Reviews tagging 'Death'

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

30 reviews

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

damacyroll's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Like Water for Chocolate is the perfect example of magical realism blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. The fantastical nature of the everyday is highlighted in every chapter, and that alone makes the writing a joy to read. 

The strong theme of cooking, and that each chapter is based on a different recipe, was also something I enjoyed. I found myself wanting to make note of each recipe to try for myself, although without the powers of Tita's to influence whatever dish she makes my results will probably be much different. 

In terms of plot however, maybe because I can't help but it read it from a 21st century point a view, there were specific plot points that I didn't enjoy. Pedro the male lead is that specific kind of intense dominant male that I no longer find myself falling for. Tita's decisions frequently left me frustrated as I felt that they were the wrong choices, but another person just as well might find them the right ones.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Child death, and Death

draven_deathcrush's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

1.0

I had to read this for my HIGHSCHOOL english class. I hated it. Asexual panic the whole way through.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Sexual content

Moderate: Animal death, War, and Violence

Minor: Child death and Rape

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

mags_'s review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Bullying, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Child death, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racism, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, Grief, Gun violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content

Minor: Forced institutionalization and Animal death

machenn's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Rape, and Infidelity

belladonnashrike's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love this story so much (both the film and the book). a perfect example of latine magical realism - forever one of my favorite genres. 

the way it’s written is really unique, I loved reading the recipes sprinkled throughout the romance. 

I forgot that he died post-nut like that oh my god. the deaths in this book are so fucking funny

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death, and Rape

Minor: War, Fatphobia, Racism, and Violence

cassielaj's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

This story is so fascinating. I love the inclusion of recipes and the matter-of-fact approach to the supernatural and magical elements. At its heart, this is a story of love and family, of a woman who wanted more for herself than what her family traditions dictated, and of the power of a good (or bad) meal. You won’t read anything else like it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Death

Moderate: Sexual content, Animal death, Child death, Sexual assault, and War

yellow_star's review against another edition

sad medium-paced

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

2.0

I know this is a classic, but I hated it. The whole basis was all these miserable awful people made rules to guarantee their children would also be miserable awful people. 

I hate the mother, Rausita, Pedro, and Tita. The only characters who deserved a good happy ending were the babies who became a happy couple and ended the cycle of suffering and abusing the kids, and John who was a good man and much better than the highschool boyfriend who dumped his lover when it was slightly inconvenient to date her. Tita starts out good, but because of her bitterness she starts doing bad things too, and she betrays John repeatedly even though he's the only man who actually treated her well.

I guess I should be happy that this has a happy-ish ending considering it's a soap opera, but I'm not happy with it.

The recipes are good and worth saving though.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse and Death