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erickabdz's review against another edition
4.0
I'm afraid. I'm all alone. I have never lived on this earth without you.
I didn't know this was a picture book. It amazed me that, within its simplicity, it managed to deliver some interesting messages and a profound story. The drawings were perfect. Two lines, one of them the opening line of the review, left me a little breathless. Overall, a good, warm-felt story about loss and community.
ndgrad98's review against another edition
4.0
Creative portrayal of searching for yourself and loved ones who have passed on.
theromancedove's review against another edition
4.0
"There is no getting over death only learning how to travel alongside of it."
kjones31's review against another edition
2.0
Wavering between two and three stars. I picked this up from the New Releases shelf at the library because I liked The House on Mango Street way back when. (Despite his misogyny, the legacy of my freshman English teacher lives on!) It's a quick read, like a longer children's book. The illustrations are lovely and Cisneros uses powerful language, but the story really didn't grab me. The metaphor of looking for a lost cat as a way of grieving her mother is underdeveloped; it gets lost in the details about the search.
This was squarely two stars for me until the outstanding afterword which gave meaning to the meandering story that came before it. My favorite line is, "There is no getting over death, only learning how to travel alongside it. It knows no linear time. Sometimes the pain is as fresh as if it just happened. Sometimes it's a space I tap with my tongue daily like a missing molar." (p. 94)
Second favorite: "I wish somebody had told me then that death allows you the chance to experience the world soulfully, that the heart is open like the aperture of a camera, taking in everything, painful as well as joyous, sensitive as the skin of water." (p. 90)
This was squarely two stars for me until the outstanding afterword which gave meaning to the meandering story that came before it. My favorite line is, "There is no getting over death, only learning how to travel alongside it. It knows no linear time. Sometimes the pain is as fresh as if it just happened. Sometimes it's a space I tap with my tongue daily like a missing molar." (p. 94)
Second favorite: "I wish somebody had told me then that death allows you the chance to experience the world soulfully, that the heart is open like the aperture of a camera, taking in everything, painful as well as joyous, sensitive as the skin of water." (p. 90)
portcitykt's review against another edition
3.0
Sweet little book that appears to be a children's picture book but isn't. A little tale ( tail?)about loss and a small community.
butchriarchy's review against another edition
This was such a wonderful creative undertaking. I felt Cisneros' pain and watched her road to rebirth as she asked San Antonio residents, including many of her neighbors, whether they had seen the cat Marie. Sometimes diving into life, into other people's lives, is the best remedy for coping with grief. I see how cathartic this story must have been for Cisneros, as she had lost her mother very recently. It certainly brought back many memories of when I was grieving for my grandmother, who I was very close to.
Cisneros, alongside Hernandez's evocative illustrations, manages to capture so many different personalities and lives in such a short space. I loved what she said in the afterword especially, how she wanted to portray the diversity of San Antonio's citizens, how beautiful the city is itself. I loved how she said they were what the Alamo manages to forget; it's long been a qualm of mine, how celebrated the Alamo is, and I'm sure Cisneros shares a lot of my ambivalence toward it.
I really do love the concept of picture books for adults. Such a medium shouldn't be restricted to children, though of course, many children's books appeal to adults as well. However, I think writing picture books for an adult audience is necessary, especially for stories like these. I greatly enjoyed this little book!
Cisneros, alongside Hernandez's evocative illustrations, manages to capture so many different personalities and lives in such a short space. I loved what she said in the afterword especially, how she wanted to portray the diversity of San Antonio's citizens, how beautiful the city is itself. I loved how she said they were what the Alamo manages to forget; it's long been a qualm of mine, how celebrated the Alamo is, and I'm sure Cisneros shares a lot of my ambivalence toward it.
I really do love the concept of picture books for adults. Such a medium shouldn't be restricted to children, though of course, many children's books appeal to adults as well. However, I think writing picture books for an adult audience is necessary, especially for stories like these. I greatly enjoyed this little book!
honeynwool's review against another edition
5.0
The story itself was probably more like 3.5-4 stars, but the afterward was so touching that it deserves 5 stars.