Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies

I'd first read `Like Water for Chocolate' about 10 years ago and had found it simply amazing. Then again, it had been the my first contact with a book so unique ... the first novel to talk about the "magical" power of food, a combination which is now much more common thanks to writers and books like Joanne Harris' wonderful `Chocolat', Lily Prior's `La Cucina', Anthony Capella's `Food of Love', and Isabel Allende's `Aphrodite' and many others. In fact many of my favourite books fall into what has now become a genre in its own right.

`Like Water for Chocolate' may have lost some of it's uniqueness over the years but much of its magic and power is still there - even for a reader that's become much more jaded over the years. Well worth a read.

This book is an excellent introduction into Latin American literature. It is well-told, rich in symbolism, beautiful, transports you to another culture, another time, has strong women characters,... there is so much to love in this classic! Esquivel begins each chapter with one of Nacha's authentic recipes. Nacha, the indigenous cook and caretaker, teaches and nurtures Tita. Each recipe ties to important events in Tita's sad and tragic life. The mystical and erotic experience through cooking, the frustrating love triangle, and the Mexican Revolution as the backdrop make this one of my favorite books I have ever read! It is beautiful, funny and sad at the same time. This is exactly what a classic book should be: a fascinating story with strong and varied characters that make one think and question what is expected from them.

The story that I am reviewing is called 'Water for Chocolate.' It is about a little girl who grows up with an uncle who loves to cook. Tita, the main character likes making things out in shapes of animals. The main problem in the story is she wanted to get married, but if she did and her husband left her who would take care of her when she got old? She was thinking of it because if she didn't have children who would help her later. Instead Tita's older sister marries the man. Tita's mom wanted her to marry the guy. Since she didn't she had to bake the wedding cake. While she bakes the cake she is full of tears. I enjoyed this story because it's sad and makes you think about what is right and wrong. I think you should read this story because it is very good.

This book was recommended to me by so many people--and intelligent people at that!--but I was highly disappointed. Not only is it not written well, but the ending is anti-climactic. The dialogue is written poorly, with no real personality to it; characters' motives often go unexplained; the fantastical/magical elements of the story appear sporadically, as do the main character's special powers in the kitchen; additionally, the extensive description of the recipes bog down the plot movement. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

When this novel first hit the bookshelves,it was a bestseller;Laura Esquivel was a household name (I even have a very old New Age magazine that has an interview with her).Her now ex-husband Alfonso Arau made a movie version of the book.I was a "Like Water for Chocolate" fan;I had the keychain,the book-I even found the soundtrack (an excellent one)at a used CD store.

"Like Water for Chocolate" has the joy&confidence of a first novel.Esquivel uses the telenovela format in her writing.She is episodic,using a recipe for each month.It's a breezy read.

While I enjoyed the style&found the writing sensual in its descriptions,I have some misgivings about the plot itself.Pedro isn't a sympathetic character;he uses Tita for pleasure.Instead of bravely marrying Tita,he takes the easy,cowardly route&marries her sister,then promptly cheats on her.Pedro's treatment of both his wife&his mistress makes him unlikeable.Luckily,as the lead,Tita IS sympathetic.Her pain draws the reader in.

Laura Esquivel hasn't enjoyed the same successs with her other novels as she has with this one;it remains her first&greatest.For those who enjoy Latin American culture&cuisine as well as forbidden love,this book is essential to any library.