Customer Reviews

The House on Mango Street (MAXNotes)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I teach this piece of literature to my Freshman classes of Intro to Literature. At first glance, this tiny novel is deceptively simple in its structure and format. Without serious looking at the novel, it would appear to be flat and empty. Most of the chapters are less than 1 1/2 pages. There is no strong plot line but mere episodes in Esperanza's life and neighborhood. Yet, if you read this piece of literature as Sandra Cisneros wrote it to be read as a extended poem rather than a prose work, you can begin to see the depth of the characters and the action in the novel. The uses of color, imagery, and simple language all make the poetic influence stronger. For example, in the chapter titled "Hips", Esperanza describes her hips as "Ready and waiting like a new Buick with the keys in the ignition. Ready to take you where?" (pg.49) House on Mango Street is a great piece of writing with many layers to it that teachers are always looking for instruction in a literature class.

I enjoyed reading it. It reminded me of how insightful young children are to the world around them. It examined Esperanza's life and the type of community she grew up in. It was a great book, but I was a little confused in the beginning. It was humourous and intriguing.

I personally liked this book. It reminded me of the times in which I was growing up in the Bronx. I also would sit outside with my friends and look at the stars. The people from other neighborhoods would come into ours and would be very afraid to pass by because they also didn't know any better.

I truly didn't want to read this book, but I did, because it was required for my English class. I got confused sometimes, because no quotes were used, but then I got used to it. I liked the book, and I felt that it was very well written. It seemed to take the reader through Esperanza's life. This was a great novel because it's reality, and it sho ws how many of us can achieve our dreams, and we don't have to continue any kind of pattern in life that others expect you can't get out of.

I thought the book was ridiclous and uneventful. All it was was a bunch of random memories that really made no sense. I could have written a book about my childhood memeories that could have been much better. The characters don't change during the course of the story, but that's probably because it had NO PLOT. I had to read this book for my Junior English class and hated every moment of it. I am a avid book reader and usually like most books but this book I could not stand. You don't feel for the characters at all because she never really explains the characters. The chapters made no sense and skipped around too much. It was hard to tell just how old she was. Some of the events in the book were to far fetched for anyone to believe. Nothing in the book went together. She would say that this character is dead or had moved but then would talk about them in the next chapter. I really see no need for this book at all. If you needed a book that described peoples personal and dramatic expereinces, then there are PLENTY that are out there that are way better. Overall I thought that this book was a complete waste of valuable and precious time!

This book helped me discover themes from a book I've read 6 times that I never found! Very helpful to understanding the text, the relationships and how it relates to human development. It was broken down by chapters and explained each character's connections and significance. I loaned it to a friend who had the same response! Absolutely helped me get an "A" on my paper!

BUY IT!

The book The House On Mango Street, was an interesting book. It made you look at things differently and see what life would be like as a Mexican, or even Mexican American. For people who really aren't open to the culture, it gives them a look into the lives of others, and for me, gave me a respect for the women of the Mexican culture. I think that this is a very good book for people to read, and learn about others.

When my teacher handed me the book, The House on Mango Street, I thought it was going to be great . I did not think this because of the cover but because of my parents. They had told me that the book was very good. To me the book was very confusing in different vignettes. It was amusing at some parts like in the vignette Our Good Day. It was also very well written and interesting how she wrote the book. I like how she makes you think and that everything she says has something hidden behind it. I also enjoyed the metaphors. There were good things and bad things about the book, that is why I gave it a three stars.

The House on Mango Street is a novel filled with sudden explosions of powerful emotion. Just when the reader feels serene with the book's atmosphere, a shocking statement or scene jumps out of it's pages. "My aunt, a little oyster, a little piece of meat on an open shell for us to look at." This is just some of the amazing metaphoric language expressed that draws the reader into these stories. Sandy Cisneros keeps her chapters short which reflects her great ability to create wild imagery in such a consise way. The author deals with personal life stuggles; some deep others trifling. An example is when them main character, Ezperanza, explains how she feels about her name. "At school they say my name funny as if the syllables were made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth." Although some of her troubles may seem childish they are something we can all relate to. Having these inevitable commonalities with this book only makes the reading all more enjoyable. The House on Mango Street will bring up a lot of questions about of our own lives and yet answer so many more.

House on Mango St. is a very interesting story. She tells you alot about her history. This story is the basis of drama. Sandra has problems in her vicinage which is King Williams. She is very perplex about the hue of her house. She wants to color her house a certain color, but the owners of King Willias will not let her. Sandra has a dilema.