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    Like Water For Chocolate
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    Like Water For Chocolate
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    Like Water For Chocolate
    Audiobook5 hours

    Like Water For Chocolate

    Written by Laura Esquivel

    Narrated by Kate Reading

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico became a bestselling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit.

    The classic love story takes place on the De la Garza ranch, as the tyrannical owner, Mama Elena, chops onions at the kitchen table in her final days of pregnancy. While still in her mother's womb, her daughter to be weeps so violently she causes an early labor, and little Tita slips out amid the spices and fixings for noodle soup. This early encounter with food soon becomes a way of life, and Tita grows up to be a master chef. She shares special points of her favorite preparations with listeners throughout the story.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateNov 1, 1993
    ISBN9781415916070
    Unavailable
    Like Water For Chocolate
    Author

    Laura Esquivel

    Laura Esquivel was born in Mexico City in 1950. Her first novel, Like Water for Chocolate, has sold more than four and a half million copies around the world and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for more than a year. She currently lives in Mexico.

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    Reviews for Like Water For Chocolate

    4/5

    3,180 ratings114 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I'm not a fan of magical realism, but this was pretty tolerable thanks to a sympathetic main character, Tita, and the integration of recipes into the actual story structure. I could have finished this in just a day or two due to the fact that it is a quick read with lots of blank or nearly blank pages between chapters, but I limited myself to a one or two of its "monthly installments" per day just to let myself relish it.I might have liked this better if Tita's love interest, Pedro, weren't so unworthy of her years-long obsession with him. Total loser. She should have kicked him to the curb ASAP and spent the rest of the book allowing herself to seek out a better life.p.s., Does anyone else find it odd that as famous as this book is, it has two sequels that don't seem to have been translated to English?
    • 4/5
      I think my age is showing because I wanted Tita to end up with John.The characters, meh; I didn't really connect with any of them -- except maybe Esperanza and Alex who seemed to break their family's dysfunctional cycle, and their daughter, the story's narrator, who keeps who great-aunt Tita's memory alive through cooking from her cookbook.But star-crossed lovers and the effects of toxic mothers are personal favorites in magical realism. I enjoyed the imagery of tears heavy enough to leave salt to live off for months, and the lingering scent of roses from an intoxicating meal...I'm happy I finally read this one.
    • 3/5
      THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.....A story about two shithead men fighting for the soul of a woman. The worse of the two appears to have no real feeling for her but sexual feelings, feels entitled to her from the time she is a young teenager, acts like a dangerous creep, and eventually rapes her. The other is a "gentleman" doctor who still lusts after her from the time she is a teenager and takes her into his home to groom her when she has a mental crisis. In the end she chooses the worse of the two and dies rather than live without him. And all this time I hoped this brilliant woman would be able to find a way to escape not only the clutches of her tyrannical mother, but also the tyrannical clutches of disgusting men. Alas.Despite this the book is an entertaining and memorable read, so I cannot rate it any lower.
    • 5/5
      Delicious.
    • 5/5
      Even better than the movie!
    • 4/5
      super romantic story
    • 3/5
      I have been a worshipful fan of the film version of this story for so long that I struggle to discuss it without reference to its celluloid counterpart. The book is a faithful reproduction of the twelve-part magazine series, "a novel in monthly installments with recipes, romances and home remedies." Captivated by their mutual consuming passion, the story's main characters, Tita and Pedro, are prevented from marrying by a family tradition that binds the youngest daughter to a life of servitude to her mother. Esquivel mixes reality and fantasy, allowing real life to express in surreal episodes. Tita's neverending grief at being separated from Pedro becomes a crocheted bedspread that trails for miles; household tensions become a whirling chicken fight that bores into the