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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
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
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
mals_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
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.
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!
Moderate: Rape, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: War, Fatphobia, and Physical abuse
anninerie's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death of parent, Infertility, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Child abuse
mangopassion555's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Violence, Rape, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Infidelity
phantomgecko's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
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
- 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
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
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)
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Rape, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Pregnancy