Laura Esquivel

An old-fashioned thanksgiving / by Louisa May Alcott -- The little pies / by Alphonse Daudet -- A piece of steak / by Jack London -- Like water for chocolate : January / by Laura Esquivel -- A piece of pie / by Damon Runyon.

"Un libro que no pueden dejar de leer todos aquellos que deseen tomar las riendas de su destino y encontrar un punto de partida para construir una nueva historia. Laura Esquivel afirma que si somos los protagonistas de nuestra propia historia, entonces también podemos transformarla, darle una nueva dirección para no atarnos al pasado, no encerrarnos en el papel de víctimas ni asumirnos como seres indefensos frente a la circunstancias. Para lograrlo, Esquivel narra su experiencia en dos medios que hicieron que su nombre diera la vuelta al mundo: la escritura y el guion cinematográfico, dos suministros que podemos aprovechar para alcanzar los cambios que anhelamos. Basada en distintos descubrimientos científicos y reflexiones, Esquivel nos guía paso a paso mediante ejercicios que permiten modificar nuestra vida al reescribir el guión de la misma dejando atrás la culpa, los miedos, el dolor y todo aquello que nos causa daño."--Amazon.

Recounts the story of the love affair between the conquistador Hernan Cortez and Malinalli, his Indian intepreter during the conquest of the Aztec empire, describing her role as a mediator between two very different languages and cultures.

From the author of Like Water for Chocolate comes a richly layered collection of stories, essays, and recipes that delves into affairs of the heart, the spirit, and, of course, the stomach. In this book of musings and memories, novelist Laura Esquivel reflects on the powerful relationships that shape us and the central role of food in them all. With imagination, intimacy, and wry humor, she offers up a banquet of vivid writings and mouthwatering recipes. Between these pages you'll discover warm kitchens; rich, fragrant moles; and loved ones sharing the essential joy of cooking. The women who taught Esquivel to cook approached food with a spiritual reverence--they were, in essence, priestesses and alchemists. Under their guidance, Esquivel learned that there is magic in food and in those who prepare it.

Like Water for Chocolate (Spanish: Como agua para chocolate) is a novel by Mexican novelist and screenwriter Laura Esquivel. The novel follows the story of a young girl named Tita, who longs for her lover, 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. Esquivel employs magical realism to combine the supernatural with the ordinary throughout the novel. The novel won the American Booksellers Book of the Year Award for Adult Trade in 1994.

Es este un hermoso relato ambientado en México, a principios del siglo XX, con posterioridad a la Revolución Mexicana: la historia de Júbilo, un hombre que nació con el don de la alegría y la capacidad de «escuchar» los verdaderos sentimientos de las personas no expresados en palabras... Desde pequeño, Júbilo se convierte en el intérprete entre su abuela, de origen maya, y su madre, de origen español. A caballo entre dos culturas, sirve de lazo entre esas dos mujeres irreconciliables. Júbilo ha descubierto el poder de las palabras, tan grande como el deseo, y ello determinará que elija convertirse en telegrafista para poder seguir traduciendo e interpretando a su antojo... A través del relato de su hija Lluvia, que lo acompaña en sus últimos días, postrado en el lecho y privado de la palabra, descubrimos la historia de Júbilo, quien conoció como nadie la discordancia entre el deseo y la palabra. Todavía deberá aprender una última lección: después de todo, el amor sigue viajando a la velocidad del deseo.

Lupita hard-knock life has gotten the better of her time and time again. A childhood robbed of innocence set off a chain of events that she still has not managed to control, no matter how hard she tries. Every time she thinks she has a handle on things, unexpected turns make her question everything, including herself. When Lupita witnesses the murder of a local politician whom she greatly admires, the ghosts of her past resurface as she tries to cope with the present. She quickly falls back into her old self-destructive habits and becomes a target of Mexico corrupt political machine. As the powers that be kick into high gear to ensure the truth remains hidden, Lupita finds solace in the purity of indigenous traditions. While she learns how to live simply, like her ancestors, she comes to understand herself and rediscovers light within a dark life. And if there is hope for Lupita redemption, perhaps there is hope for Mexico.

"Fusion of science fiction and adventure-romance attempts to produce a multimedia 'event' that narrates through comic-strip panels and period music on accompanying CD. New Age tracts, precolumbian poetry, Puccini arias, and tedious plots never achieve narrative coherence in spite of Peden's adequate translation"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.