First thing to say is I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It is definitely a unique read.

There are twelve chapters, each representing a month of the year. We see Tita, the youngest daughter of the de la Garza family, as she falls in love with, but is forced to watch her sister marry, Pedro, Tita’s one true love. Her mother, the evil Mama Elena has handed down the family tradition of the youngest daughter having to not marry and to look after their mother until she dies. Which is why Tita has to force down all of her feelings of passion and love for Pedro. I never really felt it though.

The book is, in parts, romance, magical, supernatural, family saga and literary fiction. I like all of the descriptions of the food, but it was definitely unique (odd!) the way it was laid out. I don’t think the act of translating this to English necessarily made the writing shine as it would have originally done. Translation can never be 100%

Overall, I didn’t really see the wondrous romance and deep emotions that a lot of people have seen in this book. But it was an entertaining read.

Literary fiction readers.

Tita. I felt so sorry for her, having to watch her sister marry the boy she was deeply in love with. Especially as her sister knew how she felt.

It all felt really superficial to me. Which surprised me because the thing I read from almost all reviewers is how emotional it is. How deeply romantic. But Didn't get that. None of the 'deep emotions' felt like they came from the heart.

Read something exciting, with a clear plot.

Ambivalent.

Laura Esquivel. From Amazon: "Laura Esquivel is the award-winning author of Like Water for Chocolate, which has sold over four and a half million copies around the world in 35 languages, The Law of Love, and most recently, Between Two Fires. She lives in Mexico City."

It's entertaining. The author has a good sense of humour.

It's not very exciting.

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Created Aug 29, 2025 at 5:54am • Submit your own review...