Like Water for Chocolate

Like Water for Chocolate tells the love story of Tita De La Garza, the youngest daughter of a family living in Mexico. Tita's love, Pedro Muzquiz comes to the family ranch to ask for Tita's hand in marriage from Mama Elena. Mama Elena forbids the marriage because the family tradition says that the youngest daughter must remain unmarried to care for her mother. Pedro marries Tita's sister, Rosaura, to remain close to Tita. With her brilliant culinary skills, Tita becomes the cook of the house, and impresses Pedro even more. Mama Elena senses the passion between Tita and Pedro, and sends Pedro, Rosaura, and their new born daughter to San Antonio. Tita starts to develop feelings for a someone else, Dr. John Brown, while Pedro lives in San Antonio. Mama Elena dies and Dr. John Brown asks for Tita's hand in marriage around the same time Pedro and Rosaura return to the ranch. Tita agonizes over whether to accept the doctor's proposal or continue her secret relationship. While Dr. Brown goes to receive his aunt, Tita thinks she has become pregnant with Pedro's baby. Tita stuggles with her love for both men, and seeks the advice of her beloved sister, Getrudis, who returns after running away early in the plot with a revolutionary soldier. Tita shares her agony with her sister, who advises her on what decision to make. Ultimately Tita weds one of the men, despite tradition and the views of society.

I enjoyed that the novel had a interesting plot with unexpected occurrences even though the ending seemed predictable, and tragic. The love story the novel contained revolved around strict family, overbearing morals, and traditional culture. It shows the hardships Tita faces as she ponders whether she has the strength to deceive her mother and ruin Rosaura's life. Throughout the novel, she wishes to run away, but she keeps her strength and fights through the obstacles life throws at her. She refers to her childhood numerous times, and cries to have the simplicity back in her life. I found Tita hardships inspiring and easy to relate to. However, I never agreed to her love for Pedro, after he married Rosaura. It seemed over the top for Pedro to have married Rosaura while he remained devoted to Tita. I feel Pedro and Tita should have run away the first chance they got, before they could hurt Rosaura and her child. I liked how Tita finally found true love in spite of the obstacles she had to overcome. Laura Esquirel filled the novel with detailed plot, that kept it easy to read and hard to put down.

I decided to read Like Water for Chocolate because it looked like a one of a kind love story and it showed how to prepare many Mexican delicacies. Each chapter unfolds with one of Tita's famous recipes, following with instructions. The descriptions of the food become vivid with the immense detail provided. The recipes showed Tita's passion for cooking, and made the beginning of each new chapter interesting. I would recommend Like Water for Chocolate for anyone that enjoys a unique love story filled with realistic characters and an interesting plot.