Tahun 2009 kemarin, saia terpesonakan oleh buku² dari penulis perempuan (berdarah) India. Ada Arundhati Roy, Citra Banerjee Divakaruni, Bharati Mukherjee, Kiran Desai, dan Jhumpa Lahiri. yang membuat saia terpesona dengan karya² mereka adalah mereka berhasil menulis dengan gaya perempuan yang khas, cara bertutur yang feminim, lembut, meliuk-liuk dan halus. Sampai saat ini bahkan saia tak bisa menemukan gaya kepenulisan selembut mereka. penulis Amerika Jodi Picoult mungkin bisa dibandingkan, tapi tetap saja, masih terasa sangat kasar dan datar. Yang paling mendekati mungkin penulis Amerika yang berdarah Balkan, Mary Stephanek dengan The Turk and My Mother-nya. Tapi karena baru satu karyanya yang saia baca, saia tak terlalu yakin jadinya. Sudah jelas, tak ada penulis laki-laki yang bisa sehalus mereka, meski buku A House for Mr Biswas-nya VS Naipul cukup mendekati.Selain gaya kepenulisan yang feminim banget, penulis² perempuan itu dengan cemerlang berhasil memotret drama keluarga yang tampak sepele bagi kebayakan orang, menjadi sebuah kisah menyentuh, liris, dan menggugah. Tanpa kesan berlebihan. semuanya tampil apa adanya.Dengan semua kelebihan itulah mengapa penulis² India itu mendapat tempat tersendiri di khasanah bacaan saia. Saia pikir, tak ada penulis lain yang bisa menyamai gaya kepenulisan mereka. Namun saia keliru."Lawan" tangguh itu datang dari negri tropis sekaligus negara berkembang lainnya, Meksiko (eh, Meksiko dan India belum masuk kategori negara maju kan? :D). Yah, saat membaca buku Cisneros inilah kenangan saia akan buku² penulis India ituh muncul kembali. dengan sangat jelas.Caramelo bercerita tentang sebuah drama keluarga kelas menengah-atas di Meksiko (tema ini bahkan muncul hampir di semua buku penulis² India yang saia sebutkan, cuma beda latar tempat saja). Yang membuatnya unik, adalah si penulis menggunakan point of view dari sudut pandang seorang anak perempuan kecil bernama Celaya. Kisah ini dimulai saat keluarga Celaya yang tinggal di Amerika, mudik menuju keluarga besarnya di Meksiko. Keluarga yang sangat besar. Seperti halnya keluarga menengah di negara berkembang, keluarga ini tinggal di rumah besar, sesak oleh anak-menantu-cucu yang tak terhitung jumlahnya, dipimpin oleh seorang Nyonya Besar cerewet (si kecil Celaya menyebutnya si Nenek Sihir), sedangkan kepala keluarga laki-lakinya yaitu si Tuan Besar, hanya seorang pelengkap di bagan silsilah keluarga saja.Yang menarik adalah dengan rasa ingin tahu khas anak-anaknya, melalui sosok Celaya, Cisneros menceritakan detail setiap karakter tokoh novelnya (bayangkann dengan jumlahnya yang "meledak"). Alhasil setiap anggota keluarga dicirikan dengan ciri fisik, ada Si Tembem, Si Pipi Bayi, Si Telinga Cangkir, dll. sangat kocak dan jenakaTapi tentu saja, deskripsi yang detail dari setiap tokohnya bukan barang jualan utama novel ini. dengan kejenakaannya, secara mengejutkan, novel ini akan menggiring kita pada suatu drama tragedi yang menggetarkan. Semuanya ditampilkan secara diam² melalui dialog yang sangat kocak namun satir ironis. Misalnya, saat si Celaya ngobrol dengan si Caramelo (karena warna kulitnya berwarna karamel). si bawel Celaya menanyakan apa cita² si Caramelo. - Aku ingin menjadi seorang artis. - mengapa? - karena aku bisa menangis seperti artis di telenovela itu. bahkan jauh lebih baik, karena setiap hari aku menangis memikirkan nasibku. tidak berpura-pura. (terjemahan bebas, mu ngetik lupa bagian sebelah mana dialognya. tebal bukunya :D). Saat membaca bagian spt ini, apa yang akan kita lakukan? hanya bisa menggigit bibir saja. Dialog² ironis seperti inilah yang akan kita temui saat membaca karya Caramelo ini.Sekilas, karya ini sangat ambisius. Cisneros berusaha menampilkan sebuah kombinasi dari tema literatur yang kaya, karakter yang cemerlang dengan plot yang memesona. Terasa musykil sekilas. Namun Cisneros berhasil melakukannya. maka jadilan sebuah kisah sejarah keluarga yang akan menggoda para pembacanya dengan humor yang mengagumkan sekaligus drama yang menyentuh setiap riak debaran hati yang membacanya.Yap. Cisneros adalah contoh tepat yang memenuhi syarat seorang pencerita yang hebat: memiliki kepekaan nurani untuk mengisahkan sebuah tragedi dan kelembutan hati untuk merasakan penderitaanPS: di kisah ini, seperti halnya di buku² penulis India, sangat penuh dengan makanan. hahay... jadi lapar.. pengen tortila panggang :P
Sandra Cisneros’ Caramelo makes me wonder so many things with its unique writing style and makes me sleep for some random reason. In my opinion this book is complex to read because of my lack of memory.The theme of this novel is family vs. independence because the three different uncles had to decide whether to stick with their family or each one go with their own path. I believe this is the theme because the life lesson that it gives you is that sometimes is better to stick with your family because they will help and protect you.Throughout the novel the three brothers struggle with the Awful Grandmother because she tells them so many different things that just keep on confusing them.The author’s style of this novel is unique. First what I like about the book’s writing style is that is written in the first person. The author’s writing style is funny because the author calls the grandma “Awful Grandmother” and calls the grandpa “Little Grandfather.” The author’s voice is unique from other books I have reared because of the use of Spanish and English in one book.The writer makes me believe on the characters as