Like Water for Chocolate
1 journaler for this copy...
I picked this one up at Goodwill. It was an interesting read that was a bit difficult to initially get into. The bit where Tita put her emotions into her food was there, but only faintly. In reading the book jacket I was expecting more along the lines of the movie 'Simply Irresistable' in that respect. But this was more subtle. I'm not sure the months needed defined, because I had assumed this book would take place in one year, which it doesn't. I was confused at times, until December, you never really knew how much time had passed.
From the book jacket...
The number one best-seller in Mexico in 1990, 'Like Water for Chocolate' is a romantic, poignant tale, touched with bittersweet moments of magic and sensuality. Evocative of 'How to Make An American Quilt' in structure, 'Tampopo' in its celebration of food, and 'Heartburn' in it's irony and wit, it is a lively and funny tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico.
The narrator's great-aunt Tita is the youngest of 3 daughters born to Mama Elena, the tyrannical owner of the De la Garza ranch. While still in her mothers womb, she wept so violently - as her mother chopped onions - that she caused Mama Elena to begin early labor, and Tita slipped out in the middle of the kitchen table, amid the spices and fixings for noodle soup. This early encounter with food soon became a way of life, and Tita grew up to be a master chef. Each chapter of the novel begins with one of Tita's recipes and her careful instructions for preparation.
In well-born Mexican families, tradition dictates that the youngest daughter not marry, but remain at home to care for her mother. Even though Tita has falled in love, Mama Elena chooses not to make an exception, and instead, arranges for Tita's older sister to marry Tita's young man.
In order to punish Tita for her willfulness, Mama Elena forces her to bake the wedding cake. The bitter tears Tita weeps while stirring the batter provoke a remarkable reaction among the guests who eat the cake. It is then that it first becomes apparanet that her culinary talents are unique.
Laura Esquivel's voice is direct, simple, and compelling. She has written a fresh and innovative novel, bringing her own inimitable strengths to a classic love story.
From the book jacket...
The number one best-seller in Mexico in 1990, 'Like Water for Chocolate' is a romantic, poignant tale, touched with bittersweet moments of magic and sensuality. Evocative of 'How to Make An American Quilt' in structure, 'Tampopo' in its celebration of food, and 'Heartburn' in it's irony and wit, it is a lively and funny tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico.
The narrator's great-aunt Tita is the youngest of 3 daughters born to Mama Elena, the tyrannical owner of the De la Garza ranch. While still in her mothers womb, she wept so violently - as her mother chopped onions - that she caused Mama Elena to begin early labor, and Tita slipped out in the middle of the kitchen table, amid the spices and fixings for noodle soup. This early encounter with food soon became a way of life, and Tita grew up to be a master chef. Each chapter of the novel begins with one of Tita's recipes and her careful instructions for preparation.
In well-born Mexican families, tradition dictates that the youngest daughter not marry, but remain at home to care for her mother. Even though Tita has falled in love, Mama Elena chooses not to make an exception, and instead, arranges for Tita's older sister to marry Tita's young man.
In order to punish Tita for her willfulness, Mama Elena forces her to bake the wedding cake. The bitter tears Tita weeps while stirring the batter provoke a remarkable reaction among the guests who eat the cake. It is then that it first becomes apparanet that her culinary talents are unique.
Laura Esquivel's voice is direct, simple, and compelling. She has written a fresh and innovative novel, bringing her own inimitable strengths to a classic love story.
Setting out at my mom's garage sale so people can take them and read them for free!
