Reviews

Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros

vlburbach's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

katyk321's review

emotional funny informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

gwalt118's review

5.0

Caramelo is a phenomenal work of literature that should be more widely read, particularly among white people. This is a coming-of-age story, a reflection on life and family, and a picture of Mexican-American culture that is at times uplifting and at other times full of desperation. The characters are dynamic and change - in some cases drastically - throughout the novel. Mexican culture and history are woven into the novel, and we feel tension at how many children of immigrants come of age while grappling with familial culture. The use of symbolism and metaphor in this novel is outstanding, particularly concerning the Awful Grandmother's caramelo rebozo. There are some elements of the family that we can all identify with, regardless of culture. Yet, there are other elements that are uniquely Mexican and/or Mexican-American. Both teach us lessons about human interaction.

This novel is certainly not an easy-read (but really, what worthwhile novel ever is?), and it is one that I would encourage readers to move through slowly. Cisneros packs a lot of information into this novel, and every word has intentionality. Do not skim; rather, treasure each word and each chapter as if it is a story within itself. In true Cisneros fashion, sometimes it is.

sarabz's review

4.0

Wow. This was one of those epic books. She tells the story of generations of a Mexican family. I loved that all of the characters existed as people who grew up and evolved into who they were. And an excellent depiction of the diversity of the culture she was describing. She discusses not only what unifies and brings the family together, but also the places where they separate and dissipate.

I especially enjoyed the descriptions of Chicago and the Maxwell Street market. The images and sensations in the prose are so vivid and enchanting. But probably even more, I enjoyed the tidbits Cinsneros included as footnotes...details about Mexican historical figures, the Texas Rangers, movie stars to contextualize the story but which were also interesting in their own right.

addieifischer's review

4.0

Such a loving family portrait 

menenluna's review

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.25

curlypip's review

2.0

Ugh, I didn’t finish. I feel super guilty about it, but… so many books and so little time.

I was really looking forward to reading this one, but I couldn’t get into it, and gave up just over half way through. I’m not a fan of short stories, and this is almost that - a collection of vignettes rather than a coherent narrative. It was always a chore to pick it up again, and I looked up the story summary online and found I didn’t even care about the ending and the “big reveal”.

The descriptions of time and place were beautiful, almost Dickensian. It wasn’t all bad, but also not for me

emma_astrida's review

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

dikestrike's review

5.0

Magnificent

valentenerifesea's review

4.0

Unique life journey story with an awful lot of Mexican culture references.