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caribbeangirlreading 's review for:
Como agua para chocolate: Novela de Entregas Mensuales con Recetas, Amores y Remedios Caseros
by Laura Esquivel, Laura Esquivel
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
I have such conflicted feelings about this novel. When I first read it a little over 30 years ago. I was young. This was my Mexican Wuthering Heights - I thought this was a tragic love story and that Tita and Pedro were meant to be together. Now I know better. Pedro was a coward. Mama Elena was an abusive mother. Tita had so much childhood trauma that she had unregulated emotions and could not see that John was a much better choice of a spouse, because she was convinced that passion = love. Also problematic was the portrayal of the barely mentioned Black characters. When Gertrudis (who we find out is the daughter of Mama Elena and a mulatto man, hence is 1/4 Black) runs off with the revolutionaries she joins a brothel. To paraphrase Gertrudis, she had to go through a ton of men to get rid of all the pent up sexual energy. Um, racist stereotype much? Then much later in the novel, we meet her dark-skinned son for just a hot minute, who remains unnamed. Did he not deserved to be named something other than Gertrudis' "mulatto" son? Racism/colorism has always been alive and well in Latino culture, but this felt more like the author's lack of awareness of her own cultural bias than a reflection of the story/characters.
What I did love - the recipes, the love between Nacha and Tita, the magical realism, the blurred lines between the dead and the living, and just seeing Tita finally stand up to her mom, even if was just the ghost of Mama Elena.
I have such conflicted feelings about this novel. When I first read it a little over 30 years ago. I was young. This was my Mexican Wuthering Heights - I thought this was a tragic love story and that Tita and Pedro were meant to be together. Now I know better. Pedro was a coward. Mama Elena was an abusive mother. Tita had so much childhood trauma that she had unregulated emotions and could not see that John was a much better choice of a spouse, because she was convinced that passion = love. Also problematic was the portrayal of the barely mentioned Black characters. When Gertrudis (who we find out is the daughter of Mama Elena and a mulatto man, hence is 1/4 Black) runs off with the revolutionaries she joins a brothel. To paraphrase Gertrudis, she had to go through a ton of men to get rid of all the pent up sexual energy. Um, racist stereotype much? Then much later in the novel, we meet her dark-skinned son for just a hot minute, who remains unnamed. Did he not deserved to be named something other than Gertrudis' "mulatto" son? Racism/colorism has always been alive and well in Latino culture, but this felt more like the author's lack of awareness of her own cultural bias than a reflection of the story/characters.
What I did love - the recipes, the love between Nacha and Tita, the magical realism, the blurred lines between the dead and the living, and just seeing Tita finally stand up to her mom, even if was just the ghost of Mama Elena.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Rape, Sexual content
Minor: Child death, War