The House on Mango Street (Vintage Contemporaries)

The book was interesting and all the poems were easy to understand.

This was a gift for a close friend and she absolutely loved it

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.

Classic Hispanic literature. Read years ago in college and was fun to read again many years later. So fun to read about a family from Mexico living in Chicago. The characters and adventures on the street were unforgetable. Sandra Cisneros is a gem of a writer.

Not sure what the hype was all about. We read this for book club and a few didn’t even finish it

This book was a great choice for my son’s school reading. The House on Mango Street is interesting, easy to follow, and tells a meaningful story that keeps you engaged. It has also been helpful for his school assignments and reading comprehension. Overall, we’re very happy with this book!

An enjoyable short read … With every chapter it bought new life to Esperanza life on Mango street and why those memories were important to her …

A mix of spoken word and poetic writing; the vignettes breathe of life with all the beautiful language, with all the Chicana identity.

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

Mas o livro deve ter sido necessário e deve ter agradado...

Es una historia preciosa, escrita con mucha sensibilidad para mí una pequeña joya, puedo recomendarla, además para los que hablamos inglés es un incentivo, ya que está tan bien escrita que es fácil de entender.

A very quick but a very compelling read - I absolutely loved the use of vignettes throughout the book, and I honestly couldn't put it down. Evocative, beautifully written and a very important look at the intersection of ethnicity and class in American fiction.