Customer Reviews

Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments With Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies (Curley Large Print Books)

5 star:		(232)
4 star:		(159)
3 star:		(44)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

I really had no idea what this novel was about when I started reading it. My book club chose it as their monthly selection, so I went into it blindly. Imagine my surprise...

Like Water for Chocolate is part love story/part fantasy that delves into the lives of a Mexican family during the Mexican Revolution. Tita, the youngest of three daughters, is the victim of harsh family tradition--she cannot marry and is subject to a life of taking care of her mother until the day she dies. What a shame for poor Tita, who is desperately in love with Pedro. So Pedro marries Tita's older sister in order to stay close to Tita. What happens after that can only happen in Soap Opera Land.

Very mystical, erotic and enjoyable until the last page, Like Water for Chocolate will definitely be remembered for a long time to come. Laura Esquivel has done a wonderful job writing this exceptionally creative, imaginative tale. Now I'm off to see how the movie compares!

Like Water for Chocolate is a novel that will be enjoyed by all romantics regardless of age, gender or culture. It is a tale of true love, family traditions and family secrets. Laura Esquirel writes in a most unique style, giving the reader "monthly installments" of "recipes and home remedies." Each chapter starts with a recipe and begins with Tita, skillfully executing a meal. Tita, literally born in the kitchen, has the ability to communicate her love and various emotions through food. This book takes plac during the Mexican Revolution and chronicles the events of three daughters and one very controlling Mama. The youngest daughter, Tita, is not permitted to marry, but is expected to care to care for her Mama till the day she dies. Unfortunately, Tita does not learn of this tradition until after she has fallen in love with Pedro, her soul mate. The story really takes off when Mama refuses to allow Tita to marry Pedro but instead offers Tita's sister Rosaura to Pedro. You will have to read the book to find out how it all develops. But, trust me it is worth it. This book will make you laugh and cry, your heart will ache and sing and strangely you mouth will water for the food prepared by Tita.

Like Water for Chocolate is classic romance-tragedy novel. This novel is rich in symbolism, family secrets and broken taboos. The story takes place in Mexico during the Revolution. Tita, the youngest of three daughters, narrates the story. The story surrounds the forbidden love between Pedro and Tita. Tita being the youngest is expected to forgo marriage and take care of her Mama until she dies. However, this does not deter Pedro and in an effort to be near to Tita, he marries her sister.Resulting in the whole family living under the same roof. The only way Tita and Pedro can express their love is through Tita's cooking. Tita has the ability to prepare exotic food with erotic effects. In one chapter she had received roses from Pedro and with the pedals prepared a dish of Quail and Rose Pedals. The dish had an extraordinary effect on the family. Upon eating the meal, the family was overcome with emotions of love and longing. With this newfound love language Tita and Pedro were able to communicate their forbidden love. The author, Laura Esquirel, writes in such a creative fashion provoking the sense and providing vivid images of sight as well as smell. This unusal novel combines a magical romance of true love with a mystical fairy tale, resulting in an enjoyable experience for any reader.

LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE by Laura Esquivel (Translated by Carol Christensen and Thomas Christensen

February 5, 2005


A book that has become a classic, LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE by Laura Esquivel is the star-crossed romance between Tita and Pedro. They are torn apart due to a "tradition" held in Tita's family that the youngest daughter is destined to live out her life taking care of her mother. Tita and Pedro have already declared their love for each other, but Mama Elena has other plans. Instead, Pedro marries an older sister, Rosaura, who he does not love at all, but he feels this is the closest he will ever get to his beloved Tita.

Each chapter begins with a Mexican recipe, and the chapters themselves are written as if for a cookbook, except in-between the instructions on how to make "mole", or how to cook Quail in Rose Petal sauce, Tita's story is told, narrated by an unnamed grandniece. It is the sad, yet sometimes humorous story of Tita's life, and how she is frustrated living as the youngest daughter in the house of De La Garza. Tita's father has been long deceased, and Mama Elena is the head of the household. She rules with a heavy hand and all live in fear of her. Tita, however, is the rebellious child, and is often beaten and punished for the simplest of things. Her biggest punishment is when Mama Elena declares that Tita will not be allowed to marry her love, Pedro, and instead Tita watches her sister take her place.

