Like Water for Chocolate

Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: The New York Times featured this book in its summer reading program which includes a week of installments with its papers. The previous offering was the wonderful "Great Gatsby". Talk about going from the sublime to the ridiculous! What a waste of their newsprint and my time!

Rating:
Summary: Delicious Story....Spellbinding Read
Review: This review refers to the Audio Cassette edition(Bantam Doubleday Dell) of "Like Water For Chocolate"....

"Like Water For Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel, is a delicious romantic fantasy that will leave you ravenous for both more of the story and for some traditional Mexican dishes as well. The author cleverly interweaves the recipes and the loving preparation used, that mark the holidays, the signifigant moments and the passing of time in the life of the De La Garza family, in particular the love of two star-crossed lovers Tita and Pedro.

Tita is the youngest of three sisters. It is the family tradition that the youngest daughter has the duty to care for her mother until she dies. Tita may never marry or strike out on her own until this day. In Tita's case, this presents double trouble. First, her mother, Mama Elena, is not the most pleasant person to care for. She is a tough task master, and will not stray from this tradition in the least. It also means that Tita may never be united with Pedro, the man she shares a deep and passionate love with.

Yareli Arizmendi's reading is spellbinding. You can alsmost taste and smell the delights coming from Tita's kitchen as we follow her through the years, and she becomes the all important head chef for the family. The recipes themselves seem to hold the secrets of life and love in this wonderful journey through Tita's life and dreams.

This audio edition(ISBN 0-553-47255-0) is an abridgement(approved by the author) and runs about a little over 5 hours. (four 2 sided tapes). I could not find an unabridged version, but I must say that I enjoyed this one immensely. The tapes are a good quality, the recordings are very clear.

The story is magical. It's like a beautiful and more adult update of "Cinderella"....Enjoy...Laurie

Rating:
Summary: wonderful book to remember
Review: This story has everything you could ever want in a book!My friend recommended this book highly and she recommended a great new beverage that replaced my morning cup of joe. Caffeine made me too jittery so I switched to a soy-based coffee that taste simply amazing. When I use my percolator it comes out with a rich, full bodied taste. Search under "S oyfee" on google to find it.The heroine, Tita, is the youngest of three daughters this is a joy to read.


Rating:
Summary: Delicious tale that will whet ALL your appetites!
Review: `Like Water For Chocolate' is a story that will literally fill all your senses to overflowing, Espquirel's writing is so lyrical and animated that you can smell the sizzling sausages on the grill and taste Tita's pain as she watches life pass her by. It is a story of unquenched appetites and unrequited love, with over-the-top fantasy and a dash of mysticism.

This is the story of the De La Garza family; Mama Elena and her daughters, Rosaura, Gertrudis, and Tita. Being the youngest daughter, it is Tita's lot in life to remain unmarried and care for her mother until the day she dies. Tita's father died two days after her birth, leaving Mama Elena alone to run the ranch.

Tita was raised in the kitchen by the family cook, Nacha, and developed a relationship with food that left her being a superb cook, so she spends most of her time in the kitchens with Nacha.

But as Tita matures, young Pedro Muzquiz falls hopelessly in love with her only to be denied her hand in marriage because she is the youngest and has a duty to Mama Elena. Mama instead offers Pedro Tita's sister Rosaura, so Pedro marries Rosaura just so he can remain near Tita.

Tita's skills in the kitchen overflow into fantastical proportions; the wedding cake she bakes for her sister's wedding contained her tears as she prepared it, leaving everyone who eats it filled with a longing so poignant they become physically ill. And Tita's Quail In Rose Petal Sauce so potent with her desire for Pedro that it infects her sister Gertrudis, who runs off naked from the house to be swept up by a soldier on horseback and carried away.

At the beginning of each chapter is a month in which the story takes place, and a recipe that Tita will prepare. This makes the tale both fun and intriguing, and leaves you wondering what kind of passion Tita will stir up next, and who it will be served to. You will be turning pages rapidly, waiting for the tale's conclusion, and wondering if Tita will ever escape the iron hand of Mama Elena and find an outlet for all of her pent up desires.

This is an extremely well written book, a wonderful tale of unbridled passion, and appetites that go beyond the norm. Definitely worth full price. Enjoy!