Rating: 
Summary: Like Water for Chocolate
Review: Laura Esquivel's novel Like Water for Chocolate is one of the best ways I can think of to spend an afternoon. Her writing is so fluid, so deliciously entertaining, that the story takes on a mind of its own as the characters come alive. Not only is the book extremely difficult to put down, but readers may find themselves running to the kitchen at every available opportunity with excruciating hunger pains due to the scrumptious recipes in every chapter. Set in on a small Mexican ranch during the Civil War, each chapter is woven into the story by the introduction of a traditional Mexican recipe, the cooking of which then relates to what is already happening in the book. Each new recipe, more delicious than the next, provides the framework for each chapter. One of the wonderful parts of the story is the "magic realism" Esquivel has steeped her book with. Readers' imaginations are free to run wild through a maze of exploding showers, erotic rose petals, and oceans of tears while becoming deeply engrossed in the story. Fall in love with Pedro and then cry bitter tears with Tita as her love is taken away. Laugh with Gertrudis and then cringe at the pain of a slap from Mama Elena. Esquivel has created the kind of book you want to consume in one setting and then are sorry afterwards you didn't savor the exquisite flavor, and instead have to settle for its sweet aftertaste.
Rating: 
Summary: Tears, heartbreak and sleepless nights
Review: True love or just an infatuation? How many sacrifices would you make for the one you love?In the unique novel 'Like water for chocolate', Laura Esquivel weaves both misfortune and conquest to create a romantic love story with a twist. Pain, heartache and anguish are not signs of true love but for a young girl, a sign for dreams to be realised. As Tita entered this world with her she carried a burden, a Mexican tradition, to never marry. Being the youngest daughter her plans in life were already determined as she is obligated to care for her mother. Tita encounters many obstacles, but the largest difficulty is trying to abide by her mother's commands. Due to the fact that her mother is possessive, domineering, inconsiderate and powerful, causes distance within their relationship. As Tita struggles to understand her mother's ways and fights for her rights, she slowly forms hatred and resentment against the one who gave her life. Tita begins to wonder if she is experiencing discipline or just plain cruelty. In Tita's eyes her chance to ever love is non-existent but Pedro, a family friend, is willing to defy the absurd tradition and prove Tita wrong. The man she could learn to love is standing right before her, but in many ways out of reach. To Tita's distress Pedro marries her older sister but with intentions to get closer to Tita. This is when temptations become hard to ignore and the fantasies of passion and lust start to take over their values in life. Falling deeply in love with one another seems a sin, but neither can control the feeling and many hearts are shattered. It is a story that demonstrates the trials involved with love and the consequences often experienced in order to grasp it harder. How many sacrifices would you make for the one you love?
Rating:
Summary: A magical tale of love
Review: LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE is a real but magical story telling an enchanted tale of love. Laura Esquivel has managed to grab my emotions and taste buds (with a recipe at the begging of each chapter), throughout the whole story. This magical story of love is set in the early 19th century in Mexico, during the revolution. It tells the story of how the De La Garza family live, but particularly focuses on Tita De La Garza. Tita is the youngest of three daughters, and because of this, she is destined to live her mothers cruel family tradition- to care for her mother until she dies. The tradition forbids Tita of love and marriage, which is the only thing holding her back when she falls in love with a young man called Pedro. Tita and Pedro fall in love, but when he asks her mother for Tita's hand in marriage, Mama Elena fiercely rejects advising Pedro to marry her older daughter- Rosaura. As this is the only way Pedro is able to get close to Tita, he marries Rosaura not for love but in desperation. Tita was not raised by her mother, but in the kitchen with the servants. With this upbringing Tita develops a great talent in cooking. Tita cooked all the meals in the house, which keeps her sane throughout her Mothers harsh treatment. Food becomes Tita's way of expressing her emotions, including her forbidden love for Pedro. The story turns magical through Tita's cooking. Whatever emotion she is feeling when she is cooking a meal leads people who were eating the meal to experience her emotions, whether it is love, anger, or pain as she longs for Pedro's love. Tita and Pedro have to circle each other in their passion while living under the same roof. Mama Elena does everything in her power to keep them as far apart as possible, leaving Tita defeated and lonely. Finally Tita's emotions and frustration lead her to standing up to her Mother, turning their lives up-side-down. Tita leaves the ranch and soon becomes engaged to the local doctor, John. An unforeseen tragedy brings Tita back to the family home, reuniting her with Pedro and Rosaura, who she will never forgive for marrying the love of her life. The story goes on from here resulting in further tragedy, bad luck and true love. LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE teaches the rules of true love and the extreme one will go to follow their heart to have it. The magical tale results unexpectedly, giving the novel the brilliant rating that it deserves. I enjoyed it from cover to cover, experiencing emotions and curiosity the whole way through.
