How do you feel men are portrayed in the story in general? What effects do they seem to have on women's lives?

Many of the book's female characters struggle in some way in their relationships with men. How do you feel men are portrayed in the story in general? What effects do they seem to have on women's lives?

Aside from Antonio, most of the men in the book are abusive and grimy. Carmen's husband molested his daughter. Jeanette's boyfriend, Mario, was an enabling drug addict. Gloria was raped by a strange man. Johnson raped Jeanette on the beach. Dolores's husband beat her to a pulp repeatedly.

Of course the abuse made the women stronger; however if they were more open about their circumstances, the next generation would have benefited. It seems like the matriachs kept a lot of secrets.

I agree with Jessica F. above. Aside from Antonio who really love Maria Isabel, the men were abusive. There is some belief that family issues travel from generation to generation and it seems that occurred in this family.

Yikes, the men were pretty slimy. I was hoping for one decent male but these women were very unlucky in love.

I agree with Jessica F. Antonio was the only male portrayed as kind and supportive. However, when Maria Isabel considers his marriage proposal, Garcia on pg 20, provides a very insightful glimpse at her inner dialogue. The last two sentences have stuck with me; “ Maria Isabel thought it had always been women who wove the future out of scraps, always the characters, never the authors. She knew a woman could learn to resent this post, but she would instead find a hundred books to read.” Throughout history women have been forced to marry for safety, or support, or in accordance with societal norms, or by families or communities. Reading about the choices that Maria Isabel, Dolores and Carmen were forced to make in their relationships makes Jeanette’s choice of Mario so much more aggravating. It is too bad that these women had to go through so much to become “ authors” of their own stories.

It seemed there was only one good man in the whole book— Antonio. I think the women tied themselves to these men because their choices were so limited. Having a home and family, with the man as the head, was very culturally accepting. They didn't seem to have many options as women.

I agree that the men in this book were portrayed as very slimy indeed.

I DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MAN IN CHAPTER 11 THAT CAME TO JEANETTE'S COSMETIC COUNTER.

The men were all portrayed as flawed and abusive people. It seems that poverty brings out the worse in men

The men were all portrayed as marginalized people. Does poverty make men fell less of a human and thus react in an abusivevway?

That's a very good point swchis39

In the book, Carmen's husband was a doctor, so probably not in the poverty category. I don't see him as being marginalized at all.

I agree with the previous responders. Other than Antonio, who seemed genuinely to love and respect Carmen, the men were portrayed as abusive, egotistical and controlling, and they found the women to be victims who were unable to get out of the situation.

This book seemed to pick up the worst in men. None of them were kind considerate or felt women were anything but a possession. They all seemed crude and overbearing.