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emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Infertility, Sexual assault, Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First by Author
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
Why I added this book to my TBR pile: Initially I got this book confused with the film Chocolate. (They were both movies with the word chocolate in the title, although made in different decades.) After I weeded through my confusion, this still sounded like a good book. However, it's an old audiobook; recorded in the early 1990's and not carried by the library. I had to wait for a sale at Chirp to get it. Even then, I was particular about the narrator. I chose the Kate Reading version over the unabridged one simply because of Kate's reading talent.
Will I read more of the series / author? Probably NotMaybe Highly Likely
I don't think so because I can't read Spanish and I don't think her other works have been translated. This was good though. A sweet but sad story about love where food is a stand in for physical contact. I felt sorry for John though. Maybe the unabridged version would answer some lingering questions.
The narrator was Kate Reading. See note above.
Source: Chirp (own)
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
Why I added this book to my TBR pile: Initially I got this book confused with the film Chocolate. (They were both movies with the word chocolate in the title, although made in different decades.) After I weeded through my confusion, this still sounded like a good book. However, it's an old audiobook; recorded in the early 1990's and not carried by the library. I had to wait for a sale at Chirp to get it. Even then, I was particular about the narrator. I chose the Kate Reading version over the unabridged one simply because of Kate's reading talent.
Will I read more of the series / author? Probably Not
I don't think so because I can't read Spanish and I don't think her other works have been translated. This was good though. A sweet but sad story about love where food is a stand in for physical contact. I felt sorry for John though. Maybe the unabridged version would answer some lingering questions.
The narrator was Kate Reading. See note above.
Source: Chirp (own)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death, Pregnancy
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Like Water for Chocolate is the perfect example of magical realism blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. The fantastical nature of the everyday is highlighted in every chapter, and that alone makes the writing a joy to read.
The strong theme of cooking, and that each chapter is based on a different recipe, was also something I enjoyed. I found myself wanting to make note of each recipe to try for myself, although without the powers of Tita's to influence whatever dish she makes my results will probably be much different.
In terms of plot however, maybe because I can't help but it read it from a 21st century point a view, there were specific plot points that I didn't enjoy. Pedro the male lead is that specific kind of intense dominant male that I no longer find myself falling for. Tita's decisions frequently left me frustrated as I felt that they were the wrong choices, but another person just as well might find them the right ones.
The strong theme of cooking, and that each chapter is based on a different recipe, was also something I enjoyed. I found myself wanting to make note of each recipe to try for myself, although without the powers of Tita's to influence whatever dish she makes my results will probably be much different.
In terms of plot however, maybe because I can't help but it read it from a 21st century point a view, there were specific plot points that I didn't enjoy. Pedro the male lead is that specific kind of intense dominant male that I no longer find myself falling for. Tita's decisions frequently left me frustrated as I felt that they were the wrong choices, but another person just as well might find them the right ones.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had to read this for my HIGHSCHOOL english class. I hated it. Asexual panic the whole way through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, War
Minor: Child death, Rape
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Rape, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation
Minor: Animal death, Forced institutionalization
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Infidelity, Rape
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love this story so much (both the film and the book). a perfect example of latine magical realism - forever one of my favorite genres.
the way it’s written is really unique, I loved reading the recipes sprinkled throughout the romance.
I forgot that he died post-nut like that oh my god. the deaths in this book are so fucking funny
the way it’s written is really unique, I loved reading the recipes sprinkled throughout the romance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Fatphobia, Racism, Violence, War
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This story is so fascinating. I love the inclusion of recipes and the matter-of-fact approach to the supernatural and magical elements. At its heart, this is a story of love and family, of a woman who wanted more for herself than what her family traditions dictated, and of the power of a good (or bad) meal. You won’t read anything else like it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, War
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I know this is a classic, but I hated it. The whole basis was all these miserable awful people made rules to guarantee their children would also be miserable awful people.
I hate the mother, Rausita, Pedro, and Tita. The only characters who deserved a good happy ending were the babies who became a happy couple and ended the cycle of suffering and abusing the kids, and John who was a good man and much better than the highschool boyfriend who dumped his lover when it was slightly inconvenient to date her. Tita starts out good, but because of her bitterness she starts doing bad things too, and she betrays John repeatedly even though he's the only man who actually treated her well. I guess I should be happy that this has a happy-ish ending considering it's a soap opera, but I'm not happy with it.
The recipes are good and worth saving though.
The recipes are good and worth saving though.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Death