Like Water for Chocolate

Rating:
Summary: The power of emotions
Review: "Like Water for Chocolate" combines the techniques of magical realism with sensual romance and magnificent cooking to create a truly unique novel. We are taken through the life of Tita De La Garza, the passionate woman stuck between a forbidden love and the wrath of her traditional mother. We follow her through her struggle to find love and individuality while balancing her extraordinary gift to enchant the kitchen. Through the monthly installments in the novel you will get a small taste of what life was like in the twentieth century in Mexico yet also see the world through the intense emotion that guides you through the pages. The vivid symbols of heat and fire permeate the novel and arouse strong emotions of lust and love. If the intensity of the novel does not keep the pages turning then the recipes that are uniquely woven into the story surely will. I recommend this novel to anybody who is interested in a quick read that keeps you coming back every time you put the book down.

Rating:
Summary: A savory and satisfying story
Review: "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel is a mystical love story, Mexican cookbook and home-remedy guide combined into a captivating novel that stands out among other modern works as a truly unique story. The novel begins around 1910, the time of the Mexican revolution. The story follows the life of the main character, Tita de la Garza, from birth to death as she struggles to gain her own independence, discover her true self and win the love of her life. Tita is the youngest daughter of three girls and due to the family tradition that states that the youngest daughter must care for her mother until she dies, she alone is responsible to care for her tyrannical mother on their small ranch for the rest of her days and doomed to never marry or have children. Tita is affected by this terrible tradition when the love of her life, Pedro Muzquiz, comes to ranch to ask for her hand in marriage and is denied by the cruel Mama Elena. He is offered Tita's sister Rosaura instead and he accepts, with the thought that if he marries Rosaura, he will at least be able to live in the same house as Tita, even though he won't be able to openly show his love for her. The novel progresses from this point in monthly installments, each entitled with a recipe that precedes the chapter. The entire structure of the novel is dependent on these recipes because the main episodes of each chapter involve the preparation and consumption of the dishes that these recipes create. Esquivel creates characters that are very easy to get attached to and scenes that are very memorable throughout the course of the novel. John Brown, the kind and gentle doctor, is Tita's savior in the story and Esquivel warms the reader's heart with his endless compassion and loving nature. Also, the scene in which the heat from Tita's sister's body ignites the outside shower and sends her running naked and terrified into the arms of a revolutionary soldier who scoops her up onto his horse to make passionate love to her, leaves the reader laughing and also astonished at the surprising events. Esquivel uses this "magical realism" throughout the novel to create an intriquing plot that the reader just can't tear away from. Tita's strength and struggles in life make her a character that you can relate to and someone who you will remember from literature forever. "Like Water for Chocolate" is an excellent novel for anyone who likes reading about other cultures and anyone who appreciates a good romance novel without the cheesy and sappy nature of so many other love stories. This book will leave you hungry for both Mexican cooking and the passion in your life that can only come from true love.

Rating:
Summary: Unique Love Story
Review: "Like Water For Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel was an inspiring novel about a unique love story. It is unique in that it related the emotions of love, anger, and despair into monthly recipes prepared by the De la Garzas, specifically the love stricken Tita. The novel begins the descriptions of home life on the Mexican ranch and evolves the love felt between Tita and a boy named Pedro. A marriage between the two is forbidden because of Tita's fate to be Mama Elena's care taker until she passes on, which follows the family tradition of the youngest daughter. The love never dies between the two even after the arranged marriage between Rosaura, Tita's sister, and Pedro. This became an obstacle as well as a strategy for Pedro to be closer to Tita. Life dealt the family hardships but Pedro and Tita's love for each other only grew until the end when it caught fire. The addition of the family's recipes, the relationships between characters, and the undying bond of two lovers is sure to enrapture any reader's interest!

Rating:
Summary: The Power of Love...and Food
Review: Although "Like Water for Chocolate" is, outwardly, the doomed love story of Tita and Pedro, it is really a story of the power of women in a family. The story takes place in a Mexican border town around the year 1910. Even though Tita and Pedro are two young people very desperately in love, when Pedro asks for permission to marry Tita, her widowed, dictatorial mother, Mama Elena, denies it. The way she sees things, it is the duty of her youngest daughter to carry on the family tradition and care for her...until the day she dies. And, the youngest daughter just happens to be...Tita. Mama Elena does have another plan in mind, however, and she suggests that Pedro marry her less marriageable, oldest daughter, Rosaura, instead. Pedro accepts, but he has reasons that don't involve love...at least not love for Rosaura.

