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withwings's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Had to read this for school. It was the first magical realism genre novel that I’ve read, and I found the genre very intriguing because completely magical things happen and the characters don’t even react. Pedro is a bit of an ick personified, and the ending is… I don’t even know… but I enjoyed reading this book and telling everyone what an icon Gertrude’s is, even though I had to do a hundred questions on the book.
helenewallace's review against another edition
2.0
Disjointed and undeveloped characters I never connected with.
la_ravenreader's review against another edition
5.0
A re-read of this book. Loved it then, love it now.
newobhannah's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jadaleigh's review against another edition
4.0
At no point did I know what was going to happen next. The tone of this book is very matter-of-fact as it discusses the most fantastical occurrences, a trait that is common to a lot of magical realism books. Tita is one of the strongest people I've read about, and her trials seemed never-ending. I never stopped rooting for her.
emna507's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
icantactuallyread's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I LOVED this book! I was very inspired by Tita's story and it was very sweet to see the progression of her life. Tita is such a great main character, and Esquivel is an extremely clever writer. The themes of women's struggles, the effects of sacrifice for others, generational trauma, and the different forms of "love" were weaved throughout the novel wonderfully. For example, the recipes at the beginning of each chapter reflected what we would read about in that chapter, and they also gave us insight into Tita's mental health and the obstacles she would have to overcome to be happy. She was born early in a kitchen on a "wave of tears," which revealed a lot of information about how Tita's life would be and who she was as a person. There were a lot of little details like that scattered throughout the story that weren't actually "little" at all.
My favorite metaphor employed in this novel is the quilt that Tita knits. She adds to this quilt whenever she is sad or grieving, and she has been doing it for almost all of her life. She also sleeps in this quilt. This metaphor was beautifully used because of how accurate it was to describing how Tita is surrounded by pain and trauma. Her surroundings are the source of her unhappiness, and that is why she creates the quilt for years. But it also shows that Tita believes that she deserves her pain and has "accepted" that this is how her life will be. Choosing to sleep in a quilt made from disappointment reveals that she is trapped by her family but also inside of herself... no one is forcing her to wrap herself in this blanket of sadness.
I recommend this book completely. I hated the ending, but whatever. I'm giving it five stars!
My favorite metaphor employed in this novel is the quilt that Tita knits. She adds to this quilt whenever she is sad or grieving, and she has been doing it for almost all of her life. She also sleeps in this quilt. This metaphor was beautifully used because of how accurate it was to describing how Tita is surrounded by pain and trauma. Her surroundings are the source of her unhappiness, and that is why she creates the quilt for years. But it also shows that Tita believes that she deserves her pain and has "accepted" that this is how her life will be. Choosing to sleep in a quilt made from disappointment reveals that she is trapped by her family but also inside of herself... no one is forcing her to wrap herself in this blanket of sadness.
I recommend this book completely. I hated the ending, but whatever. I'm giving it five stars!
juliacarbonell's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25