Rating: 
Summary: One Tru Love
Review: "Like Water For Chocolate" is one great novel, which I enjoyed. Its a story about the family tradition that doesn't seem right for one member of the family to follow. Nina, who is the youngest daughter of Mama Elena was designated to take care of her till the day she die. Nina didn't think it was fair, but she cannot do anything about it since her mom Elena is offended to take any opinion that come out of Nina's mouth. In the past life of Mama Elena, she was raised by a very strict family that follows the same tradition. A tradition to "take care of the mother till they die." Mama Elena found this tradition to be insane. Besides, Mama Elena was the one chosen to take care of her mother as well. Mama Elena has a secret love, the love of her life, but when her parents found out about it, they take them far away from each other. Mama Elena kept her feeling strong to the person she love. And they plan to run away, but it didn't work. The day they plan to run away, Mama Elena's love of ther life was killed by an unknown man. Mama Elena then was forced to get married to this guy she never intended and dream to live life with for the rest of her life. Mama Elena became a mother of three daughter. Gertrudis, Rosaura, and Nina. Gertrudis is the oldest, who's father is the first love of Elena. Rosaura and Nina are real sisters, who's father is the one that Mama Elena was forced to get married with. Nina is the youngest who designated to take care of Mama Elena. Nina was truly in-love to Pedro, the love of her life. They have really strong relationship that even Mama Elena couldn't take the two apart from each other. Mama Elena warned Nina not to get near of Pedro. Until one day, Pedro and his father went to the ranch, Mama Elena's house, and asked to marry her daughter Nina. Unfortunately, Mama Elena refused and told Pedro that he cannot marry Nina because of the fact that Nina would be the one to take care of her until she die. Then Mama Elena offered her older daughter Rosaura to Pedro to marry her. Pedro accepted it and they get married right away. When Nina found out about the desicion of Pedro, Nina was broken hearted. But what she don't know is, Pedro has a plan. Pedro explained everything to Nina and Nina understood it. Perdro and Nina kept their relationship the same and in secret. Until Mama Elena die. The two finally had the freedom, which they struggled to have from the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: Love is Difficult
Review: I recently read a book named Like Water for Cholocate for my Word Literature class. It is a story about recipes, romances, and home remedies. Each time that a new chapter started there is a recipe or a home remedy. There is also the explanation of how to cook it. The story talks about the Mexican history that belongs to a young woman who gets in love, but couldn't get married because of her family tradition. The tradition was that the youngest daughter couldn't get married because she had to take care of her mother. So the time was going on, and the boy that she loved got married with her sister and had a baby, but still she was seeing him because they were living on the same house. There, he told her that he loved her, but that he got married with her sister to be near her. There were also sometimes when she had to take care of the baby. She loved him because he was the son from the men she loved. So when he died, she almost went crazy. Affortunatelly, there was a doctor who loved her, and helped her on everything he could. They were knowing each other and he asked her to marry him. She accepted him, but when he was traveling, she had sex with her sister's husband. There she thought that she was pregnant, but in reality it wasn't true. I think that it is very sad and difficult to be living with the boy that you love and who also loves you, but knowing that he belongs to your sister. I would recommended this book to people who like to read romantic histories and who like to know how sometimes the cultures or traditions can hurt us or hurt the ones that we love.
Rating:
Summary: An intense love affair never to be forgotten
Review: "Like water for chocolate" is an exciting, mystical, sensual and magical adventure formed by two people madly in love and devoted to each other through love, passion and romance. "Like water for chocolate" is the first novel written by a Mexican author Laura Esquivel who has since gone on and written other various novels such as "House of spirits" which maintains a focus on magical realism. This emotional, traditional and love story was set in the 1900 during the Mexican revolution. The central characters Tita and Pedro form a lustful and rebellious relation ship hidden away from the eyes of Tita's mother, who has forbidden Tita to marry. This is due to the true tradition of the family. This astounding novel has displayed creativity and visual words that draw the reader deeper and deeper into the true meaning of this amazing and inspiring novel. " Like water for chocolate" opens the mind and heart to the traditional and secrets by old Mexican recipes that were shared through out this novel. Each recipe is cooked with love and laughter, each chapter is started off with one of these amazing recipes and the magical feeling becomes alive. Over a period of 12 months the love, sadness, triumph, laughter and heartbreak are all shared with each character, each character defines the realistic affect although the realism and magical adventures almost seem real as if it could occur in somebodies everyday life. "Like water for chocolate" is an easy and relaxing book to read the language is traditional although interesting to read. This astonishing and wonderful novel is an experience that should not be missed.
Rating:
Summary: A story of forbidden love.
