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4th out of 81 books
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23 voters
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Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories
A collection of stories, whose characters give voice to the vibrant and varied life on both sides of the Mexican border. The women in these stories offer tales of pure discovery, filled with moments of infinite and intimate wisdom.
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
July 11th 2000
by Vintage
(first published 1991)
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One of the things that I found the most appealing about Woman Hollering Creek was how the main character, Cliofìlas’, perspective on life mirrored how she watched her favorite soap operas. The first hint at this writing style can be seen at how the story is broken up into different stories that happened to her, much like how episodes are formatted on television. Cliofìlas lacks the perspective to see this chain of events as a major issue in her marriage, therefore separating them into their ow...more
Nina autajay
added it
Cisneros has a similar style of writing as that of Cormack McCarthy. In the very intense moments of the story, she uses no quotation marks making it easier for the reader to read through the action. However, it’s hard to tell who is speaking a lot of the time. This reflects how Cleofilas sees her reality. She watches the telenovelas that portray love and romance as an aspect of everyday life. When she is confronted with the fact that her marriage was in no way what the telenovelas sought marriag...more
Very lyrical and suggestive of not just immigrant women, but of women as a whole. She suggests sisterhood with Felice and Graciela, and that men are not justified in any way to suggest that women have nothing to do with their own daily lives. Keeping house is not as easy as it looks, and Juan Pedro's audacity to even suggest that Cleofilas is too ignorant to even comprehend the own work he does is simply unjust. He himself is not perfect, and I think it picks up on and highlights the fact that m...more
I love how blunt the narrators of the various stories are. Even when the narrator is doing or saying terrible things, there's something about her that is still likable even as you hate her. Her strength and rebellious attitude, mixed with the vulnerability she sometimes reveals, makes her a fascinating character. Sometimes I want to be her, other times I want to be her best friend, and then once in awhile I don't even like her at all.
"And it's not the last time I've slept w...more
"And it's not the last time I've slept w...more
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Henry Adams
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This story follows a woman who is continually oppressed by not only the world around her, but the one she loves most, her husband. At times I found the story to be a little choppy jumping between segments, but when I thought about it. This story follows her life like one of the telenovelas she describes. Each piece being a different episode. Only in this story, it doesn't seem to always work out so well for Cleofilas. I found this to be an interesting read. It wasn't the most exciting of stories...more
'Salvador with eyes the color of caterpillar, Salvador of the crooked hair and crooked teeth, Salvador whose name the teacher cannot remember, is a boy who is no one's friend, runs along somewhere in that vague direction where homes are the color of bad weather, lives behind a raw doorway, shakes the sleep brothers awake, ties their shoes, combs their hair with water, feeds them milk and corn flakes from a tin cup in the dim dark of the monring.' From a short story called Salvador Late or Early....more
Sandra Cisneros's collection of short stories is an unusual presentation of feminist voice. The work is divided into three sections; the first is written from the viewpoints of young girls, the second is from the pivotal turning point as an adolescent girl has her first sexual experience and the third is told, generally, through the voice of a young women. The entire work is told through a first person unreliable narrative, in a monologue-type form.
While the narrator is not necessari...more
While the narrator is not necessari...more
I wish I liked this since so many people I respect sing its praises. Instead of being drawn into Cisneros's voice or themes, I found the execution of the stories to be largely frustrating. Cisneros likes to use lists in her stories, lists of sounds, lists of items for sale at the grocery, lists of things that remind her of a child's ear, etc. For me, this got old very quickly, and became a huge distraction from whatever the story was. I wanted to like her insight into Mexican-American culture. I...more
This is my favourite fact about Sandra Cisneros: she bought a house in San Antonio, Texas and painted it purple, which caused uproar in the neighbourhood.
When I grow up, I want to be Sandra Cisneros. I want to be a great writer; paint my house an obnoxious colour; and court other people's hatred.
Anyway.
This collection of short stories is, like many collections of short stories, a bit of a mixed bag. Most of the stories revolve around poor Latina women, touchin...more
When I grow up, I want to be Sandra Cisneros. I want to be a great writer; paint my house an obnoxious colour; and court other people's hatred.
Anyway.
This collection of short stories is, like many collections of short stories, a bit of a mixed bag. Most of the stories revolve around poor Latina women, touchin...more
So many stories in this book are absolute art. There are perhaps two or three tales that did not grip me, but otherwise I have read all the others at least five times over the years. Cisneros truly found her voice here - poetic, hypnotic, erotic storytelling with multi-cultural and feminist undertones. I truly envy her gift in this collection.
