Like Water for Chocolate (novel)
U.S. book cover | |
| Author | Laura Esquivel |
|---|---|
| Original title | Como agua para chocolate |
| Translator | Carol and Thomas Christensen |
| Language | Spanish |
| Genre | Romance, Magical realism, Tragedy |
| Publisher | 1989 (Mexico) Doubleday, 1992 Perfection Learning, 1995 (U.S) |
| Publication place | Mexico |
| Pages | 256 (Spanish) |
| ISBN | 978-0385721233 (Spanish) ISBN 978-0780739079 (English) |
Like Water for Chocolate (Spanish: Como agua para chocolate) is a 1989 novel by Mexican novelist and screenwriter Laura Esquivel. It was first published in Mexico in 1989. The English version of the novel was published in 1992.
The novel follows the story of a young woman named Tita, who longs for her beloved, Pedro, but can never have him because of her mother's upholding of the family tradition: the youngest daughter cannot marry, but instead must take care of her mother until she dies. Tita is only able to express herself when she cooks.
The book has inspired a 1992 film of the same name, a 2022 ballet, and a 2024 TV series; 2 sequels were written by Esquivel. It was named by Spanish periodical El Mundo as one of the best Spanish-language novels of the 20th century.