Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
Book Title: Caramelo
Author: Sandra Cisneros
Fiction: Fiction
My Grade: B
# of Pages: 349
Summary: Every year, Ceyala "LaLa" Reyes' family- aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, and Lala's six older brothers- packs up three cars and, in a wild ride, drive from Chicago to the Little Grandfather and Awful Grandmother's house in Mexico City for the summer. Struggling to find a voice above the boom of her brothers and to understand her place on this side of the border and that, Lala is a shrewd observer of family life. But when she starts telling the Awful Grandmother's life story, seeking clues to how she got to be so awful, grandmother accuses Lala of exaggerating. Soon, a multigenerational family turns into a whirlwind exploration of storytelling, lies, and life. Like the cherished rebozo, or shawl, that has been passed down through generations of Reyes women, Caramelo is alive with the vibrations of history, family, and love.
My Thoughts: When my roommate saw that I was reading Sandra Cisneros she made one of those faces of disgust, and it came complete with a sound of disgust. It's understandable, though, because Sandra Cisneros is very much an aquired taste that you either love or hate.
Sandra Cisneros has very contemporary writing style and often writes about the Latin culture. Neither of those tend to bother people. It's the short story format that will make or break people.
Overall I enjoyed the story. At certain parts it tended to drag a little while other parts really picked up. The basic moral of the story wasn't touched upon really until the end of the book in the last few chapters, so that was sort of annoying, but other than that there wasn't any other problems I felt with the writing.
The thing that was most intriguing and fascinating and just wonderful about this book was the characters. Every character was fully developed and had wonderful stories about them. My favorite characters, more specifically they're relationship, was Lala and her father. I was constantly reminded of the relationship between my father and I. If you are a daddy's girl, an honest and real daddy's girl (not the spoiled kind) than you should really read this book. There will be parts that will make you want to contact your dad and just let you know you love him. I actually did that after reading a certain paragraph.
I advise anyone to pick up this book and give it a read. If you enjoyed The House on Mango Street than you will probably enjoy Caramelo.
Next Book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling • review
Back to the Book List.
Author: Sandra Cisneros
Fiction: Fiction
My Grade: B
# of Pages: 349
Summary: Every year, Ceyala "LaLa" Reyes' family- aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, and Lala's six older brothers- packs up three cars and, in a wild ride, drive from Chicago to the Little Grandfather and Awful Grandmother's house in Mexico City for the summer. Struggling to find a voice above the boom of her brothers and to understand her place on this side of the border and that, Lala is a shrewd observer of family life. But when she starts telling the Awful Grandmother's life story, seeking clues to how she got to be so awful, grandmother accuses Lala of exaggerating. Soon, a multigenerational family turns into a whirlwind exploration of storytelling, lies, and life. Like the cherished rebozo, or shawl, that has been passed down through generations of Reyes women, Caramelo is alive with the vibrations of history, family, and love.
My Thoughts: When my roommate saw that I was reading Sandra Cisneros she made one of those faces of disgust, and it came complete with a sound of disgust. It's understandable, though, because Sandra Cisneros is very much an aquired taste that you either love or hate.
Sandra Cisneros has very contemporary writing style and often writes about the Latin culture. Neither of those tend to bother people. It's the short story format that will make or break people.
Overall I enjoyed the story. At certain parts it tended to drag a little while other parts really picked up. The basic moral of the story wasn't touched upon really until the end of the book in the last few chapters, so that was sort of annoying, but other than that there wasn't any other problems I felt with the writing.
The thing that was most intriguing and fascinating and just wonderful about this book was the characters. Every character was fully developed and had wonderful stories about them. My favorite characters, more specifically they're relationship, was Lala and her father. I was constantly reminded of the relationship between my father and I. If you are a daddy's girl, an honest and real daddy's girl (not the spoiled kind) than you should really read this book. There will be parts that will make you want to contact your dad and just let you know you love him. I actually did that after reading a certain paragraph.
I advise anyone to pick up this book and give it a read. If you enjoyed The House on Mango Street than you will probably enjoy Caramelo.
Next Book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling • review
Back to the Book List.