Before reading the novel this week, I saw the movie last year, and I thought that it was a very strange story. I thought that it had a weird atmosphere and a bizarre plot. I thought the family tradition was strange, and I couldn’t imagine being put in that situation (I still can’t). I didn’t think much of the constant cooking recipes and directions. I thought this writing style (or movie style) was creative, but at the same time, I didn’t find it interesting. This is probably going to sound weird, and I don’t know why I’m thinking of this, but the atmosphere of the story reminds me of eating fresh tomatoes…even though they’re fresh, many people would rather not eat them…meaning that even though that some people think that the cooking thing that’s intertwined is a good idea, they would prefer not to read every single recipe or at all. That’s kind of how I felt about watching the movie. I thought that there was probably something better to watch at the time. The ending of the story to me is probably the weirdest ending that I’ve heard of. Even though now I understand that the author had to exaggerate to communicate the passion between Tita and Pedro, if you don’t understand it, then dying after sex and then lighting on fire is just plain weird…it’s still a bit weird.
The book so far (I haven’t completely finished it yet) is so much better than the movie. I think that even though that some of the events are still weird, the atmosphere is a little warmer. I really think that the idea of the family tradition and the relationship dilemma between Tita and Pedro is the basis of a big selling story line, and that’s probably why the book is so famous, because unrequited love has been the topic of many famous stories of the past, like Romeo and Juliet…especially since Mama Elena is presented as the police in a way, as she controls everything that Tita does. From what I can see so far, the only way that Tita has any happiness is through cooking to distract her a bit, and through Pedro’s love…but it makes me wonder if he’s actually hurting her more by trying to pursue a small relationship (with a large amount of love), that can’t take place on a regular basis.
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2 comments:
More than being the basis of a big selling story life, I think it has to be appreciated or simply recognized that these family traditions exist to this day in many parts of the world, and some try to expose them and criticize them. Perhaps Esquivel's motive was knowning that the story and the popular theme of forbidden love would appeal to many, but I'm sure a part of it was depicting a reality that exists.
Like you said, I also thought the ending was really weird, I had to read it twice to make sure I didn't misunderstood it!
I guess what stands out in this book is the use of magic realism mixed with a typical dramatic love triangle. I think that if the author hadn't used this genre, the story would have end up being too ordinary and probably wouldn't have sold as much as it did.
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