Member Reviews
"Martita, I Remember You" by Sandra Cisneros is a compelling work of fiction that explores themes of memory, friendship, and the immigrant experience. It marks the celebrated author's return to fiction after almost a decade and is presented in a masterfully written dual-language edition.
This one was tough for me. I had to put it down and return to it many times. Something about the flow kept distracting me. The story was interesting and the characters compelling, but I just don't think this one was for me.
Sandra Cisneros is a masterful weaver of stories. I enjoyed every second of this book! It is not one I will revisit, as I have The House on Mango Street, but it was absolutely worth the read.
I am a sucker for a good epistolary, and this novella had all the makings of one, but I felt it didn’t totally hit the mark. I ended the book wishing I had been able to spend more time with the characters, to fill out their stories more. I know that this mystery, this wonder, is part of the charm of a story told in letters—the reader must fill in large parts of the story for themself—but it left me wanting just a bit more, just a scrap more from all of these people.
As a man in my mid-30s and a new father, I am currently dealing with my own not-quite-achieved dreams, and many of the themes and situations rang true with me as a reader. They felt personal and special to see played out on the page.
This was a solid 3.5 read and definitely worth every second.
This is a beautiful little book told in the form of letters from friends who fall in and out of each others lives as friends (especially friends made in early adulthood) often do. Reading this made me wish my friends and I would write letters to each other in this manor. Sandra Cisneros writes so beautifully, I could read her writing about the most mundane and be absolutely entranced.
Poignant and lyrical with the great writing and "take me to a new place" skill that you expect from Sandra Cisneros.
I loved the focus on friendships, and found the book escapist in these sometimes challenging times.
Has the potential to be a new classic! Very good story told in an interesting fashion. Very engaging.
I read the English version first and then the Spanish version: yes, this novel contains both. I had to pay way more attention when reading the Spanish version and I picked up on details that I missed in the English version which was different for me and unique. This is a short saga of a trio of girls who became friends in Paris and kept in touch via correspondence after living together: Martita, Paola and Corina (Puffina). Corina finds the collection of letters once she's remarried and has two daughters of her own and she's remodeling her house. She's immediately thrown back in time to: befriending Martita and Paola, sleeping in an attic, dancing late into the night, crushed dreams, failed romances, but enduring friendships.
What I loved most:
That there are both English/Spanish translations of this short story
The majority of the story is told through letters
The complicated characters who rise and fall
This novella by Sandra Cisneros is a beautiful blend of two languages. Overall the characters didn't feel as developed as in her previous work, but I still recommend picking up a copy of Martita, I Remember You. The House on Mango Street is a popular choice among my high school readers and I plan on adding a copy of this book for students that want to read other work by Cisneros.
Thank you NetGalley and Vintage for an ARC.
This wasn’t a favorite from Cisneros for me, but it was overall a pretty quick read and did have some interesting characters. It was mostly something about the second person point of view that really didn’t sit right with me. None of the characters particularly stood out to me, either. I still enjoyed having the opportunity to read more by Sandra Cisneros, though, and would read more from her again.
Cisneros writes an ode to friendship as three young women bond in rough times and the bond stays tight throughout their lives. Moves to three difference continents doesn't change a thing.
I have always loved Sandra Cisneros and this short story was a delight! I definitely related to some of the characters and its so interesting even in this short amount of time how much character development and evolution of character we are able to see. I also really liked how important letters were to the overall telling of the story.
Short novella that was my introduction to this author. I enjoyed it but I think I am not the intended reader. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.
Not able to review. Nothing was on the eBook provided. Just the first few pages which include nothing of the book but only the title page and acknowledgment page. Was not able to get the full book . Only reason I will give one star is because I was not able to review.
This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review…I enjoy this author…the book is about a young woman trying to make it on her own…a coming of age so to speak…enjoy it.
I enjoyed this novella, reading letters from female friends to one another, while chasing down their dreams. The combination of text and the letters added a nice layer to the story. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book for an honest review.
I enjoyed Sandra Cisneros’ books and when I heard about Martita, I Remember You, I knew I wanted to read it. Thank you NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is one of the most unique books I have ever read because it is bilingual, containing a Spanish translation of the story. Cisneros is one of my favorite Latina authors and this book is another reason why. Losing touch with friends is a part of life that we can all relate to no matter our age or background. This book will definitely have a place in my classroom library.
Cisneros knows how to inform a story, to pull readers alongside on a journey, supplying enough surroundings and observation that they by no means feel bored, never feel that they have wasted a moment of studying time. but there are the books you examine once and the books you read repeatedly. For me, Martita, I remember you became a one-study revel in.
Martita is an epistolary novella. The imperative character, Carina (recognized to the specific friends whose letters she's reading as Puffina) has come across a small bundle of letters from two ladies she hung out with in Paris years in the past, with whom she's lost touch. All 3 had been young then, hoping to be writers, artists, to make or do some thing that might make them stand out in a few way. They had been dreaming large. simply, those goals failed to pan out, however I suppose part of the factor here is that smaller matters, just preserving going, doing right by means of cherished ones and one's self, is enough. Small isn't always the opposite of large. Small is a sort of massive that it takes time and adulthood to understand.
i was charmed via this organization of younger buddies, but by no means clearly felt i would gotten to recognize them. As a reader, I had to fill in parts of their stories myself to get the kind of resonance i used to be searching out. So, in a manner, I felt like i was simultaneously analyzing Martita while also writing components of it.
I very a great deal respect the format of this novella, with textual content provided each in English and Spanish. It gives readers with a few competence in each languages an opportunity to see how language can affect the texture of a bit of writing, what varieties of thoughts come across maximum simply in which language.
Martita, I remember You is clearly well worth looking for and reading. The pride can be brief, but it's pleasure although.
I received a free electronic review copy of this name from the writer via NetGalley; the opinions are my personal.
I was thrilled to get to read an advance copy of this book, by beloved Sandra Cisneros. Basically, a love letter to youth, and relationships and mistakes, this part epistolary, part novel in flash takes the reader along to Paris, Argentina, and Chicago through the vision of three young women trying to discover who they are. Their letters reveal the affection they remember, despite the years that pass, and lets the reader peek into the era, with world events, the despair, and the joie de vivre of youth and the special trials of the immigrant, regardless of country or era.
It is very short, and I was happy to get to read the Spanish version, which is also included, as the musicality of Cisneros voice comes through in both languages. A lovely gift for close friends.
A short epistolary novella about female friendship and memory. Three young women leave behind their home countries to start a new adventurous life in Paris, that city of ambitions and dreams. But the dreams don’t work out for them and they embark on different separate lives elsewhere. One day Corina unearths a letter from Martita and re-reading it brings back the memories of those heady days in Paris. It’s a pretty inconsequential piece of writing. Reflective and meditative about youth and friendship, but I didn’t feel it amounted to much more than that. The characters remained undeveloped and the plot, such as it was, merely a series of vignettes. I wondered what the point of the book was, to be honest, and I certainly wasn’t engaged by it. What I did like was the fact that it’s a dual language edition, a real bonus for those familiar with Spanish as well as English. Such a good idea. I wish more translated novels could include the original. So, a pleasant enough read but nothing more.
I thought that the prose was beautiful, but I didn't really feel like I knew the characters all that well when I finished the story. I just wish that the book was just a bit longer to really flesh out everything because I think that the story of connection and time is important.