earth until the chickens disappear. And for the reader, these are credible events, as credible as the human emotions that create them. Esquivel allows her characters just enough complexity to maintain interest, but not so much as to distract the reader with worries about who is wearing the white hat. The conclusion is as satisfying as the beginning is tantalizing. And in between, the story is nothing short of foreplay. Both book and film are revels in sensuality. In an era of explicit sexuality, Esquivel has proved again that suggestion is by far the more powerful seducer. The genius of the film is revealed in its astounding ability to visually translate Esquivel's rich imagery. It won't matter if you see the movie first or read the book first. But do partake of them both—and often.
    • 5/5
      Scrumptious and sensuous. Evocatively crafted. Esquivel has a tendency to explain glaringly obvious symbolism (i.e., as I wring the life out of this quail, so does my mother wring the life out of me) and her magical realism is a wee bit over-the-top, but this novel has earned every bit of its stellar reputation on both sides of the border. The weaving of the details of cooking with the drama of family life is nothing short of brilliant.
    • 5/5
      Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel; (4 1/2*)What a wonderful, magical story. This is a tale of women in Mexico at the turn of the century and how they lived their lives. Tita is the strong central character. The story is told in 12 month chapters though time moves along much faster. I loved that each chapter began with an authentic recipe. The kitchen and food is central to this story. You get the details of the recipe and how to make it and it's woven perfectly into the story. Tita is the youngest of three girls. They live on their ranch with their mother, Mama Elena. Tita is in love with Pedro, a local boy, but custom dictates that the youngest child is not allowed to marry and must care for her mother until the day her mother dies. 'Care for' really means being a slave to her and her abusive ways. Mama Elena is so cruel that she has Tita's sister marry Pedro and makes Tita cook the meal for their wedding. Tita can infuse her emotions into the food that she is cooking. As she cries and pours her tears of sorrow into the cake for her sister's wedding, something happens. Everyone at the wedding becomes sorrowful and is sick. Naturally she is accused of destroying the wedding. There are other tales of Tita's emotions being put into the food she makes. I especially loved the story of passion in the food that her older sister ate and the passion just exploded in her.There is a great deal of magical realism in this story and I just loved it! I hope Esquivel has more out there of a similar nature.
    • 4/5
      I'm not a big fan of romantic fiction, but I very much enjoy a good food story. This had a dozen such stories... which read deliciously (and look decent in the movie as well). I very much appreciate the ingredients lists at the chapter beginnings, but feel that it lets the romance get in the way of really bringing us into the preparation. Also - and this is specific to the printing I have - the paperback format with glue binding is not conducive to reading in the kitchen.
    • 3/5
      I remember loving the movie version of this. The book is good, too, and it's recipe-focused layout is clever. I wonder if there is something rather lost in the translation from Spanish, though - the prose didn't seem quite as magical as it could have been. Still enjoyable though.
    • 3/5
      A unique take on a love story. Cooking surrounds the tales of Tita and Pedro and provides an anchor for this unusual tale.
    • 3/5
      meh. LIke an Allende novel, watered down.
    • 5/5
      Simply Brilliant.
    • 3/5
      From way outside my usual reading fields, this is my first experience of magic realism, set in revolutionary mexico. I'm glad I read it, but I doubt I will need to read too many more books in this genre.March 2016
    • 4/5
      Pedro, accompanied by his father, has asked for Tita's hand in marriage; Tita's widowed mother, Mama Elena, refused to grant it. She has her own tradition: the youngest daughter will not marry so she can care for her in her old age. Pedro is granted permission to Tita's older sister and he agrees since this is the only means that he can be near Tita. Tita, skilled in the kitchen, prepares for Pedro and her sister's wedding but during the preparation of the wedding cake she cries copious tears into the batter. During the wedding feast, all the guests who eats the cake becomes violently ill vomiting up the wedding feast. It appears that anything Tita cooks is imbued with Tita's strong emotions, such as grief, passion, etc., which change the behaviors of those eating her cooking.

