having a silent home, just to herself. 🌷The mother doesn't object. She knows what is it to live a life filled with regrets, and she doesn't want her daughter to live that life too. 🌷 She's afraid of going to the movies alone, and that's why she's decided to go. Because sl 🌷She looked outh the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. 🌷You can never have too much sky. You can fall asleep and wake up drunk on sky, and sky can keep you safe when you are sad. 🌷She doesn't need anybody to laugh with, she just laughs. 🌷I am one who leaves the table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate. 🌷Shame is the bad thing, you know. It keeps you down. Hope you will read this story one day and tell me what you feel after reading this book. Happy reading Stay happy