46. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Fiction) 246 p.
World Lit Challenge: Mexico
My first North American read for the world lit challenge, and it’s not at all what I expected. It was a very easy read, which was nice after Palace Walk, which I enjoyed but had to slog through a bit.
Like Water for Chocolate is my first encounter with magical realism, and I can’t say that it did much for me, at least the way Esquivel used it. I enjoyed the book quite a bit, but it read a bit like a fairy tale, and some of the fantastic elements were kind of goofy, which made it hard for me to take the story too seriously. Which could have been Esquivel’s intention, for all I know.
Tita de la Garza is a young woman during the time of the Mexican Revolution. Since she is the youngest daughter, her overbearing, tyrannical mother decides that, following family tradition, she will not be allowed to marry, but will stay home and take care of her mother her entire life.
Tita is raised by the De la Garza ranch’s cook, and her life, and the story, revolve around the kitchen. The book’s subtitle is A Novel in Monthly Instalments, with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies, and it really does include all those things. The recipes were mouth-watering, although I don’t think my culinary skills are up to cooking any of them.
Books read: 46/50
Pages read: 13,184/25,000
Siew Cooper wrote, on June 3rd, 2007 at 2:31 am: