The House on Mango Street

In this feminist coming of age story our protagonist, Esperanza, leads us through the physical and emotional developments of puberty and all its accompanying discontent while she tries to carve out her place in the world. Her voice is wonderfully forthright; the exhaustive musings of a teenager before she learns the need to censor herself.

The story is told in a series of short vignettes, and for such a tiny little novel it manages to pack an awful lot in to its few pages. Cisneros's beautiful writing borders on poetry and is both enchanting and brutal. My heart ached for Esperanza as she searched for her identity whilst having to deal with poverty, racism, sexism, and sexual abuse. I can't imagine that many authors would manage to successfully evoke such strong feelings and address such big issues in a book of this length.

I'm sorry to see that it's still banned in several places. This is an important story for adults and teens alike, and should be free to be read by all.

I struggled. Part of it was the structure: Cisneros is fond of that short-story gimmick where you start a story (or chapter) by throwing the reader off the deep end, making them have to figure out what's going on, usually by having them read 3-4 paragraphs then go back to the beginning. I dig that, but when each chapter is just a few pages long and I have to do that over and over again it gets tiring. The cognitive load is too much.The other thing: although written from the perspective of a young girl, it doesn't feel like the words or thoughts of one. It feels like an adult reframing memories from a distant perspective. The observations feel like adult ones; and the only way I can describe it is by contrasting against [b:The Bluest Eye 292327 The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492591342l/292327.SY75.jpg 1987778] – which I know is unfair – but there I constantly felt surprised by the alienness of the narration; how differently we see things as children.Even so it was quite a lovely experience: poignant and engaging. Each story drew me in after the initial slog. I would've preferred a smoother flow, but hey, maybe there are people who really loved that. I may just not be her target audience.

I liked it a lot and read it in one sitting. I liked how each chapter was so short, like a mini story. Each character from the neighborhood teaching her something about life, showing her what she wants or more often what she didn't want to become. I liked how the garden became this place of freedom, hidden from the mothers, until it has become the place of no return. It feels like everything is happening outside, or seen through a window, or heard from another floor. It's like the space inside is too small. A bigger space, a bigger house, a bigger garden, a room for herself to think and write, looking at the window and thinking about the space back in the country. The desire to escape, to be free, to ‘be found' to ‘escape' the mango street. So many characters, so many dreams, so little place.

Read and reviewed: 2022-06-04

This timeless classic resonates with the universal human experience of longing, resilience, and acceptance. Through Esperanza's eyes, we witness the struggles of feeling marginalized and the quest for belonging. The author's writing style skillfully captures the intricacies of cultural differences and personal aspirations.

I would have cherished reading it when I was younger, as it would have deeply resonated with my own journey of self-discovery and understanding.

A little book largely inspired by the life of the author herself. It shows the challenges of growing up in an unwealthy Hispanic-American family/neighbourhood where you are expected to follow certain behaviours and codes to be a woman. I liked how the author used imagery in her writing to bring more life to the prose along with her incorporation of racism, sexism and the identity crisis of the Mexican immigrants and their second-generation children. I liked that the author didn't shy away from bringing up some valid circumstances(which are faced by the poor Latin American second generations) in this book.
On the other hand, I don't think I like the core writing itself cause it sometimes felt too much jumbled up and the paragraph breaks were inconsistent too. I know this is supposed to be written from a perspective of a young girl but I didn't find much difference in the latter portion too.

3. 75 stars from me.

Do I really need to tell you about this book? Do you really need to know anything more than that this book is about a lovely young Hispanic girl, Esperanza Cordero, who is growing up in a little neighborhood in Chicago? Maybe I might add that it's a book of little stories about her growing-up years and her neighbors and her family? And maybe you will want to know that the writing is beautiful and thoughtful and painful and jubilant?

Anything else? Maybe you should know that this is one of those books that reads like little poems of stories?

I guess I should tell you that I think you must read it. Whoever you are. It's a must-read kind of book. It really is. And it's not long. So go ahead and find a copy and read it. Today, I think.

I'd give this book a 3.5
The inconsistent and slightly incoherent prose seemed difficult to follow initially but turned out to be the very core of the charm of this book. Through a somewhat child-like perspective, we see the flawed society at its very heart, a view of the society through the eyes of immigrants, or maybe a third-culture kid...it was interesting, frustrating, sad, and hopeful.

Easy read. I've never read a book like it. At first I was a little thrown but the more I read the more I liked it. I didn't frown up in the city of Chicago, nor am I Hispanic, but it's amazing how much her vignettes felt so similar to vignettes in my own childhood.
And after reading some other reviews I found that this is a “vignettes” style of writing. Got to say that I might like this style of writing.

I see more and more people consuming these books and not walking into these situations with a quiet mind in which to allow to absorb the newness of the book. I promise you that none of you know what it's like to live in this place because you never have. It almost feels like this is a gift some of you just don't deserve.

The first time I read this book was in high school and I remember feeling so proud and so seen. This book feels like home. Within these pages you tap into culture of many kinds, different flavors, community, and secrets. It's a look into the day to day of those quiet times when you could be carefree. Life is still life-ing but every now and then you get to breathe.

As someone who loves experimental writing and flash fiction, I really enjoyed this book. Each section is a vignette that overall paints a picture of the main character's childhood and coming of age. What I especially admire about this book is the way Sandra Cisneros describes things. She has a way of pointing out and expanding on unique details rather than going for the obvious.