Review: Laura Esquivel's first novel 'Like Water For Chocolate', is a romantic, magical, dramatic story, based on a young girl's life. It is full of rivalry, death, birth, marriage, and forgiveness. However, the main part of the story is based around justice, cultural traditions and forbidden love. The novel contains genres such as recipes, which start of each chapter, and the story is told through the eyes of Tita's niece's daughter. It is a story which contains real life events, average people, and real emotions. The story is set in Mexico, during the early 20th century, during the revolution. The main character, Tita, is daughter to a dead father and cruel, dominating mother, and sister to an unloyal sister and passionate, free-spirited woman. Tita was the youngest of 3 girls, and so it was her destiny to care for her mother until she died. When Tita fell victim to a forbidden love, she was forced to resist all temptations, as she could never marry. Tita had to watch her older sister, Rosaura, marry her own true love, Pedro. Tita was devastated by this, but was reassured by Pedro that he only married her sister to be closer to her, and his marriage to Rosaura was loveless. As Tita persisted to resist Pedro, she developed a great deal of emotions that could never be expressed. As a result, these emotions went into the food that she cooked. Tita had many obstacles in her life which seemed impossible to overcome. This novel contains many metaphors. It is cleverly written, and holds many creative thoughts, and well described emotions.
Rating:
Summary: A Tale of Unrequited Love..
Review: "Like Water For Chocolate" is an enchanting and compelling love story written by Latin American author Laura Esquivel, who weaves her magic through descriptive words that set a realistic and vivid scene for the story. Against a backdrop of killing, fighting and a conquest for justice, this tale unfolds throughout monthly chapters to reveal the heartbreaking story of Tita, the youngest daughter of the De La Garza family. Bound by tradition and doomed to a life caring for her dominating and cruel mother until she dies, Tita's future appears a bleak one. At the tender age of sixteen, her heart is captured by the dark and handsome Pedro and they fall in love. From then on begins Tita's personal journey of self discovery, heartbreak and uncertainty. Events take a turn for the worse as Tita is forced to watch distraught from a distance as her sister Rosaura marries her one true love. In the years that follow, Tita overcomes challenging obstacles that force her to look at the harsh reality of her life. Events in the story eventually build to a climax and combine for an unforseen and poignant ending. This magical, unique and sensual story takes you far away from reality as you enter into the world of the easy to relate to characters. Each month comes with a new and enticing creation straight from Tita's kitchen and the very essence of her character, for you to create. This easy to read story would be particularly appealing to anyone who has faith in perpetual love and to anyone who believes nothing is impossible where love is concerned.
Rating:
Summary: Like Water for Chocolate will make your mouth water
Review: I recently read this book Like Water for Chocolate for my World Literature class and right off the bat remembered that I read it before. Like Water for Chocolate is a high school level book and that was about the time I initially read it. At first I did not find it interesting but it soon captured my attention. I enjoyed this novel about love, sex, war, and romance. It is a Mexican cookbook and home-remedy handbook all rolled into one. The story is of the Mexican history of a young woman who was in love, but couldn't get married because of the family tradition. There are 12 chapters and each time that a new chapter started, with a recipe, the explanation of how to cook it and the experience of the family. The youngest daughter, named Tita, couldn't get married because she had to take care of her mother. Tita was in love but the time was going on and the boy that she loved got married to her sister and stayed near because they were living in the same house. Her sister had a baby but sometimes Tita had to take care of the baby. She loved the baby because he was the son from the man that she loved. The changes that happened in the life of the people in this family make a very interesting story. It is enjoyable reading to see what happens with each sister . I think that it is very difficult to be living with the men you love and who also loves you, but knowing that he belongs to your sister. I would recommend this book to people who like to read romantic history and who like to know how sometimes the cultures or traditions can hurt us or hurt the ones that we love. The ending has a surprise that may not please the reader.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read
Review: Like Water for Chocolate captured my interest, and my taste buds, from the very first page on. The novel is the fascinating story of a Mexican girl, Tita, whose mother, Mama Elena, forbids her to marry her lover, Pedro, due to a cruel family custom. Food thus becomes Tita's connection to the outside world. Tita uses the food dishes that she prepares for her family as ways of expressing both her different emotions and, most importantly, her profound love for Pedro. Esquivel's technique of writing the novel in monthly installments, incorporating recipes at the beginning of each chapter into the text of each chapter makes the novel even more interesting to read. This unique characteristic ties the story of Tita together on a higher level, and also is my favorite aspect of the novel. In addition, the novel is a good example of magic realism. Throughout the entire novel, common events are often portrayed in an unreal, strange manner. Such is the case when Tita realizes that she is not pregnant and also when Tita meets with Dr. Brown's dead grandmother. Esquivel therefore effectively uses magic realism to convey to the reader the emotions and passion so central to the novel. I highly recommend Like Water for Chocolate to all A.P. students. Not only is it an excellent story, but it also is an example of a type of literature that most high school students are not normally exposed to in high school. The novel's South American origin, and also its incorporation of magic realism, makes it extremely different from any other novel that my class read this past year. Like Water For Chocolate would therefore be a good book to add to the AP curriculum next year if only for the contrast that it would subsequently provide to the other works that are already permanently etched in the course.
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