Like Water for Chocolate was the first magical realism novel I have ever read. After reading authors such as Cortazar (my favorite), Borges, and Marquez, I was very interested in comparing a new author and a new style of magical realism. The author was very different in her technique and was very clever in using food as a form of magical realism. Therefore, I do not think she can be compared to any of the previously mentioned authors. I found the novel to be a very easy to read and easy to see the magical realism. I especially enjoyed the recipes at the beginning of the chapter because they set the mood and gave direction for where the author was about to go. I did not, however, agree with the author’s idea that holding to tradition and reserve was boring and wrong. I did respect the passion and love that was portrayed between Tita and Pedro and the representation of the Mexican spirit and way of life. As a brother and husband, I could never condone the idea of cheating on a spouse nor betraying a sibling. As a father, I can condone the idea of never letting my daughter be oppressed by any person or unfair tradition. Although the book was a little strange at parts, it was a good example of magical realism and a fairly good book if the purpose of the strange occurrences were clear. Magical realism should never be read literally and is very interesting once you get the suggestions behind it.