Her emotions are somehow transmitted to her cooking. By this time of her life, Tita is relegated to head cook, and she is good at it. But the pain and unhappiness she feels is now tasted in her cooking. At her sister's wedding, the guests become sick because of how Tita feels as she cooks the banquet feast. This is but one example where Tita's cooking seems to become more than just a meal, sending her own emotions into the food that she is cooking. I loved this element of magical realism, and I'm finding that the more I read books by Hispanic authors, the more sure I will be that I will encounter it.

As many books written by Latin American authors, LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE spans many years, and although it is quite a short book, it does tell the story of two lives that are forever linked through love. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I hear it is just as good as the book. LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE is highly recommended by the Ratmammy.

Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel, is the perfect love story filled with home remedies and delicious monthly recipes. In the early 1900's, a beautiful baby girl named Tita is born in Mexico. As she grows older, she becomes more beautiful and is drawn to her true love, Pedro. As the youngest of three daughters in the De la Garza family, a tradition states that Tita is forbidden to marry and must always care for her strict Mama Elena (p. 10). Tita and Pedro both search for a way to be together. As Tita grows closer to Pedro, Mama Elena begins to lose her respect and claims that she will never die and always haunt Tita for disobeying her (p. 173). This romantic fiction uses realistic details to describe the all of the food and people that are found at the De la Garza ranch.

With over two million copies in print, I would call Like Water for Chocolate an amazing and outstanding book. This is a great book for someone who enjoys love stories. You may also want to read it if you want to learn some home remedies or culinary skills. Since part of this book is a Mexican cookbook, it really sets itself apart from other love stories. Though in those love stories, there is usually a torn or restricted love between two characters as it is in Like Water for Chocolate. With every new monthly recipe, Esquivel also gives new home remedies packed with a lot of detail. You really have to pay attention to the story and what is going on to understand it, otherwise the ending will confuse you.

With all of the passionate love going on, junior high students would best not read this book. It is a little too mature and should be read by high school students or adults.

I have enjoyed this book a lot. There are some sections in the book where you can stop reading and take a break. Otherwise, this book is hard to put down. It can be a good page-turner.

The ending may be somewhat disappointing and confusing, but the beginning really brings you into the story, and for that I give this book four out of five stars.

Like water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. English translation from Spanish. This delicious story of love, family, fate and food is enthralling. Esquivel, a Mexican resident, does a brilliant job on this her first novel. This book tells a tale of Tita who is unable to marry her true love due to unjust family tradition.The story develops to reveal the pain suffered by Tita in struggling to live without her soulmate and having to live with in oppression due to her old fashioned mother.Narrated in the third person this story is fairly comprehensible although it moves quickly so reading it more than once allows for better understanding. This book is outstanding as it is unique, the journey of unrequited love is captivating. The Mexican setting is easy to visualise because of the detail used in describing the food and people.the story is set at the time of the Mexican Revolution(1910 to 1920) which adds to the atmosphere of the book. Tita as the main character is likeable as she is an interesting, lively character with extreme talent for cooking. Tita deserves a lot of sympathy in the story as she is the victim. One of Tita's two sisters, Rosaura, is the quiet , shy type. She became a bother to the plot , she was placed in a bad situation but she is not an evil person.Gertrudis, Tita's other sister is a free spirited soul who rebels against all restrictions. Gertrudis brings an element of shock or surprise to the story which makes her likeable. The male lead and love interest of Tita, Pedro is highly passionate but acts at times submissive as he is not strong enough to stop circumstances. The villain of the story is arguably Mama Elena. As the mother of the three girls, this tyrant woman is dislikeable as she ruins the lives of nearly every character. Esquivel has created such a believable character in this bitter selfish woman.

Recipes begin each of the chapters in this utterly charming book that centers much of the time around life in the kitchen of a traditional Mexican family. Tita, the daughter who has been destined to remain single so she can continue caring for her aging parents, falls in love and must watch as her lover marries her sister, Rosaura. Tita pours her heart and her loving into cooking, and as the years go by, and with each new creation she reflects the frustrations of a generation of Mexican women whose options in life to find personal happiness are limited by traditions. The conclusion is incendiary, apocryphal, and somehow hopeful for the future.