Brokenhearted, Tita proceeds to channel all of her passion and energy into her cooking instead. Thinking of Pedro and knowing he will be her one and only love, Tita weeps into Pedro's and Rosaura's wedding cake as she prepares the batter. This has very unusual consequences...when the guests eat the cake, they all beging to weep, overcome with nostalgia and sadness at the thought of their first love. Even the hard-hearted Mama Elena is not unaffected.

The book is narrated by Tita's grand-niece (who seems to be Esquivel, herself), who has inherited Tita's beautiful, old book of handwritten recipes and her extraordinary talent for cooking. While some of the recipes that Tita prepares are contained in "Like Water for Chocolate," I wouldn't attempt them. Without Tita's magic, they simply don't work, but they are very interesting. The thrust of this story, however, remains on Tita and her love for Pedro. And on Tita's cooking.

Unable to love Pedro outwardly, Tita continues to channel all of her love into her cooking. When Pedro gives her a dozen roses as a sign of his continuing love for her, Tita is ordered to throw them away. Rather than do that, however, she prepares quail with rose petal sauce. The dish turns out to be a powerful aphrodisiac; the effects on Tita's sister, Gertrudis, are extraordinary and actually change the entire course of her life.

Legends abound in this book and one of the most powerful says that if anyone experiences the height of emotion and love, a door to eternity will open, for just a second, allowing them to walk through. This legend will come to have the most powerful influence of all.

Since this book seems to be made up old family stories, traditions and legends, it has a nostalgic feel to it as well as being a powerful love story. And, despite this being a love story, the emphasis is on the six women characters; men hover at the periphery of this book and their personalities are not highly developed.

Of course, things do not proceed smoothly for Pedro and Rosaura, but then they do not proceed smoothly for Pedro and Tita, either. Or do they? Given the book's ending, I found it difficult to decide. But the book did end in a very fitting manner and one that was very satisfying.

The title of the book is particularly apt. In Mexico, hot chocolate is very strong and is made with water rather than with milk. The water is brought to a boil and then the chocolate is spooned into it (there is one scene in the book in which hot chocolate is made). A person in the throes of romantic excitement is said to be in a state "like water for chocolate."

In "Like Water for Chocolate," almost everyone seems to be in this heightened state, at least part of the time. And the catalyst is always the passionate Tita, who pours her life and herself into her cooking, creating food so filled with magic that it can make people laugh or cry or literally catch fire with desire.

"Like Water for Chocolate" inspired the appearance of many "food oriented" books, but none of them even came close to catching the magic and the passion of this one. This is an entertaining book and one that is quite unique. It should be very enjoyable reading for anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Love, Recipes and Magical Realism
Review: "Like Water for Chocolate," is a story about Tita, the daughter of a manipulative and cruel mother, who is forced to sacrifice her happiness with her one true love, Pedro. According to Tita's mother, it is the duty of the youngest daughter to care for her mother until death. Tita assumes the responsibility of cook on her mother's ranch and Tita's has a special gift; she is able to translate her emotions into her food. Those that indulge in her dishes share in her rage, lust, and pain.

I found "Like Water for Chocolate" to be a quick, entertaining read, but I was disappointed in the lack of substance to the novel. Perhaps I was expecting more of a social commentary on Mexican society during the Mexican Revolution. But I also felt cheated because Esquivel chooses not to give more of a history of each of the characters. The novel spans a thirty year period, yet, we as the reader, are left with only snippets of Tita's life, her struggles with her mother, sisters, and Pedro, leaving us to wonder how she ended up at certain points in her life. The characters seemed too one - dimensional and flat, by the end of the novel, I barely had an understanding as to why certain characters behaved in certain ways, nor did I feel much of a resolution at the end. I would suggest "Like Water For Chocolate" for those looking for a quick read, that has some bright spots and not much thinking involved.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful in Both Languages
Review: I loved this book so much that I read it twice in English and once in Spanish. It's equally beautiful and poetic in both languages. Like Water for Chocolate is the story of a woman named Tita who is denied the pleasure of marrying the man she loves because of a family tradition that says the youngest daughter must dedicate her life to caring for her mother. Tita's mother is so cruel that she not only forbids Tita from marrying her lover, but also convinces him to marry Tita's older sister. He agrees because he knows it is the only way he can be close to Tita. Throughout the book, Tita pours her various emotions into her cooking, which has powerful and mysterious effects on those who eat it. Rather than making the story seem unreal, these magical events make the emotions of the novel more powerful and real to the reader. This novel is far more than a love story. It is a picture of an entire Mexican family, and how each individual is affected by Mama Elena's cruelty and the affair between Tita and Pedro. In the end, even Mama Elena becomes human when the reason for her cruelty is revealed.

