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Tita tiene dos hermanas. De todas las hermanas Rosaura es la que mas me recuerda a Mamá Elena. Las dos se preocupan mas por las apariencas que el bienestar emocional de ellas mismas y los demas. Causan mucho sufrimiento a Tita y aquellos a su alrededor por esto. Nunca terminan siendo felices al final de la historia tampoco. De las hermanas mi favorita fue Gertrudis. Tiene la oportunidad de escaparse del rancho de su madre antes que Tita.
Adicionalmente, las relaciones de raza se embarcan como tema en esta maravillosa historia. Eventualmente se revela algo muy importante sobre el origen de Gertrudis.
Mamá Elena es un ejemplo de las cadenas generacionales que no permiten que crezca ni progrese su familia. Rosaura intenta continuar esta tradición imponente con su hija, Esperanza. Creo que esto es una reflección de como la lealtad ciega a la tradición aveces tiene que romperse para poder mejorar las vidas de las generaciones futuras. Esto es una decisión que tiene que tomarse de manera activa. Sino, terminanos repitiendo los mis errores de nuestros antepasados.
El Dr. John Brown es un personaje que es importante dentro de la historia. Le sirve a Tita como una revelación de la vida que puede tener fuera del rancho. Le permite tener a Tita el espacio de formar una identidad independiente a su madre. De muchas maneras Tita representa lo opuesto de Mamá Elena y Rosaura. Es una mujer que crea su propio camino y eventualmente llega a tener la felicidad que Mamá Elena y Rosaura nunca tuvieron por su lealtad a la tradición.
Este libro es un tributo bello a la cocina y la cultura mexicana. Al mismo tiempo, sirve de crítica de las tradiciones que pueden causar un retraso para las generaciónes futuras. Tita está basada en una tía abuela de la autora y que nunca terminó casándose. Me imagino que este es un final mas feliz que Laura Esquivel hubiera querido para su tía abuela.
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship
Minor: Racism, Murder
For these reasons, Like Water For Chocolate has been on my to-read list for over a decade. Maybe this long lead time resulted in my expectations being too high, because I was very disappointed in this novel.
I loved the fairytale-like lyricism and outlandish surrealism of the grand magical moments. I didn't even mind the thinness of the novel's premise regarding the tyrannical monstrosity of Mama Elena, the archetypal wicked witch/evil stepmother despite being the biological parent of Tita, the MC. Their relationship and her cruelty she inflicted on her family was the heart of the novel for me, and I think that the novel really went off the rails after
What I struggled with was the limpness of Tita's character, and the febrile hollowness of the love story between her and Pedro. While the passivity of Tita serves the plot, and is required for the emotional outbursts of magic in her cooking to carry any weight, it makes her incapable of action to the point of unlikeability.
Similarly, while the romance between her and Pedro is heightened and inflamed, at no point are we shown *why* these two are in love with each other beyond their unresolved physical attraction towards each other. Pedro's character is weak and spineless as several other characters make a point of lampshading, and there is no explanation as to why Tita would remain in love with him once this weakness is revealed to her.
The scene in which their love is
Although I was grateful that the book was quite short, I found the huge time jump annoying and gratuitous. I also didn't understand what the resolution of this book was trying to say. Was it a happy ending, or a tragedy? Is the power of true love inevitable? Or was it just a rushed resolution that shoehorned in the Chekhov's gun of an extended proverb that was introduced for no reason halfway through the book? (This. It was this.)
In summary, I do not understand why this is such a lauded example of the magical realism genre from a female Latinx perspective when Isabel Allende is RIGHT THERE.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
This book is short and keeps you coming back for more, wondering what Tita will cook up next.
While I did really enjoy this, I really struggled with the unloveable characters.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Classism
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation
I haven't decided whether I genuinely liked it or not yet, but it was such an interesting read and very, very unpredictable. I'm glad I picked it up hihi
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Animal cruelty, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Vomit, Pregnancy
Minor: Racism
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism