Like Water for Chocolate

Rating:
Summary: More than just a love story
Review: Like water for chocolate is truly a book that has a big effect on the reader. No matter who you are, you will be moved by the rollercoaster of emotions that is this story. Set in Mexico at the turn of the century, this book brings people's old fashioned traditions and beleifs back to life. At times it causes the reader to cry, other times it causes frustation, but always keeps you wondering what will happen next. Like water for chocolate is the story of a girl in mexico at the turn of the century who lives with her widowed mother and two sisters. Tita is the youngest of the three so she is expected to remain by her mothers side and care for her. Complication arrises when Tita fall in love with Pedro and he asks her to marry him. Tita's mother denies him the opportuntity and offers him her oldest daughter Rosaura. He agrees in order to remain colse to Tita, however, Tita is not aware of this and suffers because of what she thinks is Pedro's betrayal. This book is filled with strong emotions that are triggered by different recipes. Everytime Tita feels a certain way she cooks a new recipe to go with her mood and whoever eats it is overcome by her emotions that go into her cooking. I really like the way this book is structured. Every chapter there is a new recipe and every chapter a new emotion is introduced to the reader. In addition to the interesting structure there is a wonderfull plot about womens' supposed inferiority next to men. Besides being a love story, it's a story of triumph. It's about a women who overcomes the barriers that are put in her way in order to be with the person she loves. Eventhough the book doesn't end halfway through their life and they don't live "happily ever after", this makes it truer to life. However, eventhough this ending is hackneyed we still crave it and are disapointed when we don't get the happy ending we want. I know I was dissapointed with the ending of the book. Eventhough thats the way life really is we don't want to see it because it makes us reflect on our life. This book had a little of everything and it took us through a lot of situations which are unimaginable. It taught me that even a person might be thought to be inferior or not as worthy they can still make a difference. Women can still fight for what they want and obtain it. This book happens to be fiction but just because it isn't true that doesn't mean it didn't happen. We had and still have a lot of discrimination in our world and as a women it's good to read books that encourage women to learn that they can fight against what they don't think is fair wether its in the year 1900 or the year 2000.

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Summary: Like Chocolate for water
Review: I thought this was a great book. I takes you into the depressing life of the main charactor. You learn of how she has to throw all of her dreams away to take care of her mother, which is some kind of family tradition. She later on is hit with the hard with the fact,that the man she loves is marring her sister to be close to her. The mothers roll in this book is execellent. She does damage to the main charactors life in life and death. This is one of those sad and happy ending stories, and the kind of book that you never want to put down. It is like "Mama Day", ecept it's a lot eaiser to understand. Everything from the main charactor who was never pregnant breast feeding her nephew which the mother couldn't do, to the ghost of the mother.

Rating:
Summary: Like Water For Reading
Review: I did not like this book at all. It was entirely too mushy. I cannot believe that this is a woman lib book. I felt like yelling at the main character. I HATED the way she kept throwing herself at her sister's husband. He was a creep, she should have stayed with the doctor. I guess it's not that bad of a book, if your into mushy stuff, but that ending stunk. Sorry, just my opinion.

Rating:
Summary: Like Water For Chocolate
Review: Like water for chocolate has been one of the most incredible mixture of feelings, thoughts, and passions that made us as a reader vibrate. It is a thrilling and realistic Mexican soap- 0pera because of romance, war, and the sweep of history that belongs to women. A history with rules that had to be followed and obeyed, taking care of the parents, learning how to cook at a early age, and not being married to the person you love. These traditions affected Tita's life, because she had to spend most of her life taking care of her mother, and suffering through the lost of her lover.

Rating:
Summary: Like water for chocolate
Review: This book tells the story of a girl named Tita. Tita loves to cook, and the book is in monthly installments with recipes interspersed with the story of her life. Her boyfriend, Pedro, is set up to be married to her sister. Tita's mother won't let her get married because it is her destiny to take care of her mother until she dies, as she is the youngest girl, and that is the family tradition. The book follows her life - from when her sister Gertrudis ran away, to when Tita fell in love again. This bittersweet tale of love and loss is a short, easy book, and fun to read.

This book was good, overall, but at times, confusing. For example, you can't tell how many years there are between chapters. The chapters are monthly, so I thought that a month had passed when, really, it had been three years! Also, at times, it seems like the book is trying too hard...like the ending. The ending was a tad bit weird.

Rating:
Summary: Two Thumbs Up
Review: I read this book for my Modern Fiction class. My teacher suggested this book to me. I liked the title and the paraphrse of the book so I decided to give it a try. When I started out, I hated it. The beginning of each chapter were recipes. But after I realized the recipes set the plot, I immediately became interested. Tita, the main character, intrigued me. This book became my favorite after only two chapters. It gives a person background information on the Mexican traditions and helpful love and romance tips. I believe this book has helped me accomplish love interests more freely and easily. I have suggested this book to my school library and to my friends. I started reading this book to my guy friends and even they wanted to read it. I could not say anything bad about this book. There are some things I disagree with, but it only makes the book better. What makes me like this book so much is the fact that Tita reminds me of me in a weird way. I have dealt with or am dealing with the same dilemmas as she. I recommend this book to anyone who has wanted, lost or even found love in their life.

Rating:
Summary: Dessert for the mind
Review: I read this book after my friend had stayed up almost all night finishing it. So, always in search of a good book to read, I borrowed it from her. What I found was a book unlike anything else that I have ever read. It took me two days of not being able to put it down to finish this short book. The vivid descriptions that the author presents are truely a delight to the senses. Anyone who even has a little bit of the romantic and fanciful in their nature will enjoy what Laura Esquivel has cooked up for the reader. Why only four stars? It wasn't one of my all-time favorites, probably because I am one of those more "logic-minded" people. But it was a good right side of the brain stretch. Some friendly advice - don't read it on an empty stomach :)

Rating:
Summary: The Highly Impractical and Eccentric Becomes a Reality
Review: Tita, the third daughter of Mama Elena, is born in the kitchen. Because of this, she grows up to be a master chef. She falls in love with a man named Pedro. Yet, in well-born Mexican families, the youngest daughter cannot marry; she must stay home and take care of the mother. Tita is doomed by fate. Even though she is in love with him, Mama makes arrangements for Tita's sister to marry Pedro. As a punishment for her stubbornness, Mama Elena forces Tita to bake the wedding cake. Tita sobbs into the batter, which causes a very strange reaction among the guests who ate the cake. They all seem to become very sorrowful. In this, and other instances, Tita's culinary talents become apparent. "Like Water for Chocolate," by Laura Esquivel, is a wonderful example of the amazing effects that love and lust can have on the body and soul. Esquivel wants people to realize that some things should come before out-dated traditions. Anyone who reads this book will identify with it, because everyone is or has been on that search for a true love. Of Pedro's search for true love, he whispers this to Tita at his wedding with Tita's sister. "I'm sure I will be (very happy), since through this marriage I have gained what I really wanted; the chance to be near to you, the woman I really love . . ."(38). However ironic and twisted, his love is true.

Not only does Esquivel use traditional Mexican recipes to heighten the cultural atmosphere of the novel, she also uses magical realism. The magical realism weaves bits of culture into the novel, and also gives the reader a sense that anything wonderful and magical could really happen. After eating Tita's "Quail in Rose Petal Sauce," a strange feeling comes over the family. Gertrudis, Tita's sister, is especially affected. "The day they had quail, she had asked Tita to do the washing up for her. Gertrudis was really stricken; her whole body was dripping with sweat. Her sweat was pink, and it smelled like roses, a lovely strong smell"(53). One realizes that nothing this bizarre or remarkable could really come over Gertrudis after she ate quail. Yet, that it did happen in this enchanting, Mexican world makes the novel more enjoyable to the reader. The whole idea of magical realism is to make the reader believe that what seems to be highly impractical and eccentric becomes a reality.

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Summary: This is one of my favorite books ever!!
Review: The story takes place in 19th century Mexico. Each chapter starts with a recipe and the meals' instructions while working in the story of Tita. Tita is the youngest of three sisters and by tradition bound to never marry, but to care for her mother into old age. She grows up in the kitchen where she develops a magical relationship with the food she prepares. Whatever emotion Tita is experiencing while preparing the meals transfers to anyone who consumes them. This produces interesting results when she is forced to prepare the dishes for her eldest sister's wedding, who by luck of her birth order is to marry Tita's true love.

This is a short, easy to read, mystical romance told by Tita's grand niece who continues the tradition of her cooking. The entire novel is told as if you were a guest in the kitchen listening to a story as a meal is being prepared. This novel was also made into a popular movie. You can generally find it in the foreign film section of the video store either dubbed in English or in Spanish with English subtitles.

Rating:
Summary: Sensual, Erotic and Delicious
Review: One of the most amazing books I have read. Tita is the youngest daugher in her family, and as such, according to her family's tradition, she is doomed never to marry and to care for her tyrannical mother for the rest of her mother's life. When she finds Pedro, the love of her life, she can't have him. He marries Tita's sister, just to be near Tita. The only way for Tita to express her love to Pedro is through her cooking. Tita has a magical way with food. Whatever emotions Tita is feeling while cooking will be transferred to all those who eat the food. The obstacles that Tita and Pedro must overcome are daunting, and yet they still persevere.

This book inspired me to see the movie, which was also excellent (though I recommend reading the book first. It makes it easier to understand some of the symbolism).

This book will make you believe in true love! I guess it's true what they say: the way to a man's heart IS through his stomach!