Rating:
Summary: Encountered emotions and passions.
Review: I enjoyed reading Like Water for Chocolate, because the strange things that happened in every chapter. For example, the controversial ideas about love and how a family tradition could interfere between two people to get married. Also, how food can be affected by people's bad or good mood.
This novel keeps the reader very interested to know what will happen in the next chapter.

I think, the author has a great imagination. CONGRATULATIONS TO LAURA ESQUIVEL, THIS IS A GREAT BOOK!!!!

Rating:
Summary: family tradition
Review: I enjoyed reading the book ,Like the water for chocolate . It was very good book it was talking about family tradition, theme, or food about some people were life in Mexico before two handrad years. Also it talked about real love in that time it was so different then the love now .The hero was the author's great aunt. Her name was Tita De la garza. Her mother was Mama Elena. Tita was the youngest daughter. Her father died two days after she was born
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The tradition in her family said the youngest daughter is supposed to take care of her mother until the day she died .Tita was in love with one man his name was Pedro, but Tita can not marry him that her family tradition said. Mama Elena said Pedro can marry Tita oldest sister. her name was Rosaura and they live with Tita at the same house ,that was too much for Tita .Tita cooked and cleaned for every body in the ranch. Her mother treated Tita so bad .

After a few years Tita thought she loved anther man his name was Dr Brown, Dr Brown wanted to marry Tita. Before they celebrated their wedding Tita lose her virginity .then she knew the truth that she was not in love with him. Tita still loved Pedro and her mother died and her sister Rosaura too, so she had chance to marry her love after twenty two years. But some thing was strong was happen some thing they did not think about. Pedro died and Tita killed herself.

I recommend this book to every one .

Rating:
Summary: family tradition and their consequences on the society
Review: My general opinion about the book has two things - positive and negative:
The positive thing: I think the book shows so many delicious meals, many recipes from old family tradition, the second thing is the author likes to show us what kind of relationship between mother and her youngest daughter with strictness and hardness. The daughter intended to protest the mother's ruling. Also the beginning of the story was wonderful especially showing strong love between the daughter and her lover.

The negative thing is the author uses a lot of imagination at the end of the story and it's impossible to believe it is real. Maybe she preferred to do that for reason to show the readers how a big love ends with a big sacrifice from the daughter.

In general, all characters of the story played a good role. This novel focuses a lot on two things - only recipes and romance.

There is no doubt that every one who will read this book he will enjoy a good time.

Rating:
Summary: An unpredictable love story
Review: It is an unpredictable love story, between two young teenagers called, PEDRO and TITA who lived a tormented life, because of family tradition that involved excessive false morality; MAMA ELENA, who was in charge of the ranch, the mother, who imposed severe rules, was implicated in secret loves and betrayal.

Food play an important role in this novel, recipes ingredients preparation, and emotional situation of the cook, engender an enormous repercussion in every animals and people, those food had transformed and stimulated them to be happy, angry, sad, having rare sexual behavior. Also we found an amorous triangle between PEDRO, TITA and JOHN a lot of differences between the rivals, PEDRO, was young , so emotional, hot, sometimes nasty; JOHN, gentleman, calm, educated person, experienced.

This is an interesting book, which transported me in a world of passion, love adventure, sadness, and happiness was written in a popular language easy to understand, the writer show us how weak the human being is , sometime afraid to make decision . I love the way TITA, manipulated people with the preparation of the food producing euphoria, sorrow, digestive problem, flatulence, etc.