Like Water for Chocolate
by Laura Esquivel
Date: November 22nd, 2022
Reviewed by: Liliana Gonzalez
It was my turn to make the book selection and when we were discussing about what would be nice to read, the conclusion was that 3 suspense/mystery books will be a nice shift. Then, when I was looking for the options, I also remembered that they wanted to read something “different”, “not too American” (because they have read a lot of those), so I decided to include an “extra” book that was popular in my country (México). Besides, in case they like the book, we could eventually also enjoy another “Tic Book Club-Movie” together.
In our next meeting, I brought up my suspense mystery choices and the extra option. Surprisingly, the book that got more votes was Like Water for Chocolate (Como agua para Chocolate)” by Laura Esquivel. I was really looking forward to hosting the event at my place, including making some Mexican(-dutch) snacks, but unluckily due to the latest restrictions, we decided to meet online. As always (online or in-person), our meeting was really nice.
The Book
The general comments were that it was a quick and funny read and we were trying to figure out the family dynamic of Tita (the main character); her relationship with her mom that demanded Tita not to get married because she was the youngest daughter and needs to take care of her until she dies. Chencha (the maid) who supported Tita as much as she could and acted as a mother for her, and most importantly we shared our opinion regarding the two partners of Tita; Pedro and John Brown. Mostly everyone agreed that it had a strange end, but in the end was an entertaining novel that mixed reality, magic, and supernatural events”