I saw this movie years and years ago but didn't remember enough for it to bother me when reading this book. This is about a youngest daughter in a Mexican family who is not allowed to marry because she has to devote her life to taking care of her overbearing mother. She loves to cook and her emotions come out in her cooking causing strange reactions in those who eat her food. Very good book. ( )

I've heard so much about this book (and movie) that I really didn't know what to expect. That is because it is totally unlike anything I've ever read before. Except maybe Paul Bunyan. That is what it reminded me of - a larger-than-real-life sort of mythical story.

This is the story of Tita, the youngest daughter in a revolutionary-era Mexican ranch family. Family tradition dictates that, as such, she will not be allowed to marry and have her own family so that she will remain available to care for her mother. This was upsetting enough for her, but became unendurable when she fell in love with Pedro. After being turned down by Mama when asking for Tita's hand in marriage, he accepts her suggestion that he marry one of the older sisters, instead, in the hopes that he will at least still be in the same household as Tita. Naturally, Tita finds this solution to be hard to swallow. Which has very unfortunate consequences since Tita is the family cook, and whatever she is feeling while preparing the food shows up in the people who eat it - resulting in a disasterous wedding feast.

At first, I was totally enchanted by the book with its mystical happenings, but then found that to be a bit tedious. In the end, however, it was the straight story which charmed me. A wonderful story about love and family and how they are not always the same thing. ( )

I'm not entirely sure how to review this exquisite book in a way that will do it justice. I started it with only the most basic idea of the plot: namely, that Tita, our young heroine, who has practically grown up in the kitchen under the tutelage of their cook Nancha, is deeply in love with Pedro, a local boy. Their love is condemned by the cruel family tradition stating that as the youngest daughter, she can never marry; instead, she must live at home and tend to her mother all her life. In order to remain close to his beloved Tita, Pedro accepts her mother's suggestion that he instead marries her older sister Rosaura.

Thus begins a sensual whirlwind of emotions, colours, flavours and scents, as Tita, under the fierce eye of her mother, pours all of her repressed feelings for Pedro and the torment of her life into her cooking. Cloaked in the mysticism of Mexican lore, each of those who taste her food are miraculously overtaken by powerful urges and emotions, manifestations of Tita's mood as she prepares each dish.

'Like Water for Chocolate' may turn out to be one of my favourite reads of the year. It is magical and mystical, and burns with fire and passion as Tita and Pedro circle each other through the years, tantalisingly close yet worlds apart. My heart broke for Tita each time her life was torn apart anew, I smiled when she was happy, and my tears must have rivalled hers by the end. I could hear the bubbling saucepans, sense the spices in the air, and taste the sumptious creations one by one. A beautiful, beautiful novel about the power of true love - and one I'll be treasuring for many years to come... ( )

I had seen the movie before so I already knew the story. It turned out to be a good thing cause it allowed me to take my time with it, enjoying it and savouring it as if it was one of Tita's delicious recipes... Had I not seen the movie before, I'm sure I would have rushed through the book eagerly wanting to know what happens next.

It's a wonderful love story, beautifully told, where each chapter (twelve, like the months of the year) starts with a recipe that is cooked throughout the chapter. The descriptions are so vivid I could almost smell the food being prepared. ( )

I liked certain aspects of this book, but I did find the fantastical element a bit overdone. Just my personal taste I think. ( )