Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

25 reviews

sophee_568's review against another edition

2.5

I didn't enjoy this. I think the magical realism elements and the recipes for Mexican meals are cool, but everything else sucks. Tita and Pedro's "love story" is one of the worst I've ever read. It's not love but pure lust. They barely talked through the whole book. I feel bad for Tita's sister who was married to Pedro.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Rape, and War

tashtasher's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Medical content, Murder, War, Child death, Racism, Grief, and Gun violence

Minor: Alcohol, Eating disorder, Colonisation, Abortion, Animal death, and Classism

vikkisgrotto's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Pregnancy, Child death, Body shaming, Death of parent, Death, Fatphobia, and Rape

mals_reads's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

there’s a lot to like and dislike about this book.

firstly, i did enjoy the prose and how it read quite a bit. it was whimsical and it read like a fairy tale to me. i thought the way the author intertwined the recipes within each chapter was delightful and made me want to test them out myself!

i think there were a lot of faults with many of the characters. i think it’s meant to be read as a fast-paced melodramatic story, and i’m not mad about that, but so many of the characters were so unlikable to me. many of them acted so childishly — i think Tita was the only one who even had the right to act in that way considering her circumstances. i might have disliked Pedro the most, unfortunately, given he’s the primary love interest.

and i would have really loved John if it weren’t for the fact that he was so much older than Tita!

i read this for a book group and am very much looking forward to the conversation — definitely a book that can carry its weight in a discussion!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: War, Fatphobia, and Physical abuse

anninerie's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Infertility, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Child abuse

mangopassion555's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Violence, Rape, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Infidelity

phantomgecko's review against another edition

emotional informative lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was a quick read, and I enjoyed it.

I am disappointed that Tita didn't choose John, tbh. Lusty passion and jealousy should always lose out to serenity and compassionate devotion. But whatevs fine.

I just really love magical realism. Here are some things that are impossible, but this is a true story so they happened. Great stuff.

I'll admit I mostly skimmed the cooking bits. But honestly, they were a fantastic device for storytelling.

Also, while this book is labeled as lighthearted, it had some heavy stuff. Like gut punches in one sentence and moving on with the next. Kinda disconcerting but still a likeable read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fatphobia, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Blood, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Animal death, Child death, and Fire/Fire injury

asolis's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Death, Infertility, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Animal death, Sexual assault, Child death, Death of parent, War, and Violence

henrismum's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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 Not Maybe 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)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Rape, and Death of parent

Minor: Child death and Pregnancy

dylando349's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Vomit, Violence, Rape, Death, Mental illness, and Excrement