C is for Cisneros, Sandra

I was very excited when I went to the library to choose my C book. I had read reviews of several books by Sandra Cisneros and really wanted to read her. When I got to the library, they were out of most of the books I'd read about, but they did have "Caramelo." This book was nothing at all like I expected, but it was a fantastic read.

Before my review, let's tackle one issue you might have with the novel. There is a pretty good amount of Spanish spoken. Some of the Spanish is translated for you, but quite a bit is not. I have a rudimentary grasp on the language and could make out most of the phrases, but if you don't speak any Spanish you might want a Spanish-English dictionary to understand everything. Of course, you can just skip over the Spanish phrases and get the gist of the book. I personally loved the addition of the Spanish phrases because it lent such an authentic flavor to the novel.

In "Caramelo" Sandra Cisneros takes us inside the Mexican culture of the 1950's and '60's. Now, I grew up in Texas and I thought I knew something about Mexican culture. While I knew what a telenovela was and could tell you the difference between a tamal and an enchilada, my knowledge was nothing near what I thought it was. There is a huge difference in Mexico Mexican culture and Tex-Mex culture. Both are beautiful, bold and strong, but they are quite different.

"Caramelo" is the story of the Reyes family of Mexico City, Chicago and San Antonio. It's told by Lala, the only daughter of Inocencio Reyes and his wife Zoila. The novel doesn't read like other novels in that it's a book of short stories that flow together, rather than an ongoing narrative. While each story is self-contained, they all do feed off each other. Sandra Cisneros has a beautiful style of writing. The writing is very colorful, exciting and sometimes a bit disjointed, but very endearing. You can see the bright colored houses of Mexico City. You smell the meats and fruits and sometimes terrible smells of a bustling Mexican city. Cisneros writing is very lyrical and you can almost sing along with some of her phrasing. You find yourself in the mind and heart of a young girl then teenager. For those of us who remember those thoughts and feelings, it's a beautiful reminder.

Mexican culture revolves around family and that is exactly the point of "Caramelo." Family is everything to Inocencio Reyes. His mother, the Awful Grandmother, is the center of all life and that is just fine for her but not for Inocencio's wife and daughter. The Awful Grandmother makes herself heard both in life and death. She wants nothing less than the complete and total love of her oldest son, Inocencio. To that end, she makes life less than perfect for the other females in the family. Lala must grow up with that pressure and pain and learn how to deal with it and how to love while not always feeling loved. Other characters you meet along the journey include the Little Grandfather, Uncle Fat Face, Uncle Baby, Aunty Light-Skin and Lala's 6 older brothers.

There are great surprises in "Caramelo" and wonderful lessons to be learned. Readers will enjoy the twists, turns and travels. The format takes a bit of getting used to, but it becomes a pleasure. I enjoyed the historic lessons. I learned a great deal about Mexican history and how that history plays into the Mexican way of life today. Check out "Caramelo" and be ready to be entertained and educated. This was the first time I'd read Sandra Cisneros, but I know I will be back.

B is for Bronte, well kind of

When I got ready to pick out my B and C books, I decided to do a bit of research. I went to Amazon and checked out their book lists. They have wonderful alphabetized lists of their best selling books. I made notes and wrote down a few authors for each letter. I was set and headed out to the Reidsville Library.

Let me remind you that I love my library, I really do. There is one downside to living in a small town and having a smallish library. That downside is that they just can't carry every book. When I walked into the stacks with list in hand, I quickly realized that my library didn't carry the authors or the titles by those authors I'd picked out. No need to worry, there were plenty of others.

As I looked through the B's, I saw a couple of promising titles and then I saw "Emma Brown." All but the first two chapters were written by Clare Boylan. It's those first two chapters that sold me on the book. They were an unfinished manuscript by Charlotte Bronte. Now, don't start thinking that I'm some Victorian era romance reader because I'm not. As I've written before, my favorite genre of novel is cold war spy. I was intrigued though that someone had taken an unfinished manuscript by a very famous writer and completed it. After reading the synopsis, I checked out "Emma Brown" by Clare Boylan.

I honestly don't recall ever reading "Little Women" or any other novel by a Bronte sister. That wasn't my thing as a girl and it still isn't. The Victorian era is fascinating though. Those of us with laptop computers, iPods and frequent flier miles might have a hard time walking into a world of horse travel, letter writing and spiny undergarments. While it comes across as being a beautiful time, it had to have been very harsh. Young girls were married off to old men, babies died of basic illnesses and regular folk had to know how to sew and cook and build a good fire. You couldn't just run out to the Wal-Mart or Lowe's to get your supplies. Life may have been simple, but that doesn't mean it was easy.

"Emma Brown" is set in and around London. Our heroine is young, though even she doesn't know her exact age. We first meet her at a new school for girls run by the domineering yet exceedingly dull Wilcox sisters. Emma is left there by her apparently well to do benefactor who gives what turns out to be a fraudulent name and address. She is said to be of good means and breeding, but we soon find out that none of this is really known or provable for quite a while. Emma is not a beautiful child nor a very likable one. The sisters Wilcox put her on a pedestal on which they believe she belongs, but one she doesn't like nor believe she deserves. When the bills come due, we begin to believe the worst of Emma and her benefactor. Emma is shunned by the previously worshipful Wilcox sisters and our adventure truly begins.

"Emma Brown" takes you into the depths of the horrors of Victorian London. You come face to face with sickness, death and child prostitution. You meet a young girl who carries around dead babies she finds in the gutters. You meet people who will sell their own children or any other child they can find just to take care of themselves. You also meet people of great character who make the most of what they are given and of the circumstances in which they find themselves. Though some of "Emma Brown" reads like a Victorian Lifetime Movie, it is a pleasure overall.

I can't compare Clare Boylan's writing to authentic Victorian era writing, but I believe she stayed true to the direction in which Charlotte Bronte started this novel. I think fans of the genre will be pleased with "Emma Brown."

I don't know if this is the farthest I will stray from my preferred genres, but I know it is a long way from Russia, the CIA or Daniel Silva. While I still love my spies, I think this journey will open my mind and my heart to other genres, other writers and other heroes, heroines and villains. Please join me on my journey as I read authors from A-Z.