Hope Pierce: Caramelo

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I was not a fan of Caramelo. I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt in the beginning, but as I

continued to read, it did not get better. The structure of the book was just all over the place. The fact

that we don't really get the name of the narrator until chapter 5, made it kind of confusing. And even

then we get her name in passing, "Yeah, Lala, Tikis adds. -- You were still dirt! Ha, ha!" (19). The

story gets really confusing when we move on to part two and we have the Awful Grandmother and

Lala telling the story, but you're not really sure who is who. But the actual words and the way that the

author describes things in the book is magnificent. If you just forget the story line and focus on the

words, they are beautiful, although the mix of Spanish and English was somewhat confusing when

she did not explain what they meant in English. Cisneros does a great job of blending the beauty that

is Mexican culture with the words of her story. When reading her words, I felt like I was in Mexico

with the family. The way that she describes things makes them jump off the page and she just

immerses the reader in the culture. Cisneros also shows the two different worlds that Mexicans and

Americans live in. Things that seem strange to us, like the male hierarchy and the role of women,

Cisneros masterfully shows. The reader is learning Lala's culture and it just makes you feel closer to

the characters. Overall, I would not have read this book if I didn't have to, but I can still appreciate

the beauty and creativity of it.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 27, 2016 at 8:02 AM

    I agree with what you say about feeling like you're in Mexico because of Cisneros' vivid descriptions. When she was describing the heat of San Antonio and the way having the windows open just let more of that dry, hot air flood the house, I felt like I was back in Oklahoma. I could smell the dust and the dirt and feel the heat on my face. Cisneros' ability to artfully use language is just amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. StephanieDawkinsSeptember 28, 2016 at 7:05 AM

    I agree with you. The book was very difficult to get through, but reading it you can see the amazing art of the nove. Cisnero's was very descriptive all throughout the text and allowed her readers to delve into the Mexican culture by comparing the significance of the two.

    ReplyDelete

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