      I purchased this novel shortly after watching and enjoying the movie. I regret that I have had this jewel on my bookshelves for fourteen years and had not read it until now. This novel is a classic example of the magical realism genre along with Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. Their works have been the inspiration for other writers including Alice Hoffman and Sarah Allison Adams. Like Water for Chocolate is a must read for those who enjoy this literary genre.
    • 4/5
      In a word, sensuous. But, keep reading and other words will pop out: passionate, exotic, magical, romantic, mystical. The Boston Globe called it "deceptively simple" and I couldn't agree more. The words flow off the page and into your brain effortlessly and yet they have the power to stick with you. [Case in point: Gertrudis catching fire and running naked through the yard only to be swept up by a man on horseback is a scene I have never forgotten.] But, to the plot: Tita is the youngest daughter and, by family tradition, must devote her life to caring for her mother for her entire life. She cannot wed, she cannot leave the home. Ever. Even when the love of Tita's life proposes marriage she cannot accept. Instead she is forced to become the family cook, spending her days preparing meals for the rest of the family, including Tita's true love who has married her sister. It only gets more intriguing from there.
    • 3/5
      It's not bad, but it did have me rolling my eyes more than a little. I kept thinking that most of the conflict could have been avoided if any of the characters had taken two seconds to use their brains for more than taking up the space between their ears.
    • 3/5
      That was a wild ride. Filled with magical realism, the novel is framed around monthly recipes and stories.
    • 5/5
      Although Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel covers the serious subject of the life of a woman in turn-of-the-century Mexico, it is a charming interpretation using magical realism to highlight the story. The author opens every chapter with a recipe and sets pretty much most of the action in and around the kitchen as that recipe is prepared. We follow the destiny of Tita, the youngest daughter of a well born rancher. Her story is not a particular happy one as she has been raised to remain single and look after her aging mother. Tita does fall in love, but her mother quickly puts a halt to the relationship and, in fact, offers Tita’s love interest, Pedro, the hand of her sister. Tita learns to express herself through her cooking and pours her emotions and thoughts into the food she prepares. When she is forced to make her sister’s wedding cake, the power of her thoughts causes every guest to burst into tears when they taste the cake.In a light-hearted, almost breezy style, the author uses cooking to describe Tita’s frustrations, hope and love in this unusual folk tale. The book is playful, sensual, earthy and engaging and was the perfect read to keep my mind away from the seriousness of real life.
    • 1/5
      MAY CONTAIN SPOILERSIn the beginning of this story, our dear little Tita and Pedro have fallen in love. Her mother denies Pedro's marriage proposal and, instead, gives him the hand of Tita's elder sister. Pedro reassures Tita that he still loves her, and that's why he married her sister. Later on, Tita has the chance for true love when the doctor nurses her back to health after a tragic blow to her psyche, but instead rushes back into Pedro's arms when the good doctor's back is turned. When nothing else is standing in their way, Pedro and Tita still choose not to marry, taunting the doctor for over a decade, showing the reader that they are nothing but lustful thrill-seekers. Their conclusion was, in my eyes, completely justified, but it does not justify reading this book. Furthermore, I always use milk with my chocolate. Water makes it taste bland - a good superlative for this book.
    • 4/5
      I like the strangeness and uniqueness of the story. The magical realism was clever. The historical aspect of the era, family dynamics, and family traditions were constructed well that I fully sympathized with Tita and all the heartache and mistreatment she had to endure. It was a short and easy read but witty and full of passion.
    • 3/5
      This review originally posted at Christa's Hooked on BooksLike Water for Chocolate, is the story of a Mexican girl named Tita. She is desperately in love with Pedro but life, and her mother, have conspired to keep them apart. Instead of being together Tita has to watch as Pedro marries her sister and she is forced to live a life of servitude under her domineering mother. Told in monthly instalments this novel tracks the relationship (or lack thereof) of Tita and Pedro and how their love affects the people around them.I thought this book was really clever. Not only was each chapter a month of the year, each was accompanied by a recipe. The chapter would open with an ingredient list and instructions on how to cook the dish. These instructions, however, would always segue in the central themes and conflicts of that chapter. I was amazed by how seamless some of these transitions were. It is a real testament to Esquivel`s writing that she could preform this feat twelve times over and still keep me interested in the story.This book has been frequently described as a love story and while that's part of it, I think that is too simple of a description. Instead I would like to describe this book as a full out soap opera! Tita's in love with Pedro, Pedro is married to Rosaura, the other sister is running around naked, brides are throwing up on their wedding gowns and the mother is obsessed with making everyone unhappy. And to top it all off they're all living under the same roof. It's like Days of Our Lives meets The Bachelor Pad! Sometimes the absurdity of the situation just made me outright giggle. You'll find yourself reading on just to see what these crazy characters will get up to next.Like Water for Chocolate, is a fun and charming novel. There are some really ridiculous – and at times down right weird – moments but there are also some really sweet ones. Esquivel uses some interesting and very unique methods to help the reader look into the life of one crazy family and I think her techniques are something to be appreciated. Definitely one to stick one the shelf and have on hand whenever you need a reminder there are families crazier than your own.
    • 3/5
      I'm not a big fan of romance fiction (read it for my book club), but this was an interesting book.
    • 4/5
      I read this ages and ages ago and all I really remembered from it was something about Tita's sister having a very unfortunate digestive condition and a volcano. The title was mentioned during the UK bookaday thing we did back in July, so when I stumbled across a hardcover copy in a UBS, I thought "I should read this again". I cracked it open on Sunday and found it to be a very well-written story with heaps more to it than I remembered. Like how evil Tita's mother was, Nacha's guiding hand, Gertrudis' rebellion, and John's nice-guy role. I didn't remember how complex things got between Tita and Pedro either. As for the ending - my late-teen-early-20's self totally misunderstood that ending; a serious mental re-drawing of the final scene was in order, as no volcanos were actually involved. I enjoyed this story very much; I think the author did a beautiful job of creating characters that wildly judged each other without actually judging them herself. Vividly written with a strong sense of culture and time, it's easily a book I'll pick up again and again. Even without the volcano.
    • 5/5
      Each of us is attracted to certain things in movies, books and sorts of entertainment. We already established that I'm hopelessly romantic, add another fact dear readers, I love anything with food or dancing.