Deception, romance, heartbreak, and yes, even food. All the elements of a soap opera and much more. Like Water For Chocolate is a deceptively simple book - a love story set in Mexico, combined with recipes, related in unadorned, uncomplicated language. The story centers around Tita and Pedro, two lovers who are unable to marry because of Tita's family obligations. As the youngest daughter, Tita's place in life is to care for her elderly mother, Mama Elena. Tita's forbidden to marry her love, and instead, Mama Elena offers her older daughter to Pedro. He accepts, not out of love, but out of the desire to remain physically close to Tita. Heartbroken, Tita is forced to bake the wedding cake. Her cooking is done with such passion and despair, that the wedding guests are overcome with sadness as they taste the cake. From this, Tita discovers that her baking has strange effects on those who partake of it. Interwoven throughout the narrative are the recipes, which provide an ongoing description on the characters and their culture. This book has more spice than a pot of chile! Finally, there is the food itself that Tita creates as head cook on the family ranch, food so vibrant and sensual, infused with her feelings of longing, frustration, rebellion, or love. This book triggers all the senses and gives readers a newfound appreciation of real home-made cooking. The combination of all these elements, with a good measure of the supernatural thrown in, makes for an earthy, quirky book, sad and funny, passionate, and direct, told by Tita's grand-niece who follows in her footsteps, using her cookbook and continuing a tradition quite different from the one her great-grandmother tried to impose.
The forbidden love between Tita and Pedro just makes for more of an exciting plot. Your heart jumps just reading about their overnight escapades and secret meetings. The risk and the measures they take to be with each other really makes you think about the lengths one will go to for true love. It's a heart warming story that will keep you guessing all the way. In a way, this story is like a Cinderella story. Tita is forced to take care of her mother while her other sisters are granted the freedom to live their lives as they please. Like Cinderella, she spends her days catering to her family and finds comfort in her kitchen. As you read this story, all you want is for Tita to find her "prince charming" and live happily ever after. The "evil step-mother" is this story would be Tita's mother: Mama Elena. She holds the title of a true villain. She could care less about the wishes of her youngest daughter. She goes out of her way to sabotage Tita and Pedro's love and intentions to wed by forcing her oldest daughter Rosaura to marry Pedro. Even after the death of Mama Elena she still comes back to haunt and control Tita, not letting her grip go. The rest of the characters include her oldest sister Rosaura who is very reserved and her second sister Gertrudis, who is the rebel of the family. Gertrudis is portrayed as the wild card who just can't be contained when she runs away with her lover. A very important character to the story and also to Tita is Nacha, who is has taken care of Tita eversince she was little. It was in the kitchen with Nacha that Tita first discovered her passion for food and cooking. Nacha is like her "fairy godmother", she is always there to guild her and watch over her. Even after her death, Tita still hears her voice of wisdom in her head.
Like Water for Chocolate, the best foreign novel to ever hit the U.S, is just a refreshing story of forbidden love of two people who will stop at nothing to be wih each other. If you love a good romance with a twist, than this is the book for you. I would definatley recommend this book. It's got all the elements of a romance, with the deception and lies of a soap opera.

Like Water For Chocolate is an enchanting, romantic, mystical masterpiece full of raw emotions- sensuality, deception, lust and rebellion. This vibrant best-selling phenomenon complete with simple language, is the first novel by the Latin American author Laura Esquivel. This raunchy original story in monthly portions, takes you through an apocalyptic journey along with Tita, as she searches for authority and justice. As the youngest daughter of an all-female family, Tita De La Garza falls victim to the tradition which states that she is unable to wed her one true love- Pedro. Instead, Tita must tend to all her tyrannical mother's needs for the rest of her life and simply watch as her sister Rosaura romances her soul mate..... Set during the changing times of the Mexican Revolution, you'll be conveyed into a world full of rich Mexican culture. The exotic descriptions of Tita's intense culinary creations will leave your mouth watering. The images of a denied relationship between two star crossed lovers will provoke your senses, as the brand of magical realism speaks for itself. When all the ingredients are combined, the mature flavours of a thrilling ending emerge, placing the entire novel into perspective. A hearty, piquant tale for lovers everywhere.

I picked this book up for free at an orchard, they have a great book give away system. I had heard of this before but never read it. It was okay, but I'm sure I'll never read it again. The story is about 3 sisters and their mom on a ranch is Mexico. The older sister marries the younger one's love, and the story takes off. The problem is, I didn't connect with any of these characters. They story would have grim reality, then fantasy in the next paragraph. I can undrestand why some people would enjoy this, but it's not my thing. I think this is one of those books that you'll love or hate. If you love this book, you'll be shaking your head and wondering what's wrong with me that I didn't like it. If you didn't care for it, you'll understand what I'm saying. Whatever, to each their own.