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challenging
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ENG:
It felt too fragmented, mainly the last third. The family was exhausting, and I know it's a faithful representation of how families were back then, but damn.
I liked Tita's recipes and how her emotions affected the dishes, but she had barely any developmentcuz everything she learned with John was erased as soon as she went back to the ranch. Pedro is annoying and acts like a child who didn't get his candy, and I hate that they both just made a fool of Rosenda. John was cool and deserved better, and Gertrudis was the most interesting of the sisters with her participating in the revolution.
The writing was fine, the parts of magic realism felt too conventional in the sense that I forgot about it because it only showed up after something important to support Tita's actions instead of being always around.
Overall, I'll either forget it instantly, or remember it with anger.
---
SPA:
Se sintió demasiado fragmentado, sobre todo el último tercio. La familia era agotadora, y sé que es una representación fiel de cómo eran las familias de entonces, pero ufff.
Me gustaron las recetas de Tita y cómo sus emociones afectaban los platillos, pero apenas tuvo desarrolloporque todo lo que aprendió con John se borró en cuanto regresó al rancho. Pedro es molesto y se comporta como un niño al que no le dan caramelos, y odio que ambos se re burlaron de Rosenda. John me gustó y se merecía algo mejor , y Gertrudis era la más interesante de las hermanas, con su participación en la revolución y eso.
Esta bien escrito, las partes de realismo mágico se sintieron demasiado oportunas, en el sentido de que olvidé que era realismo mágico porque solo aparecía la "magia" después de algo importante para apoyar las acciones de Tita, en lugar de estar siempre presente.
En resumen, o lo olvido inmediatamente o lo recuerdo con rabia.
It felt too fragmented, mainly the last third. The family was exhausting, and I know it's a faithful representation of how families were back then, but damn.
I liked Tita's recipes and how her emotions affected the dishes, but she had barely any development
The writing was fine, the parts of magic realism felt too conventional in the sense that I forgot about it because it only showed up after something important to support Tita's actions instead of being always around.
Overall, I'll either forget it instantly, or remember it with anger.
---
SPA:
Se sintió demasiado fragmentado, sobre todo el último tercio. La familia era agotadora, y sé que es una representación fiel de cómo eran las familias de entonces, pero ufff.
Me gustaron las recetas de Tita y cómo sus emociones afectaban los platillos, pero apenas tuvo desarrollo
Esta bien escrito, las partes de realismo mágico se sintieron demasiado oportunas, en el sentido de que olvidé que era realismo mágico porque solo aparecía la "magia" después de algo importante para apoyar las acciones de Tita, en lugar de estar siempre presente.
En resumen, o lo olvido inmediatamente o lo recuerdo con rabia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Pregnancy
Minor: War
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's cute and quirky 😄
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Pregnancy
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, War
Minor: Animal death, Racial slurs, Rape, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the way Laura Esquivel wove recipes into each chapter, and I thought the magical realism was really unique and fun. I unfortunately didn't love the romance between Pedro and Tita because it felt mostly based on lust, and the ending left a lot to be desired. It's a good tragic love story, but I kind of wish she had chosen John, who was the more stable choice, in my opinion.
I also liked the fact that the story was narrated by Tita's great niece; I had forgotten about it because they only mention it at the beginning of the first and end of the last chapter, but it gave the story a more full-circle and complete feeling.
I also liked the fact that the story was narrated by Tita's great niece; I had forgotten about it because they only mention it at the beginning of the first and end of the last chapter, but it gave the story a more full-circle and complete feeling.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Rape, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy
dark
emotional
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was WILD, and not in the exciting way. If you like dramatic Spanish Soap Opera with an overbearing mother, personal conflicts, lustful relations, and yummy food recipes, you will love this story. The main characters journey spans many years and follows her through all of her life’s struggles. It seems like every possible and impossible thing that could happen to a human happened in this book. Pregnancy scare, LITERAL rivers of tears, rape, assault, death(A LOT OF DEATH), murder, racism, brothels apparently, going insane, yummy beef broth soup, cheating, dark humor, a love polygon that I can’t comprehend the logistics of, kidnapping, forced marriage, babies (lots of babies), CHICKEN TORNADO, drunk serenades, arson, persistent ghosts, a quilt with dimensions of a hectare, a magical abortion, matches that light if you chew them, and so much more I can’t remember The plot was full of twists and turns constantly keeping you on the edge of your seat. However, the plot was so wild, it was concerning.
