"Like Water for Chocolate"

Author: Laura Esquivel
Genre: Magical Realism
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1992
Pages: 256
My Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: This internationally popular romantic fable from Mexico centers on a young woman who discovers that her cooking has magical effects. The tale's heroine, Tita, is the youngest of three daughters in a traditional Mexican family. Bound by tradition to remain unmarried while caring for her aging mother, Tita nevertheless falls in love with a handsome young man named Pedro. Pedro returns her affection, but he cannot overcome her family's disapproval, and he instead marries Tita's elder sister. The lovestruck young woman is brutally disappointed, and her sadness has such force that it infects her cooking: all who eat it her feel her heartbreak with the same intensity. This newly discovered power continues to manifest itself after the wedding, as Tita and Pedro, overcome by their denied love, embark on a secret affair. Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in tum-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit.

Review: I'm pretty sure the author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake took the idea for that book from this one. Once I accepted the far-fetched nature and style of this particular genre it was easy to enjoy this quick read. I got a little too involved in the characters lives insofar that if I were one of Tita's friends I would have had something to say about her choices. I also would have written a different ending, although I find that just because a book doesn't end the way I would have chosen, it can still be a good ending. If you're interested, Like Water for Chocolate has also been made into a movie, and the author wrote the screenplay as well.