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A review by zoes_human
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
emotional
1.0
Sigh ...
So I liked the magic bits, the writing style, and the food descriptions and analogies. And Gertrudis. I love Gertrudis. I'd like to read a whole book about her. She's an interesting and formidable woman.
But ...
I mean, dammit, why does almost every love story out there have to romanticize the same old fucked up dysfunctional relationships? Seriously, that shit is not love. Nor, even should love actually exist in those conditions, are those sorts of relationships healthy. It's pining and bullshit. It's the elevating of overly dramatic soi-disant passion over the peace and beauty of the genuine article.
Also, what's up with all the rape? Why is there rape in most romances? Not just the bodice-ripper rape, where he rapes her and then she's like "Oh okay, I love him", but even in less tawdry romance, it seems like somebody is always getting raped. Is it supposed to be a compare and contrast thing? This is rape and this is love. You know, to help make things clear for anyone who might be confused on the topic?
I hated the ending. Fucking hated it.John actually loved her. John gave her a sense of peace and beauty. John cared enough about her to respect her agency, her choices, her well-being. So does she marry that guy? Noooooo. No fuck that. Let's marry the guy that is self-absorbed, selfish, and jealous. Because passion. Fuck that. Fuck all that.
So I liked the magic bits, the writing style, and the food descriptions and analogies. And Gertrudis. I love Gertrudis. I'd like to read a whole book about her. She's an interesting and formidable woman.
But ...
I mean, dammit, why does almost every love story out there have to romanticize the same old fucked up dysfunctional relationships? Seriously, that shit is not love. Nor, even should love actually exist in those conditions, are those sorts of relationships healthy. It's pining and bullshit. It's the elevating of overly dramatic soi-disant passion over the peace and beauty of the genuine article.
Also, what's up with all the rape? Why is there rape in most romances? Not just the bodice-ripper rape, where he rapes her and then she's like "Oh okay, I love him", but even in less tawdry romance, it seems like somebody is always getting raped. Is it supposed to be a compare and contrast thing? This is rape and this is love. You know, to help make things clear for anyone who might be confused on the topic?
I hated the ending. Fucking hated it.