Interestingly, this book likes to blend long descriptive chains of paragraphs with the plot of the story. For example, at one point you have a character describing how they meticulously cut onions to minimize crying, and the next the same character is getting slapped by their mother. The author really mastered mixing the 2 elements so skillfully that I was unable to tell how the plot was going to develop at all. I loved all the descriptive chains of text about food as they added a lot more uniqueness and depth to the story. The writing style was beautiful and eloquent with a lot of figurative elements.
For a book that heavily relies on magical realism elements, I felt that the characters and their personalities were very realistic and representative of all the ranges of human emotions. I loved Gertrudis, she had the best character development of allGirl went from a brothel employee to a general of the revolution and its military, best woman role model. I also felt that the villain characters were very realistic (and nasty by the way). I could definitely picture them living in the real world. However, I felt like most conflicts could be easily solved if the characters just made thoughts for themselves instead of letting other people control their decisions. I am very glad that Tita soon adopted this self-sufficient mindset instead of obeying every order. Although, I wish she could have done that before Mama Elena died
Just when I thought the book was becoming predictable/normal, I was horrifically surprised with the next plot twist. At some point the book became so outlandish and chaotic that the heavy topics in the book became the norm. No emotion or build up happened when any of the characters died or got hurt. The story moved right along like nothing happened. like when the baby died, or when Mama Elena died, or when any other of the numerous deaths happened. Also, Chencha was raped, yet we didn’t even hear about any effects it had on her or TIta. It just something that occurred, and was immediately overshadowed by the next plot twist
The magical realism aspect was a very heavy presence adding more confusion and drama to the story. Although I am not a fan of magical realism, I will say that it was a lot better than the plot of the book. The magic elements really elevated the story and added a physical manifestations of our main character’s emotions. There was so much drama from the magic. Like that one time where everyone became lustful after eating a rose cake and people were making love anywhere they could find. exact quote “Any place was good: in the river, on the stairs, in the tub, in the fireplace, in the oven of a stove, at the pharmacy counter, in the wardrobe, in the treetops. Necessity is the mother of all inventions and all postures. That day there was more creativity than ever in the history of humanity.”
Speaking of emotions, this book was full of lust.Bruh they emphasized Tita’s body and sexuality in this book so much. Like that one time where there was a paragraph describing his lust when he saw under her skirt her ankles. It was a lot. Or any other time these characters were interacting there was a very high sexual emphasis. The love interest was so lustful that he DIED while making love with the main character. If that is not dramatic, I don’t know what id
The ending was even more wild.I feel so bad for John. He was such a good guy, and he deserved so much better.
Overall, if you love drama, I recommend.
Interestingly, this book likes to blend long descriptive chains of paragraphs with the plot of the story. For example, at one point you have a character describing how they meticulously cut onions to minimize crying, and the next the same character is getting slapped by their mother. The author really mastered mixing the 2 elements so skillfully that I was unable to tell how the plot was going to develop at all. I loved all the descriptive chains of text about food as they added a lot more uniqueness and depth to the story. The writing style was beautiful and eloquent with a lot of figurative elements.
For a book that heavily relies on magical realism elements, I felt that the characters and their personalities were very realistic and representative of all the ranges of human emotions. I loved Gertrudis, she had the best character development of all
Just when I thought the book was becoming predictable/normal, I was horrifically surprised with the next plot twist. At some point the book became so outlandish and chaotic that the heavy topics in the book became the norm. No emotion or build up happened when any of the characters died or got hurt. The story moved right along like nothing happened.
The magical realism aspect was a very heavy presence adding more confusion and drama to the story. Although I am not a fan of magical realism, I will say that it was a lot better than the plot of the book. The magic elements really elevated the story and added a physical manifestations of our main character’s emotions. There was so much drama from the magic.
Speaking of emotions, this book was full of lust.
The ending was even more wild.
Overall, if you love drama, I recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia
Minor: Rape, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence
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
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I- what did I just consume? What am I suppose to say? #Tedro
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent
fast-paced
Content Warnings
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