Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

This book is written in an interesting format. Told using a monthly calendar and traditional Mexican recipes, it tells a story of love between Tita, Pedro, Nacha, and food. It was not only heartbreaking to learn that Tita would be unallowed to marry as she was meant to watch after her mother, but cruel to force her to serve the entire house and the man she loved.

Tita gives a masterclass on accepting your situation and trying to find things that bring you joy, and it hurt to watch her be both successful and unsuccessful. She wanted to serve her mother, love the man she adored, and care for her sister, but she forgot that her life has its own importance. Esquivel wrote masterfully, and I could not put the story down. Each chapter left me happy for Tita’s growth, sad at her separation, angry at Mama Elena’s unjust rules, but most longing to know more. The recipes given at the beginning of each chapter are delicious sounding, and the way they are woven into the story is beautifully done. I could imagine the lust expertly cooked into the Quail and Rose Sauce, taste the bitterness of the tears wept over the beautiful wedding cake, and find the warmth of home and those you love in the layers of the Christmas roll.

Esquivel told a story that reached deeply into human desires for love and family and found the creation of Like Water for Chocolate. The novel is bittersweet, joyful, angering, and able to pull you in. It’s worth the entire day it took me to read it and the many more I will spend thinking about the book! Grab a hot chocolate, and curl up near the kitchen for this delectable read.