I loved The House on Mango Street, so I was looking forward to reading this collection of short stories by Cisneros, who has an amazing talent for imagery. It helps to be familiar with Latino culture when reading Cisneros, who is of Mexican decent, because she peppers her stories with references to the Latino way of life.
My favorite story in the collection is "Eleven" in which the author writes: "What they don't understand about birthdays & what they never tell you is ...more
My favorite story in the collection is "Eleven" in which the author writes: "What they don't understand about birthdays & what they never tell you is ...more
Jason
rated it
Recommends it for:
only die-hard Cisneros fans, or people that get blown away by creative descriptions...
I finally finished Sandra Cisneros’ short story collection. I was surprised that it took me a few weeks to read, since it’s only about 200 pages long. For some reason, I just could not get rolling with this book. It’s a collection of short stories by the acclaimed writer and poet, mostly set in the Latino areas of San Antonio, Texas, that I thought would rock my world like House on Mango Street or My Wicked, Wicked Ways.
Cisneros does some wonderful descriptive work. She can paint be...more
Cisneros does some wonderful descriptive work. She can paint be...more
Cisneros was one of my first introductions to language used in this lyrical way. I fell in love with Cisneros, particarly "BBQ" and "Ten," from her House on Mango Street.
I read this collection of short stories during my women in literature class in college. Each story offers an amazing tale. Every woman (and man) should read this.
Cisneros is such a pretty, clever writer. Her short story collection ‘Woman Hollering Creek’ is like poetry without all the confined space. I tend to dislike poetry, but love poetic writing because it allows the writer to fully expand on his or her point. Despite the inherent prettiness of her work, the subject matter and emotion is raw. It sparkles with the realistic magic and wonder of life. Cisnero’s characterization allows for several unique stories to come together with clear themes of the ...more
I have this out of the library. I think she's amazing -- you can smell and taste her stories. Lots are about childhood, many are very short, just sketches really.
Update: I'll call this read, because I had to take it back -- overdue after a renewal. I had saved one long story for last, so I think I'll just go to the library and read it there. Such interesting characters, lots of them bi-cultural back and forth between the US and Mexico. The title story is a good example. A young hispan...more
Update: I'll call this read, because I had to take it back -- overdue after a renewal. I had saved one long story for last, so I think I'll just go to the library and read it there. Such interesting characters, lots of them bi-cultural back and forth between the US and Mexico. The title story is a good example. A young hispan...more
After reading the The House On Mango Street, I picked up this book. I found this book just as satisfying as House On Mango Street. The writing is just flows off the pages and paints a beautiful picture of each story in your mind. I love that Sandra Cisneros uses a different narrator for each story of the story, rather than just sticking to one main voice. The stories were very unique and real. I could see the characters from the stories as real women I might encounter in my everyday life. I also...more
I loved The House on Mango Street
and very much wanted to read more
of this author. The quality of
the stories varied wildly, from
excellent to poor. Even the
weakest stories, however, are
very successful in presenting
a Hispanic-American viewpoint,
a viewpoint that I ha...more
and very much wanted to read more
of this author. The quality of
the stories varied wildly, from
excellent to poor. Even the
weakest stories, however, are
very successful in presenting
a Hispanic-American viewpoint,
a viewpoint that I ha...more
Again, only a partial review -- read the first section, the "children's stories" as they are sometimes considered, although I can see why Cisneros doesn't think of them as children's stories (and to me they also seem to be for an adult audience, because they're so poetic). Great lines and descriptions, great language, but only "Barbie-Q" and "Mericans" are narratives; the rest are prose poems, not even flash fiction, and I am more interested in reading stories/woul...more
Her poetic language was consistent throughout; present in the vignettes as well as the longer stories. I think the vignettes benefited from being in the collection. As stand alone pieces many of them didn't work well for me. They were strong on voice and with evocative language, but I wanted something more—the surprise of a poem or the conflict of a story—something more than a page or two of voice (a character speaking). Including them in the collection, however, creates a chorus of voices. Inte...more
I read this book in college for my U.S. Latino Cultural and Artistic Expression class. Woman Hollering Creek is as collection of twenty-two narratives that revolve around numerous Mexican and Mexican American characters near San Antonio, Texas. The vignettes give a vivid and colorful picture of life around the Texas and Mexico border. Each story is told by a Mexican woman with each =giving her perspective on the vibrant and varied life on both sides of the Texas and Mexico border. The storie...more
This book was assigned reading in high school where each student got one different book picked by the teacher and i need to thank Mrs Chapman because it blew my mind. Really changed the way I thought, or maybe made me realize and focus and bring to light what I thought and didnt understand yet or wasnt able to put into words.
I have bought many copies of this book as I give it away all the time. Cisneros needs to write more books as I cannot get enough of her.
She is a fem...more
I have bought many copies of this book as I give it away all the time. Cisneros needs to write more books as I cannot get enough of her.
She is a fem...more
Cisneros is one of those authors who gets on my nerves by trying too hard. She's political, and it shows. She's got an agenda. She's a Latina female, she's angry, she wants social change, she wants to break down literary convention. Her stories--a generous term--tend to be Spartan to the point where even plot and character development may be eschewed. Or maybe I was just skimming too much. I tried and I tried, but I just couldn't stay interested for more than half a page at a time. Were th...more
I'm sorry but the vulgarity and constant references to sex and human body parts is a real turn-off for me. For many of the stories, I felt I might have just as well have picked up a porno-magazine to read. Ms. Cisneros, to her credit, writes in a very poetic voice. Word choice could be better, but she paints a very clear picture for her readers (sometimes too clear---and I prefer something left to the imagination.) This is a do-pass read in my opinion. There is no way I could recommend this ...more
If I was a writer of books, I would want to write like a cross between Kent Haruff, Anita Diamont and this new find: Sandra Cisneros.
Excellent, excellent connection to the characters. Excellent descriptions. (Why isn't there a better word to use?)
There are some stories here, (Salvador Late or Early, Woman Hollering Creek, Eyes of Zapata) that I thought were really quite perfect. Granted, I did most of my reading late into the night, so my sentimental side comes out and I ...more
Excellent, excellent connection to the characters. Excellent descriptions. (Why isn't there a better word to use?)
There are some stories here, (Salvador Late or Early, Woman Hollering Creek, Eyes of Zapata) that I thought were really quite perfect. Granted, I did most of my reading late into the night, so my sentimental side comes out and I ...more
i was given this book by a mentor i was matched up with in high school. i didn't get much out o the relationship, but she gave me a nice picture frame, and this book. i wish i could thank her for the book now, because i loved it then and i love it now! i got to hear sandra cisneros speak recently and it was awesome. i like her a lot and i like her writing. there are a couple stories in particular that really spoke to me and i still think about them once in a while. good read.
Cisneros showcases her brilliant story-telling in this collection of short-stories/vignettes. She brings to life the joys, trials, and tribulations of life on the Mexican/Texan border. She illustrates the importance that Mexican-Americans place on family and extended family. She portrays the Mexican-American woman as a multi-faceted being, who can adapt to an array of situations; which, hasn't been done very often in Chicano or Mexican literature.
"Because the way you grow old is kind of like an onion or lieke the rings inside a tree trunk or like my little wooden dolls that fit one inside the other, each year inside the next one."
"He said he would love me like a revolution, like a religion."
"But the truth has a strange way of following you, of coming up to you and making you listen to what it has to say."
"And when he loves, gives himself body and soul. None of this f...more
"He said he would love me like a revolution, like a religion."
"But the truth has a strange way of following you, of coming up to you and making you listen to what it has to say."
"And when he loves, gives himself body and soul. None of this f...more
I liked this book as much as I didn't like The House on Mango Street, which is to say that I didn't adore it, but I found it interesting and a good read, though it got tiresome because the stories don't really read as if there is anything that solidly distinguishes one from the other. And sometimes it felt very deliberate, and fiction shouldn't be deliberate. Still, a good read, and one that made me think that maybe I should try Mango Street again.
This book, well, compilation, intrigued me even at a time in my life when I was less mindful of other cultures. The stories are a nice grouping of interesting stories told from a Hispanic perspective. My wife, who is of Mexican descent, enjoyed stories in this book as well. I read the story "Eleven" to my students on their eleventh birthdays, and for some reason, they really enjoy it.
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Sandra Cisneros is an American writer best known for her acclaimed first novel The House on Mango Street.
She is the recipient of numerous awards including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and is regarded as a key figure in Chicana literature (the literature written by Mexican Americans in the United States).
More about Sandra Cisneros...
She is the recipient of numerous awards including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and is regarded as a key figure in Chicana literature (the literature written by Mexican Americans in the United States).
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