Cisneros' writing was beautiful as with her other works and the character work here was interesting. However, the book is so short and I wanted more. I feel that were a lot of threads left hanging that made the book less satisfying overall.

This is a lovely, sparse book, almost poetry but in prose format. It's about a woman who used to be called Puffina reminiscing on her time spent living on pennies in Paris with two other young women, Argentinian Marta and Italian Paola. She finds a letter that Marta ("Martita," fondly) wrote her years after they left Paris, ending with the line, "Don't forget me."

Puffina, now the less-fun Corina, back in her hometown of Chicago, has never forgotten Marta or Paola in the 10 or 15 years since receiving that letter. She remembers all of the things they did together in Paris, stealing from a department store, eating baguettes, sitting on a bench at the Promenade des Anglais, showering with a bucket in Marta's disgusting apartment. ​

This is a very quick read, but written so beautifully and gracefully that the words will stay with you for a while. The second half of the book is a Spanish translation of the first half, perfect for someone trying to read more literary Spanish. I highly recommend you pick this up and take it to a coffee shop, preferably one where you can enjoy a pastry and a cafe au lait.

Thank you to Knopf Doubleday for the ARC via Netgalley

This novella, the first publication in many years from Sandra Cisneros, is a simply told story of friendship. Corina, nicknamed Puffina by her friend Paola, comes across letters exchanged between her, Paola and Martita following their escapades in Paris while in their 20s.

Corina, to her father's chagrin, had left her life in Chicago to try to become a writer in Paris. There, she meets both Paola, (from Milano) and Martita, (from Argentina), and the three became inseparable friends who run with a crowd of others hailing from many nations while trying to make it. Life isn't easy and their dependence upon one another is palpable, especially Corina, who has less money than her friends. Despite their hardships, they live the life that only young women traveling( abroad can.

Each eventually returns to her native country and the three correspond for a number of years, their letters full of their memories of all of the crazy times that brought them so close together. As often happens, their correspondence wanes, and now in middle age, Corina finds the letters and sits down to read them with much longing and a full heart.

The book made me nostalgic, as I, too, traveled around a lot in my 20s, and met people who later vanished from my life... I still think about them and wonder what has become of their lives. The style is very typical of Cisneros - short, clear sentences that are a little reminiscent in parts of Mango Street. The book is a volume that includes the story in English, followed by the story in Spanish.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sandra Cisneros, and the publishers for an ARC of this book!

I've always been fond of Sandra Cisneros' writing—after all, The House on Mango Street was one of the first books i remember reading in middle school. She always has the power to transfix me with short, concise prose. This book was no different. It was shorter than I expected, and I was a little gutted by how abruptly it ended. But it was so sweet. Much more powerful than young love I think, is young friendship, and the protagonist Corina's (lovingly nicknamed Puffina by her friends) relationship with Marta (the titular Martita) is bittersweet.

It's a story of missed connections, and I loved the epistolary nature of it. There's something so tangible about reading their correspondence, and it reminds me (nostalgically) of times gone by.

Martita, I Remember You is a short and sweet, poetic and wistful account of the main character Corinna aka Puffina - as she is dubbed by her beloved friends Paola and Marta - as she rediscovers old letters from her friends and takes a little walk down memory lane. This was a really quick read - the chapters aren't long by any means and the writing is split into short paragraphs which read like little vignettes almost. I found myself wishing that I could see what happened next, whether the three friends ever reunited or found each other again, but I think the beauty of this story is in the recollections, in that love they did share and regardless of them each losing touch, they had Paris. (a shameless Casablanca reference? Yes ) I only wished I could read / speak Spanish - I'm sure it would be even better in the original language!

Sandra Cisneros is a beloved author, and while this wasn't as strong as Mango Street (for me) it was absolutely wonderful to get lost in her writing again.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

I love Ms. Cisneros other books so I had to read this one. I’m so happy that I was lucky enough to receive a copy!

This was a story of Corina rediscovering old letters from her two dear friends when she was living in Paris many years ago. She reminisced her time when she was there with her friends, her dreams of her future and her love of many things. Now some time has passed and we see what happened to Corina but can only guess what happened to her old friends. Her dreams was shaped along the way with age and time. Overall, it was a beautiful short story of youth and dreams. I just wish it was longer!

Sandra Cisneros, one of my favorite Latinx writers, has published a new novella, "Martita, I Remember You/Martita, te recuerdo."  This slim book about female friendship contains Cisneros' novella in the original English and a Spanish translation by Liliana Valenzuela.  The narrator, Corina, who works for the gas company in Chicago and is raising daughters, is not living the life she'd planned.  And when she finds an old cache of letters from her friend Martita from Chile and her Italian friend Paola, they bring back memories of their days in Paris as starving would-be artists and writers, hopeful students, and roommates. Did their dreams die?  The women may simply have metamorphosed into adults.  My only complaint?  The book is too short.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I enjoyed the fact that it is bilingual. At first, I didn’t realize that this author wrote The House on Mango Street. The reading of this book goes fast because it has an interesting plot and the paragraph are short.

