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merlinagarance's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, War, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic relationship, Death, and Child death
lucyyaga's review against another edition
1.0
Also the pacing was so strange like the way they announced characters deaths was just?? Like it was soo hard to tell what was going on I thought it had been a year then BOOM its been two decades, Rosaura deflated to death and the toddlers have grown up and are getting married?
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Rape, and Racism
emmavardy2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Minor: Rape
sophee_568's review against another edition
2.5
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Rape, and War
tashtasher's review against another edition
- 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
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
dellydoos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Magical realism will always have my heart as a genre, because you just cannot find this wacky shit anywhere else. The amount of times I literally died laughing over the complete randomness and over-the-top events that happened in this novel is unreal. Tita is a force to be reckoned with, and as we witness her struggle to be true both to family tradition and to her own heart, we also realize that Tita has special talents, both in the kitchen and beyond dishes. Her dishes evoke emotions and affect people in supernatural ways. I lost it over the magical meals causing people to float, combust, and become sexually aroused. This novel blends romance and family drama with talking ghosts and mystical cooking in a way only magical realism can.
As the chapters were originally released in monthly instalments, every important story beat feels like the most deadpan plot-twist that seemingly comes out of nowhere. From Tita's sister engaging in passionate sexual encounter on horseback, to characters meeting their demise in the most bizarre ways, the narrative is a whirlwind of chaos. And yet, amidst the madness, there's an underlying current of warmth, love, and resilience that grounds the story in something deeply human. The descriptions of Tita's cooking are mouth-watering and all of the emotions that food can bring forth, both literally and figuratively, was a joy to read.
However, its folkloric or fairy-tale-like narrative style occasionally held me at arm's length, leaving me feeling more like a passive observer than an active participant in the story. It’s incredibly fast-paced where seemingly the most important plot points seem to be skipped over, instead, most of the focus is put on character. And whilst Tida was a character that felt rich and deep, Pedro, on the other hand, was a complete flog and felt almost antagonistic to Tida’s own emotional journey. By the end of the book, I really thought the narrative was going in one direction, when it actually ended in another. Because of this, I did feel a little unsatisfied, which unfortunately brought down my rating.
A wild ride. 3.5 stars.
Minor: Rape
motherofpearly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
However I felt that the meals were more developed than the characters, and many large plot points were skimmed over. A few times I had to re-read sections to make sure I didn’t miss a page or two. Ultimately I had little emotion about the romance, heartbreaks, or traumas that any of them experienced.
Also I found the spicy scenes to be boring and sometimes creepy. Especially the first time between
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Rape and Animal death
Minor: Racism, Death, Suicide, and War
kirstym25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape
Minor: Fatphobia
vikkisgrotto's review against another edition
- 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 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.
Minor: Blood, Pregnancy, Child death, Body shaming, Death of parent, Death, Fatphobia, and Rape
jodzy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.75
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape