Like Water for Chocolate
by Laura Esquivel
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Book Summary Information
Author: Laura EsquivelReader: Yareli Arizmendi
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Abridged, Audiobook
Published: 2006-05-02
ISBN: 0739334190
Publisher: Random House Audio
Book Reviews of Like Water for Chocolate
Book Review: Applauding the legendary Like Water for Chocolate
Summary: 4 Stars
Laura Esquirel presents a book of magic, love, and destiny from the land of Mexico in her acclaimed novel Como Agua para Chocolate, which is translated as Like Water for Chocolate. The novel is about the story of Tita who, as the youngest daughter of the tyrannical Mama Elena, is oppressed by a family tradition that forbids her to leave her mother as long as she lives. The man of Tita's dreams, Pedro, marries her sister Rosaura when the matriarchal Mama Elena refuses to give her blessing of matrimony between Tita and Pedro. Upon the marriage between Pedro and Rosaura begins a life-long feud filled with jealousy, deception, passion, and, ultimately, love. Like Water for Chocolate is narrated by Tita's grand-niece who interweaves the recipes of her great-aunt with her legendary story. This novel incorporated with humor, sorrow, magic, and true love, represents an originally eccentric fairytale story.
The story of Tita has the basic fairytale style in which an obstacle prevents her from following her dream. Her evil and oppressive mother forbids her to marry her love while her sister "steals" that very love from her. Mama Elena is depicted as an spiteful and dictatorial mother who has no compassion for her daughter Tita. Mama Elena imposes on Tita the family tradition that she must serve her mother until her death. Restricted by this unfortunate fate, Tita is not able to fulfill her ambitions. Even though Rosaura is not a formidable sister, she is caught in her mother's scheme to marry Tita's love, Pedro. Hence, Mama Elena and Rosaura's character serve to represent the impediment in Tita's life.
Each chapter of the novel begins with a recipe that relates or reflects the highlight of the particular chapter. Tita perceives her duty to cook for the family as a privilege she cherishes. Tita has no right in the household of Mama Elena; however, cooking serves as means of expressing her conflicting emotions. Tita's emotions, sorrow, anger or happiness, emerge out in her cooking. For instance, as Tita is preparing her sister and Pedro's wedding meal, she weeps absorbed by a heart ache and grief. When the guests start eating the meal she made, they all start to remember lamenting moments in their lives and begin to weep to ruin her sister's wedding. Tita's cooking has magical effect on those that consume her meal by causing them to experience the emotions she is enduring. While the recipes in each chapter depict the rich culture of Mexico, they by enlarge, serve to metaphorically represent Tita's state of mind.
Esquirel's use of magical realism in the novel contributes to the fairytale aspect of the story. The final scene of the novel represents the most eccentrically magical and romantic moment in the story. Tita and Pedro are finally together after her sister's death. As they are lying in bed in state of bliss, Pedro dies. Upon realization of his death, Tita she begins to eat a box of candles one by one. As she chews, she lies next to Pedro's dead body and thinks of all the fondest and brightest memories she had with him, which causes their bodies to set in flames. As their bodies burn in the flames, Tita and Pedro's soul join and lives on forever. This uniquely romantic ending interweaved with magical realism finalizes Esquirel fairytale.
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