real people from my old neighborhood back in México because the characters in the book are as humble as the people from my old neighborhood. I personally like all the characters in this book because they all make the book more interesting. Personally liking all the characters of the book makes me feel more connected to the book because I feel like if I was an extra character in the book just there listening to what was happening and not having a dialog to say. My favorite character of this book is Lala because she is the youngest of seven children and the only girl. My favorite line is said by uncle Fat Face Federico “Beautiful women I've had. Lots. And beautiful cars.” I like this line a lot because I can identify myself with it.The setting of this book is Mexico city. The novel’s world is so different from the world I know because back then there was no technology and people would feel happy with whatever car they had. Now a day in my world there is new technology coming out every single day and people well they are not happy with whatever car they have. People this days want the car of the year.The plot is Each summer, Celaya and her family return to her grandmother's home in Mexico City. At the house, Celaya meets Candelaria, the maid's daughter, who she secretly admires for her beauty. Here we also meet other members of her family, including the Awful Grandmother, Aunty Light-Skin, and the Little Grandfather. We learn about their stories. For example, the Little Grandfather lived in Chicago for a time and was injured during the Mexican Civil War. Aunty Light-Skin had an affair with an unnamed movie star. This plot is from the book’s little summary and I give credit for this plot to the author of this book.This book is really similar to One hundred years of solitude because the book talk about the life of a person who had a lot of obstacles in his/her life. This book connects with me on a personal level because in my life experience I had to go through many obstacles.In conclusion I recommend this book to all the teen agers and college students who are looking for a really a good book to pass their free time. I personally like this book and I would recommend it to any high school student and higher because its a little challenging and you have to have good memory to be able to read it and remember all the characters.
What do You think about Caramelo (2003)?
Caramel by Sandra Cisneros is a terirific novel. This book is filled with creative imagery that can really help you imagine the time and place in which this story took place. It has fantastic use of the Spanish language, using terms that the culture uses. All three parts had me sucked into the plot, and descriptive words helped me picture everything that was happening. The main character is Lala the granddaughter of Soledad, which is whom the book is about. Reading this novel will not only entertain you, but also emerge you into Mexican culture. Being Mexican myself, I find the use of words and terms valid to how we actually speak at my home. This book is easy to read and will have you entertained the whole time. To me, it was very relatable, since I also lived in Chicago a few years and I have also driven to Mexico, passing Texas. So, the description of the road trip was precise and very realistic to me. Anyone who can get their hands on this book should read it ! One of my favorite novels.
—Alina
I really enjoyed this book because of Cisneros vivid use of imagery throughout the book. It was as if I was in Lala's shoes walking through Mexico. I was also able to relate to some of her stories because I am Hispanic. I was able to understand most of the Spanish words that Cisneros used. I loved how the story was told from Lala's perspective because I felt like I was able to watch her grow as she told us her story and later on her grandmother's story. We saw her play with her cousins,make plans to move away with her best friend after high-school, and fall in love. But this was not a coming of age story. It's the story of a young girl, Lala, on a mission to tell her grandmother's story because she needs everyone to forgive her so the grandmother can finally rest. As Lala tells her grandmother's story, she realizes she has grown up to be just like her. Not only does she look like her, but she cares a lot about her father just like the grandmother cared for him. This is a beautiful story about family and love with some history mixed in. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
—Idalmis Gramajo
This book is beautifully written and it's no surprise since Cisneros is a poet. It's worth reading for the descriptions alone. I always enjoy exploring other cultures through literature and really appreciate the way she lets us see into the lives of Mexican immigrants in the US and the 2nd generation children born here. There is an overarching storyline and some great storytelling moments though this is fairly loose as a novel. There are a lot of tangents and stories within stories. It holds together but if you prefer plot driven fiction this isn't for you. The central image is a finely woven shaw of many strands that was left incomplete when the great-grandmother making it died. It was so complex that no one was ever able to finish it. While I appreciate this image and the way in which the novel is braided out of many stories and experiences there are ways in which the book is not quite as satisfying as it might be. Nevertheless it's a fascinating read.
—Jennifer
