Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - The House on Mango Street

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The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

56 reviews

solliereads's review against another edition

4.0

A really beautiful and well-crafted selection of vignettes that can be read separately as shorter pieces of fiction, or as a part of a larger whole to give an insight into the violence and struggle experienced by Esperanza, as well as coming-of-age moments, growing up as a Latina on a street in Chicago called Mango Street. Cisneros weaves a truly wonderful story based on her own experiences.

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mrsjoylovesbooks's review against another edition

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fast-paced

4.5

Thank you to @PRHAudio for the audiobook. I first read The House on Mango Street in high school and I was amazed to see such an easy to read book that spoke about the experience of a Mexican-American girl growing up in a Latino Chicago neighborhood. As a teenager, I hadn't been exposed to Latina authors and I was immediately impressed by Cisnero's writing. When I recently came across The House on Mango Street on audio, I decided to listen to the book, read by the author herself. Hearing the words was a different and more personal experience, almost like hearing Esperanza tell me about her life on Mango Street.

The vignettes style of writing gives the reader snippets of Esperanza's life and her neighborhood. The characters and topics jump around but since it can be read (or listened to) in one sitting, it is still apparent that there is a progression for Esperanza. It's almost like reading her journal and seeing this Chicago neighborhood from the perspective of a young girl. Her understanding of what is happening around her begins with child-like naivety and in the end, she sees the truth of her situation and of those around her. I'm so glad that I listened to this book and was reminded of my appreciation for Sandra Cisneros.

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_annika__'s review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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axel_p's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I don't know what to think about the book

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historyoftape's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Every vignette seemed like its own poem, a child picking apart someone else's brain, asking only questions adults would be ashamed or scared to ask, and coming to conclusions about herself through it all. I wished this was longer-but at the same time I understand that it couldn't be, because maybe the next vignette would have been the leaving, and maybe the coming back would have been much later, or never, and I guess the not knowing was the point anyways - I was in love with every character, ached for every character, and loved Esperanza though she seemed to talk about herself only in relation to others. And isn't that how a child learns and grows? By defining the world in vignettes, in people you want to become and people who show you what directions you never want to take? I have discovered that one day, I too might return to mango street. The house I belong to but do not belong to.

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kimhaein's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Sandra Cisnero's The House on Mango Street is a series of short stories told from the perspective of the young girl Esperanza about her time living on Mango Street.

I was hooked from the introduction. The way Sandra Cisnero writes is just so honest, captivating, and beautiful. The introduction in and of itself is a beautiful piece of writing that evokes so much feeling and resonance. The stories are truly works of art. Cisnero truly captures the profoundness and honesty of a child's curiosity and mind. Reading this book, I felt like I was reading Esperanza's diary. Cisnero writes in a way that makes the emotions of Esperanza feel almost tangible. Every scene feels so vivid, with great use of personification and simile. So good. Truly a story about what it means to be a girl, and, inevitably, a woman.

My personal favourite stories from the collection are Four Skinny Trees and No Speak English.

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