Kelsey+Like+Water+For+Chocolate

===="...each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can't strike them all by ourselves; just as in the experiment, we need oxygen and a candle to help. In this case, the oxygen, for example, would come from the breath of the person you love; the candle could be any kind of food, music, caress, word, or sound that engenders the explosion that lights one of the matches."(115, Esquivel). ==== **__ =Like Water for Chocolate=__** __A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies__ __ =Summary=__ This book now a motion picture, is a wonderful story of love and food. These two very different things are combined in a way you would have never thought. The book is set up in monthly installments. Each month starts with a recipe that will be made in the chapter and is usually relevant to the story. This is the passionate story of a young girl, Tita who has been doomed to a life of serving her mother. It is a De La Garza tradition that the youngest daughter in the family must never marry. They are to care for their mother till the day she dies. Tita never gave a thought to this horrible fate until the day she met Pedro Muzquiz. The moment they met each others gaze they knew it was love. Pedro knew of the rules of Mama Elena ( Tita's mother), but he asked for Tita's hand anyway. Mama Elena of course refused but offered up her oldest child Rosaura. Pedro accepted, not out of love for Rosaura but to stay close to Tita. Tita was heartbroken, it almost killed her to watch her true love marry her own sister. Tita went to her best friend and fellow cook Nacha. Nacha was Tita's mentor she taught her all she knew about cooking and acted more as a mother to her than Mama Elena.

Rosaura and pedro eventually had a son, Roberto. Tita was put in charge of Roberto and treated him as her own son. He spent much of his time in the kitchen with Tita. Mama Elena felt Tita was too close to Roberto, so she sent Pedro and Rosaura to live in another city. They soon recieved news that Roberto had died. Tita knew it was becaue of the diet he had been transfered to. This nearly killed Tita, she had never been so close to anyone in the world. Mama Elena thought Tita had gone mad, and sent her to a Mental Institution. The town doctor John Brown had grown quite fond of Tita. He knew she was not crazy, so he took her to love with him. Tita did not speak for months. She was traumatized from the death of Roberto and the scolding from Mama Elena.

Finally, Tita began to recover and fell in love with Dr. Brown. They had decided to get married, but Tita knew she needed permission from her mother. Tita came back to the ranch and soon after, Mama Elena had died of drug overdose. Tita could now marry freely. Tita was then shocked to see Pedro and Rosaura show up at Mama Elena's funeral. Tita was filled with all the old feelings she had for Pedro. She had a choice, run away with Pedro and hurt Rosaura and John? or marry john and forget about her first and only true love? She was now faced with a choice that would change her life forever.

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To find out more about the book click the below links
__ Characters-http://www.answers.com/topic/like-water-for-chocolate-novel-2 Themes-http://www.answers.com/topic/like-water-for-chocolate-novel-3 Other books of interest- http://park204.wikispaces.com/Julie+How+the+Garcia+Girls+Lost+Their+Accent http://park204.wikispaces.com/Megan+Cather+My+Antonia

= **Laura Esquivel ** = Laura Esquivel was born on September 30, 1950 in Mexico City, Mexico. She was once married to director Alfonso Arau. They are now divorced and she continues to live in Mexico City. Esquivel started her writing career while teaching kindergarten, she wrote plays for her students, and then started writing television programs for children. She eventually became famous for writing __Like Water For Chocolate__. Which became a motion picture in 1993. Esquivel is known for writing books that will teach the readers a life lesson. __The Law of Love__ is another one of Esquivels famous books.

Click the below links for more information. http://biography.jrank.org/pages/3087/Esquivel-Laura-1951-Novelist.html http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=185854

My Thoughts
I personally loved this book. I was always anxiously waiting to find out what happened next. It keeps you hooked, you never want to put it down. I really enjoyed reading about the love life of Tita. She had so many difficult decisions to make. The only thing that didn't work for me, was the fact that they were always interrupting the story to tell how to make the meal or what to do next. I found the recipes quite boring but they did relate to the story and tie in well.

This book is on the outstanding books list because it is a wonderfully written story. The way Esquivel tells Tita's story is amazing, anyone going into college should read this book. It will help them get a taste of the real world and could help them make dinner too. I would recommend this book to any girl ages 15-80. A girl any age can find something in common with a character in this book. 

Literary Information
Point Of View- Esperanza (Tita's niece) Setting- Mexico during the rebellion Style- Magical realism Genre- Fitcion, Romance



Themes
Duty and Responsibility Obedience Cruelty and Violence Love and Passion Sanity and Insanity Creativity and Imagination Supernatural  __Other Books By Laura Esquivel__ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; color: #9c2fd0">The Law of Love Malinche: A Novel Swift As Desire Between Two Fires: Intimate Writings for Life, Love, Food, and Flavor

__<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; color: #e01aab">Works Cited Page __
Rhodes-Pitts, Sharifa. SparkNote on Like Water for Chocolate. 19 Oct. 2008 <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/likewater/>.

"Like Water for Chocolate (Sources)." Notes on Novels. Answers Corporation, 2006. Answers.com 22 Oct. 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/like-water-for-chocolate-novel-8

Esquivel, Laura. Like Water For Chocolate, New York:Doubleday Dell Publishing, 1992

"Like Water for Chocolate (Style)." Notes on Novels. Answers Corporation, 2006. Answers.com 22 Oct. 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/like-water-for-chocolate-novel-4

Hour 1 **
 * Kelsey Bertelsen