Like Water For Chocolate

Although I have owned a physical copy of Esquivel's popular novel for several years, I only recently finished reading the short book. A tale of forbidden love during the Mexican Revolution, the novel abounds in culinary delights that will make the reader hungry for more. Esquivel employs magical realism to enhance the story, but the simplicity of the narrative and the lack of more political commentary makes for an endearing read but lacking in the epic story arc characterizing the families in One Hundred Years of Solitude or House of the Spirits, two stellar novels that also use magical realism. Another weak aspect of the novel is the author's use of racial stereotypes of blacks as having natural rhythm, although the novel subtly criticizes racial and gender injustice.