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The Meaning of Consuelo
Winner of Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature.
In this novel, we follow a Puerto Rican girl's quest to negotiate her own terms of survival within the confines of her culture. Coming of age in the 1950s, when American influence threatens to dilute the island's traditional Spanish customs, as well as to harm, perhaps irreparably, its fragile ecology, Cons...more
In this novel, we follow a Puerto Rican girl's quest to negotiate her own terms of survival within the confines of her culture. Coming of age in the 1950s, when American influence threatens to dilute the island's traditional Spanish customs, as well as to harm, perhaps irreparably, its fragile ecology, Cons...more
Hardcover, 200 pages
Published
November 7th 2003
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
(first published 2003)
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Grade/Interest Level: Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Reading Level: no Lexile Level available
Genre: Multicultural Literature
Main Characters:Consuelo and Mili (sisters)
Setting:Puerto Rico and the United States of America
POV:Consuelo
This story is centered around is the Signe family who are Puerto Rican and have two daughters named Consuelo and Mili. The two daughters are polar opposites. Consuelo, the older daughter is thought of to be a book worm, consistently in deep serious thought, and more intelli...more
Reading Level: no Lexile Level available
Genre: Multicultural Literature
Main Characters:Consuelo and Mili (sisters)
Setting:Puerto Rico and the United States of America
POV:Consuelo
This story is centered around is the Signe family who are Puerto Rican and have two daughters named Consuelo and Mili. The two daughters are polar opposites. Consuelo, the older daughter is thought of to be a book worm, consistently in deep serious thought, and more intelli...more
The Meaning of Consuelo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
Rating: ****
Bookshelves: ENGL 420
Status: Read in September
Review:
Cofer tells the story of Consuelo, a Puerto Rican fifteen-year-old girl trying to discover the meaning of her life and relationships in 1950s Puerto Rico. Consuelo feels torn at home: her father encourages modern American living while her mother defends traditional Puerto Rican culture and her baby sister develops into a mentally challenged and emotionally unstable young girl. Consuelo...more
Rating: ****
Bookshelves: ENGL 420
Status: Read in September
Review:
Cofer tells the story of Consuelo, a Puerto Rican fifteen-year-old girl trying to discover the meaning of her life and relationships in 1950s Puerto Rico. Consuelo feels torn at home: her father encourages modern American living while her mother defends traditional Puerto Rican culture and her baby sister develops into a mentally challenged and emotionally unstable young girl. Consuelo...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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A young Puerto Rican girl, Consuelo, tells stories about her family and neighborhood and about taking care of her outgoing younger sister. Her best friend is her oddball male cousin who moves to New York City with his father. While her whole family focuses on her adulterous father and socially stunted sister, Consuelo falls between the cracks. I felt heartbroken for Consuelo and frustrated with her distracted parents and cruel classmates. It was well written and interesting, but not one that wil...more
The Meaning of Consuelo by Judith Ortiz Cofer is both a stunning tribute to the island of Puerto Rico (and something of an indictment of U.S. development and its negative impact on the island’s culture and natural splendor) and a deeply affecting story of one family’s heartbreaking misfortune (the mental instability suffered by the family’s beautiful younger daughter, Mili). The story is told by Mili’s older sister, Consuelo, who is charged with keeping an eye on her sibling from the time they a...more
I read this in the Fall for my Latino kid/YA class, and ended up writing my final paper on it, which was then accepted for a conference, so I guess I was able to convincingly muster up enough enthusiasm for it. It is a difficult read at times because of the nature of the plot, but I appreciated its honesty and realism. It pushes some boundaries for the YA genre (without being inappropriate), but I would recommend it to anyone looking to add some female characters or multicultural authors/stories...more
This novel is set in Puerto Rico, & the island itself functions as a character, with its uneasy relationship with the United States. The story of Consuelo's family, & the tragedia that builds up at its core, could even be read as a sort of allegory of Puerto Rico.
I'm not quite satisfied with the story's ending; I won't provide any spoilers, but Consuelo's individuation seems to be undertaken at a very high cost that is not taken seriously enough. Unless indeed the book is read as a tragi...more
I'm not quite satisfied with the story's ending; I won't provide any spoilers, but Consuelo's individuation seems to be undertaken at a very high cost that is not taken seriously enough. Unless indeed the book is read as a tragi...more
This was a wonderful story of one Puerto Rican girl's story that resembled my own and differed so greatly. Cofer is a great storyteller and she reminds the reader that "to try to understand your story you have to read it backward, each scene examined from the end to the beginning for there to be any sense of narrative. The plot is the last thing you invent" (p180).
I really liked this book. Judith Ortiz Cofer captured the voice and thoughts of a young girl and then a young woman, coming of age, grappling with the responsibilities of having to meet tragedy head on. I liked the "realness" of their family life and also, how Puerto Rico was depicted. Well done culturally and language wise.
Once I started I couldn't put it down. I just had to find out what would happen next. The story is interesting and unique.
it helped me understand my puerto rican culture a bit more. and it described the typical puerto rican life
This started out slowly and I had a hard time getting into it, but I ended up really liking it.
Super quick read, classic coming of age story in which generations conflict in the face of societal changes. I felt the story skimmed the surface of these characters lives. I could have felt more sympathy for Consuelo but wasn't really moved.
I read this book for my mid-term paper and I was just blown away. Judith Ortiz Cofer did an amazing job with this book. I really enjoyed this novel and I was extremely touched by Consuelo’s perseverance. A must read.
This book hit too close to home on so many levels. The elements of the sufreida is a classic heroine tale among Puerto Rican women. The book was such a great read and made me homesick.
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Judith Ortiz Cofer is a native of Puerto Rico. She is a poet, essayist, and novelist whose most recent book for young readers is Call Me Maria: A Novel in Letters, Poems, and Prose. She is the Regents and Franklin Professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Georgia.
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