      So while searching for a list of movies with food, I found a magical realism movie called "Like Water for Chocolate", I ate it up. What made me want to read the book is Stephanie Perkins's "Anna and the French Kiss". I ordered two books of the books mentioned in this novel.

      Today, I received my copy of the book, it's much smaller than I thought, with the movie so long and all that.
    • 4/5
      One of the unexpected pleasures of learning a language is that it gives you an excuse to indulge yourself with a few hackneyed bestsellers of the sort that wouldn't normally be allowed to darken your shelves. I had great fun reading this: it's pleasurable in a similar sort of way to Alexander McCall Smith's novels, with all the violence and passion made safe and comforting by the kitchen-table nostalgia. And very competently put together. I did have the feeling sometimes that the romantic storyline was only there to introduce an element of suspense into the cookery, which is clearly what the book is really about. Certainly, Esquival's treatment of the Mexican revolution must count as one of the most off-stage wars in literary history. But it's churlish to pick holes: it does what it does exceedingly well.
    • 4/5
      Romantic, erotic and totally improbable, but still true. This is one of those books that assaults you on many levels - bringing you close to the immediate action by catering to several of your senses; the very real helps make the unreal palatable.
    • 1/5
      Utter rubbish, 17 October 2015This review is from: Like Water For Chocolate (Paperback)I started off thinking this would be a *3 bit of pleasant chick-lit, but it slowly descended to a *1 bit of total rot and I abandoned it on page 81.This is the tale of youngest daughter Tita, whom the horrible Mama Elena has 'sentenced' to look after her for the rest of her life, marrying off Tita's beloved, Pedro, to the girl's sister. Pedro goes along with this so he can be near Tita.Tita has an extraordinary aptitude for cookery - her recipes are intermingled with the story - and through food and meals he couple continue to share a romantic bond. Meanwhile in the background the revolution is going on...That's as far as I got, and if it sounds OK, I would just say the writing (or is it the translation?) is so feeble as to make it unreadable. The conversations are utterly stilted and improbable; the characters have no depth, it's just awful. I loved the magic realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez but this is drivel.
    • 4/5
      The book was much better than the movie, in my opinion. The descriptions of cooking were luscious.