Reviews with content warning for Body shaming - Like Water for Chocolate

"It was very pleasant to savor its aroma, for smells have the power to evoke the past, bringing back sounds and even other smells that have no match in the present."

I didn't know pretty much anything about this book aside from the description (which I don't recommend on doing. There may be themes included that might make you uncomfortable), and when I finished it the next day I knew that Like Water For Chocolate is one of the books I would have a hard time reviewing. There are parts that I loved, and parts also that I hated. Basically, I have a love-hate relationship with this.

The things I loved:

- The recipes included in the beginning of each chapter. It gives me a sense of nostalgia of my early memories with my late grandmother who loved to cook, eat, and talk about food and recipes.

- The inclusion of magical realism in the book. This could be a hit or miss, but I really liked it (I may be biased since I had happened to realise I like books that includes magical realism, haha).

- And lastly, the paragraphs/lines that made me stop reading in order to reflect my emotions, write down my thoughts/rants. It made me compare the De La Garza family to mine.

The things that I hated:

- The ending felt flat, and although I sensed it in advance (and had even prepared myself) it still disappointed me. If it was different, I feel that I would have rated this 4 stars instead of 3.75 (still a good read in the end though).

- The pacing and writing, although this is my first Laura Esquivel book, I love how she made me feel different emotions through the whole journey. Unfortunately, there are parts that felt dragged, flat, and simply "meh" that made me skip paragraphs.

Like Water For Chocolate is overall a good read. I could see myself rereading this again, not soon though, maybe in a year or two. I would recommend to anybody who loves magical realism, short stories, and food (especially food). I would recommend though checking the trigger warnings first before starting.

Content Warnings

lindseygetsliterary's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

1.5

Content Warnings

menomica's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

Me gustó este libro bastante. La prosa era muy buena, aunque el argumento en sí fue un poco…. básico, digamos. Me gustaron mucho los mementos de realismo mágico, habían muchos, aunque estaban muy espaciado, lo cual creo que ayudó a hacer que sintiera como realismo mágico efectivo: no sucedió demasiado que llegara a molestar ni que las situaciones parecieran demasiado ridículas (aunque sí, muchas de ellas lo eran), sino que cuando sí sucedieron esos momentos, te sorprendieron y, en algunos casos, te hicieron reír (me dio mucha risa la parte de «los tamales enojados»).
Quiero empezar con lo obvio: La Mamá Elena es la villana principal de este cuento. Es una madre egoísta, narcisista, y abusiva. A causa de ella, dos de sus tres hijas tuvieron que pasar su adultez en desprecio y miseria, también destruyó la relación entre las hermanas. Me parecía interesante ver el desarrollo de Rosaura, y cómo fue convirtiéndose en su madre. Igual de egoísta, igual de narcisista y abusiva

Spoiler

(a su hija Esperanza).

Al principio, quería estar a favor de ella, porque me doy cuenta que todos en la situación no eran nada más que peones en la esquema de Elena. Pero poco a poco, o es que reveló su carácter auténtico, o es que le ganó el rencor. Como sea, se convirtió igual de malvada como su madre,

Spoiler

y su muerte me hizo casi tan feliz como la de Elena.

Para terminar, quiero notar que este libro tiene momentos muy… sensuales, digamos. Más de una vez, las personas se ponen cachondas después de comer la comida de Tita (la comida de Tita literally made Gertudis’ pussy throb).

Spoiler

La escena final es en la que Tita y Pedro tienen sexo como pareja pública e inmediatamente después de llegar al orgasmo, Pedro se muere?????? Me morí de risa. Y después Elena ~~se suicida~~ se mata comiéndose fósforo y literalmente calentándose con memorias hot de su relación con Pedro hasta prenderse llamas??? Guat de fac.

¿Que fue creativo? Sí. ¿Que fue ridículo y un poco perturbador? También que sí. ¿Que si me gustó este libro? Sí. ¿Que me lo voy a guardar? Quizás. ¿Que lo recomiendo? Sí, sin duda.

Content Warnings

eunoia11's review against another edition

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reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

Content Warnings

francestea's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

An old favourite (especially the first several chapters)! I would really love to edit out the outdated racial language and fatphobic remarks to make this book hold up long term.

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