A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes - and Home Remedies

I enjoyed this read immensely and will recommend it to many friends of mine. Pedro and Titas love is surely one to cherish. However, I personally wanted more for John whom I believe deserved Titas love just as much as Pedro. The ending was strange and left me confused, and heartbroken that they couldn't be together officially in the real world. Other than that this was a good book.

I have been using the English version to help with the Spanish version, and I like the Spanish version better. This is a funny tragedy and uses magic realism to tell the story of cooking infused into a story of lives around the time of the Spanish Revolution in Mexico. Main character Tita is a victim of her times, and gives strength through her wonderful recipes.

The story was unusual... Not something I would have chosen to read on my own. It was a selection for my book club. I enjoyed the descriptive writing and the way the author helped you see with your mind's eye.

A beautiful Mexican magic realism novel with a dominant food theme sufficient to delight the heart of any Foodie. The recipes and cooking tales are beautifully written in evocative prose that flows like honey. Only down side is this author does not like mothers- they get bad press throughout.

This is a very passionate love story infused with traditional recipes, flavors and traditions from Mexico. I have read this book many times. It is a pretty quick read but a feast for the senses.

Through the eyes of Tita, we feel pain, longing and passion to the fullest extent. Romance and fairy tales. War and lost love.

Suffering and pleasure beyond mortal comprehension.

I highly recommend reading this. I enjoyed the movie as well, but the book is to treasure.

In Laura Esquivel’s “Like Water For Chocolate”, she tells a story about Tita De La Garza and her family in Mexico right before the turn of the 20th century. Tita is the youngest of her family which later in the story will come back to bite her in the butt. The chapters are very different in that they all start with recipes that usually are then prepared in that chapter in some way. The chapters are also kind of a monthly update. Tita in this story is trying to find her true love and she is trying to become an independent woman, so that she does not have to rely on her family for everything. Tita finds her true love and his name is Pedro. Pedro comes to Tita’s family ranch to take her hand in marriage. Her mother, Mama Elena is very against this idea because Tita is the youngest child and in their religion they believe that the youngest should not be married before the older ones. Tita is crushed by the news and to make things worse her oldest sister marries Pedro. After Pedro and Rosauna move to San Antonio, Roberto dies and Tita is devastated. She goes into a metal breakdown and Mama Elena sends her to an asylum. A man named Dr. Brown takes her to live with him and he then rebuilds her as a person and helps her to realize that the world is not ending. A few years later Tita’s oldest sister, the one who married Pedro dies. Now that Pedro is a widow he and Tita can show their love for each other in public. Their love is still is strong as it was the first day they meet, even after all the Pedro and Tita had been through. Their first night together was incredible, but I am going to let you read that for yourself. The only thing left after the ranch is burnt down is Tita’s recipe cards that had all of her wisdom on them. Overall I think that this was a great book and I think that you should go and read it for yourself so that you can get the whole story.

An execellent read. A truly disfuntional family protrayed through a labryth of love and hate and the notion of eternal love. A beautiful love story.
I enjoyed the recipes and even made the oxtail soup. A old family favorite I had forgotten.