In Martita, I Remember You/Martita, te recuerdo, a bilingual edition story by Sandra Cisneros, a long-forgotten letter triggers memories of the youthful friendship of 3 young women: Corina, the protagonist, who has left her family in Chicago in hopes of pursuing her writerly aspirations in Paris, Paola, and Martita. While Corina's idealistic dreams never do come to fruition, she nostalgically recalls her bohemian days and the closeness of her friendships with the two other women, even though life, and the passage of decades, has caused them to lose touch with one another. The book definitely bears the imprint of Cisneros' poetic, spare style, though arguably, the pacing at points seems uneven, and arguably slow.

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book before its publication date.

I was excited when I saw a new Sandra Cisneros book pop up on my feed. I didn't read anything about the book, just jumped in. I did really enjoy the trip down memory lane as the story unfolded through letters from the past. I found myself thinking back on friendships that were so important to me at different points of my life, but have now faded away. I do wonder what those people are up to now. Stay in touch with those important to you.

This novella is a nostalgic remembrance of a time three friends spent in Paris. Corina finds a pack of letters from the time when she as a 20-year-old became friends with two other young women looking for the excitement of Paris, but only finding the cold, harsh side of a city when you are living in poverty. Eventually, Corina returns to Chicago, marries, works for the gas company, and becomes a mother while Marta and Paola continue their travels. Cisneros uses her storytelling ability to share the dreams of the youth with the realities of middle age.

“Tener a la persona a quien amas viva y sana, vivendo en el planeta al mismo tiempo que tu, ppero eligiendo no estar contigo. Eso es peor que la muerto, creo yo.”

Cisneros does it again, creating a powerful epistolary short novel that rips your heart apart. She has a unique way with words, unveiling a myriad of emotions using simplest of words. This magnetic bilingual short story is about three girls trying to survive in Paris full of hopes and dreams for the future:

“I’m waiting for something to happen. Something always happens in Paris. Paris, with its chandeliers and palaces. Paris, of champagne and moon. I’m waiting for something bigger than my life.”

With letters exchanged between the three, we read about this transition period, their beautiful friendship, their growth and change. Cisnero’s eloquence and poignant style creates wonders and I wished it were longer. The book consists of two parts each in a different language. I really enjoyed reading the story in both languages, comparing the small nuances. Definitely recommended!

Martita, I Remember You by Sandra Cisneros was a simple book about three women who were friends when their paths crossed in Europe when they were young. After they returned home, they kept up a correspondence for a while, years, but then it stopped, for no apparent reason. The story was told in a relatively linear fashion, but in snip-its, not paragraphs and pages.. Then came the letters. It was easy enough to follow. This is the first Cisneros book I have read so maybe she always writes this way. It was short, which kept it interesting and easy to read. It was worth my time. It wasn't as long as it appeared it was going to be as the second half was a Spanish translation.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Martita, I Remember You by Vintage Contemporaries, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #vintagecontemporaries #martitairememberyou

This was a beautifully written story of memories of travel abroad and making connections. The relationship between Puffina and Martita was a wonderful example of the connections that can be found between strangers in a strange land. Another positive note is that the relationship was open enough that people from several different viewpoints can relate to either woman.

This was stunning. Cisneros is unparalleled at how well she encapsulates memory and emotion. I wanted so much more from this novella, but Cisneros always leaves readers wanting in the best way - and I'm so impressed by it.

A beautiful encapsulation of memory. The writing here is meditative, bringing an elder’s maturity and resolution to youthful memories. Cisneros employs conventions from both epistolary novels and poetry, creating a language for the past that somehow matches the language of the present in its short bursts and succinct brevity. The language soars, but never any deeper than the skin’s surface. “The you-you dissolving, a lozenge on the tongue. So it isn’t you and he or that and this anymore. It’s all the things you ever knew and all the things you didn’t, and no words for any of it, and no need for words anyways.” This book contains both an English and Spanish version, which compliments the bilingual experience of the characters and complicates certain metaphors/visual language. There are also gorgeous reflections on sadness that were reminiscent of Qiu Miaojin’s writing.

Thanks to Netgalley and Vintage for the copy!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

At the start of this beautifully written novella, Corina finds a letter from a friend she knew years ago in Paris. As a young woman, Corina left her family in Chicago to become a writer. While in Paris, she befriended Martita and Paola. The three women had left their respective homelands with high hopes for the future. They faced good times and bad. Of course, things do not always go as planned.

As she reads the letter, memories flood her consciousness. She relives her youth and the times spent with her two special friends. Sadly, they eventually split and go their separate ways. Youthful dreams pass, but Corina seems to regret having lost contact with these friends more than her ideas of becoming a writer.

Corina leaves her Mexican family in Chicago to become a writer in Paris. She runs out of money and begins begging on the streets with other artists. A forgotten letter hanged everything.

It shouldn't matter, but it wasn't until I finished that I realized this was a novella, not a novel, and I kept thinking there would be more, which is a good thing. Cisneros is a writer whose books I've enjoyed over the years. This novella was written via letters to an old friend, covering their time when they were young girls traveling in Europe, engaging in predictable activities that young girls enjoy.

Corina, our letter writer, left her home in Chicago to pursue her dream of becoming a writer in Paris. At times, I wondered if this was semi-autobiographical. Years later, Corina stumbles across an old letter from one of the two friends she became friends with in Europe, and she writes a letter, reconnecting about their time spent together and where they currently are today.

The prose is beautiful and it's an interesting tribute to friendships that have faded over the years.