Tita De La Garza is the youngest of three daughters, their home being in Mexico. At the beginning of the book she's a love struck teenager. Only when her sweetheart, Pedro Muzquiz, comes to ask her mother for her hand in marriage do they learn that her fate has already been decided. Because Tita is the youngest daughter she must remain unmarried and take care of her mother until the day she dies.

When Pedro comes to ask for Tita's hand, Mama Elena breaks the bad news to him. He's hardly consoled when instead she offers the middle daughter, Rosaura, to him instead. In order to be close to his beloved Tita, he agrees to marry Rosaura. And so the real story begins, and continues for a further 22 years.

The journey Laura Esquivel takes us on is one of culinary delight, mystery and magic, as well as romance. Each chapter (which, instead of being numbered, are each a month of the year) begins with a recipe, and the methods (which are rather sporadic throughout) serve as a way of understanding the emotions of Tita right from the moment of her birth. She's happiest in the kitchen with Nacha, the cook, who was the woman who more or less raised her. With every scent in the kitchen the reader is transported to a moment in Tita's life, the details being laid out for us as a kind of explanation as to her emotions. Tita even cries every time an onion is chopped, and I mean really cries. It's nothing unusual - she's always done it.

There's a phrase that comes to mind whilst reading, and that is "You are what you eat". It's never been so true as it is in this novel. The magic that unfolds when someone has eaten something Tita has prepared during her own personal turmoil, anger, happiness, etc., brings the magic to this book. For example (and this will be the only one I give)...

... A dish incorporating rose petals is cooked, but during the preparation the thorns cause some of Tita's blood to be mixed into the sauce. Considering the roses came from her beloved too, you can imagine her feelings at the time. After finishing the dish everyone is affected, but her sister Gertrudis more than anyone. She is overcome with an amazing heat and tries to cool herself in the shower, which promptly catches fire. When she runs from the shower she's followed by a pink mist smelling sweetly of the rose petals, which finds it's way to a man a few miles away. He, under the spell of the wonderful aroma of the roses, follows it.

Every month there seems to be something magical happens when someone eats a dish that Tita has prepared. Each time, the feelings those people go through are mirroring Tita's own emotions, and that's what kept me so enthralled.

The characters are all well defined here, from the fierce overbearing mother (Mama Elena) to the genuinely kind-hearted doctor (John Smith). But we're not drowning in characters. The author doesn't go for quantity over quality, which means we never lose track of who's doing what, when and why.

It's easy to detest the people we're supposed to, care deeply about the ones we're supposed to, and everything in between. None of the characters are too complex, so we're able to identify with each one without any real effort, much to the authors credit. She also manages to purvey everything without resorting to what I consider excessive imagery. She has a knack of being able to describe everything succinctly without it appearing sharp, and it's refreshing to read.

As is the case with a number of novels (romance in particular), it's not possible to guess what's about to happen. It seemed that in every chapter I was caught by surprise. There were scenes throughout the book that couldn't have been expected, but the very few there were Esquivel managed to add that little extra that kept me on my toes. She has a knack of turning the story when we least expect it. Even the ending surprised me, and I thought I had it figured out.

This novel has also been made into a film. I've not seen it and I'm not sure I want to. I've read this book twice now, and both times enjoyed it immensely. I have very definite images of the characters, the 'magic' scenes, everything, and I'm afraid that I really can't imagine any director, however talented, being able to appropriately transfer Esquivel's words onto the screen. I simply don't feel it's possible without losing the charm contained within the pages of the book.

This is a truly charming story. It has everything you'd expect from a romance novel, and so much more. I would recommend this to anyone, whether you're attracted by romance or not. I wasn't, and simply read it a couple of years ago because my mum happened to have it on her shelf. I've never regretted it.

It's a story to warm your heart and inspire your soul, and a story that I'm sure you'll never forget.

Oh, and in case you're wondering about the significance of the title, it was originally published as 'Like Water For Hot Chocolate', and it's revealed in chapter 'August'. It's not earth shattering, but it was something that irritated me to bits until I finally read it... what does the title mean???

Rating 5/5

Publisher: Black Swan Books
ISBN 0-552-99587-8

Copyright © K Wakeman