Between Two Fires: Intimate Writings on Life, Love, Food, and Flavor [Hardcover]

Laura Esquivel (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 13, 2001

"The return to the kitchen was not easy. I wanted my daughter to know her past, to eat what I had eaten in my childhood; however, I quickly realized that I no longer remembered my family's recipes....I forced myself to try and remember a recipe on my own. And that is how I discovered, as I had already known in my childhood, that it was possible to hear voices in the kitchen."


Mexican novelist Laura Esquivel leapt to international fame with Like Water for Chocolate. With millions of copies sold in hardcover and paperback, and with the phenomenal success of the movie, it is truly one of the most beloved stories of the last decade. In her latest book, Between Two Fires, Laura Esquivel continues to sustain us on levels beyond the physical.

Between Two Fires is a wonderful collection of the best of her passionate speeches, short writings, and recipes from the last decade or so, most never published in English. Funny, poignant, imaginative, and insightful, Esquivel muses on all the topics we have come to associate with her -- love, life, family, and of course, the importance of food in all aspects of the human experience -- while also giving us a rare look at what makes her tick. Beautifully illustrated with delightful drawings, this gem is the perfect gift book for her many fans, as well as for foodies and readers of Latin literature everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In all of these essays, Esquivel reflects on the essential way that food connects people to the important, spiritual aspects of life, often promoting her ideal of the New Man who "will give equal value to production and reproduction, to reason and emotion, to the intimate and the public, to the material and the spiritual." In essays such as "Apple Soup," "Manchamanteles" and "Chestnut Souffl?," she employs her characteristic blend of anecdotes and Mexican recipes. "Oaxacan Black Mole," for example, comes with a story about the first time the author made the dish as a childAit took hours because she thought the chicken was supposed to be shredded before it was cooked! Other works are more philosophical, like "God is Above, The Devil, Below," which describes the time the author gave up chocolate as a political statement. Esquivel has a strong, distinctive voice and a passion for her subject. Collections, though, can be tricky: at times, Esquivel is repetitious, particularly in her expositions about the New Man. To get the full benefit of her humor and insight, it's best to take short sips rather than long draughts. Two-color line drawings by F. Melendez throughout. (Jan.) Forecast: Drawn from her newspaper and magazine articles, book prologues and speeches, this collection of 14 essays will appeal to adamant fans of Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate and The Laws of Love. Some general food readers, however, will probably skip over the title in favor of books by authors with true gastronomic credentials.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Esquivel (Like Water for Chocolate) on our relationship to food: a collection of articles, speeches, and book prologs.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Crown; First Edition edition (February 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609608479
• ISBN-13: 978-0609608470
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,583,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Esquivel is the award-winning author of Like Water for Chocolate, which has sold over four and a half million copies around the world in 35 languages, The Law of Love, and most recently, Between Two Fires. She lives in Mexico City.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A collection of thoughts. March 24, 2001

By "bergsie"

Format:Hardcover

For those of you who expect something along the same lines as "Like Water for Chocolate" and "The Law of Love," you will be disappointed. "Between Two Fires" is basically a collection of thoughts, or short essays, taken from articles published in "Vogue de Mexico;" prologues to books such as "The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking," by Rick Curry; or speeches made at book fairs and psychoanalyst workshops.

"Between Two Fires" does not carry the heady aroma and full body of Esquivel's previous books. One feels as though someone forgot to keep stoking the fire and the meal, so to speak, has well ... gone cold in places.

If however, you want a quick, short read to pass the time on the bus, train, underground, in the doctor's waiting room or waiting for the kettle to boil whilst in the full knowledge that you can finish a chapter by the time you get to your destination, are called for your appointment or need to make tea for the neighbours, then this is an ideal book to carry along with you. It is basically an anthology of memories, thoughts, ideas, short stories, interwoven with the ever present taste and aroma of the kitchen.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Kitchen Godess February 2, 2013

By Silk Reader

Format:Hardcover

Poignant and reflective. A true kitchen goddess!
The previous reviewer obviously did not read the synopsis of the book and doesn't appreciate the prose and wit of the author's authentic voice.