The House on Mango Street - Sandra Cisneros

Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street is a short novel that follows the beautiful and complex life of a girl named Esperanza Cordera. The novel covers one year of the twelve year olds life, where she is fully submerged in the lives of everyone else around her. All authentic and extremely impactful, moulding her into the person she will later become, teaching her life lessons that stay with Esperanza through her coming-of-age journey, right to the end.

What a stunning and well articulated story. I’ve read a lot of books in the eighteen years that I’ve been on this planet, but nothing quite like this. I wanted to broaden my chosen reading genres and took a look at this puzzle I received for Christmas. Over 70 world renowned novels are on this puzzle, all worthy of five stars depending on your taste and this one - The House on Mango Street - caught my eye. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, I don’t and never will do that, but what I did do was judge it by its title! Which is just as risky, I know, but luckily my eyes were right and my gut was accurate. Not only did the title bring me this ray of bright, welcoming, light, reminding me of happy summer days, but the words written within the cover of this book threw me this way and that giving me even more reason to fall in love with it. The story is just as warm and radiant as its title, arousing curiosity and surprising me with what Cisneros’ story is truly about.

  It’s heartbreaking at times but draws on all the joy our world brings to us as well. Cisneros sheds light on the harsh realities of life as well as the small delights that find us along the way. From domineering males to innocent young children trying to find themselves in a world that seems so well developed and matured in comparison. It’s relatable, the kind of read that everyone should pick up and learn from. Because there’s things in life that make us feel alone at times, and Esperanza cures that isolation with a little validation. And sometimes that’s all we need.

Cisneros tells all the things mentioned above in a beautifully poetic way that flows from one short, descriptive passage that captures a moment in time to the next, keeping the reader guessing as each passage unravels. It’s a five star novel that can be read in a day, and can be read again and again and again until the story no longer needs to be told because the individual reading it finally understands the importance of time, patience, and acceptance. It could truly never become a bore.

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From the Oxford Dictionary: bildungsromans is a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education