Like Water for Chocolate; Laura Esquivel

Like Water for Chocolate is a simple novel of family conflicts and traditions, love, lust, and magic. It takes place on a Ranch on the Texas/Mexico border in the late nineteenth-century. Mama Elena is the widowed matriarch of the family. She has three daughters; Rosaura, Gertrudis, and Tita.
The story revolves around Tita, who as the youngest daughter, is sentenced to a life of service for her mother. Because of family tradition, Tita will never be able to marry or have children. To add to her tragic state of life, Tita falls in love with a young man by the name of Pedro. Because Tita is not allowed to marry, Mama Elena instead offers Pedro Tita’s seventeen year old sister, Rosaura. In a desperate attempt to be closer to Tita, Pedro accepts Mama Elenas offer and takes Rosaura to be his wife.
Laura Esquivel’s style of writing is one that, in my opinion, you either love or hate. The story is divided into twelve sections, one for each month of the year. Each section has its own recipe that has a special meaning. The recipes are spread out through the chapters and not incorporated as smoothly as one would expect. It feels like she just stops writing, puts in a section of the recipe, and then just picks up where she left off. This, in my opinion, takes away from the story itself.
Esquivel does a wonderful job of describing the events in the novel. Whether it be food, or a passionate love scene. Speaking of passionate love scenes…the novel is full of them. Like Water for Chocolate is considered sensual, erotic, and romantic by many. It’s a little sappy for my liking, but if you’re into romance novels, this would be a book that you would enjoy.