I am sure that many of you will agree with me when I say that the film Like Water for Chocolate manages to outdo the novel it is based on, which is unusual because, generally, films are often disappointing in comparison to the books. I imagine that this is because of how difficult it must be to transform a 250+ page novel into an eighty minute movie. However, since Like Water for Chocolate is long-winded and contains many pages of unnecessary recipes and over-simplified explanations for things rather outlandish and dramatic, I am guessing that the screen-writer had an easy time editing out large portions of the novel.Initially, I had assumed that the recipes would be symbolic for something further on in the text, but to my disappointment they were only recipes interlaced with plot, which, despite my love for cooking, did not interest me. I can see how this might have seemed like a creative idea to the author, but in my opinion, it didn't work. In fact, Esquivel seemed to be missing a lot of things in her novel, such as a connection between the chapter titles and the plot. It seemed that there was no reason for the chapters to be consecutively named after each month of the year, seeing as the plot, though linear, did not happen in one year, and each chapter did not happen in the month it was titled, in fact, the events mainly happened over longer periods of time than only one month.
Also, I found this book to be the easiest novel I have ever read in Spanish, the language was so simple and void of any clever metaphors or imagery. I would compare the reading level to that of secondary school readers. Though, the story could be interesting at times and the idea of emotions being transferred into food is somewhat imaginative. Perhaps this book would have made a better short story. Maybe if was cut down from 267 pages to between 20-40 pages it could be a descent short story. The ideas weren’t bad, just the execution of the ideas. The author may have a plentiful imagination but she isn’t a very talented writer.
5 comments:
About the chapter titles... I agree. I really couldn't figure out why they were named after the months.
NB regarding the comparison between book and film, as far as I understand it Esquivel also wrote the filmscript.
Heh, and I also thought the book might make a good short story.
Meanwhile, yes the plot is outlandish and dramatic--too many people die too quickly, for instance, as though Esquivel simply wanted to get the characters out of the way. But isn't such (melo)drama what we often want from a novel?
I agree with your last comment. Quite an imagination and would be good for a bedtime story. But I would not say that Esquivel's calling was to be a writer. There is something missing. The idea of the book and its style is at times very unique I think, but the execution is not.
About the chapter titles, the story is being told from the point of view of Tita's niece's daughter. She is telling the story throughout those months, because Tita and Pedro's stry happened over several years.
i think this book is good and as for the recipes i did see a way in which they tied into the storie and maybe your just hating on this book because its about mexicans
The book is to be a parody of of sensuous bodice-ripper drama published in older women's magazine. You know of those paperback dramas in the drugstore. Each month would reveal another part of the story bit by bit. That is why there is major jumps from years and even months within each month's chapter. This goes along with the fact that each one starts with a recipe. Each recipe was for the readers of the magazine, and it intertwines with the theme of the only out pouring of Tita's emotions through cooking. Also to a previous commenter, the poster [ashea ] does not automatically have to hate Mexicans just because they do not like the book. Some people just like novels written in different styles.
Just wanted to put in my 2 pennies worth.
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