I have read many Latin American novels that were intriguing and addictive; Like Water for Chocolate unfortunately is the opposite. The characters were not at all developed successfully; no motivations existed behind some of their actions. The magic realism was not artfully or subtly employed to provide significant insight into the events of the novel. As odd as this may sound, not one of the characters in this book was likeable. Many characters had the potential to be developed into a very interesting and powerful figures, but their stories were reduced to a side notes that the author seemingly gave up on. The plot was childish in nature, with strange sexual undertones that were unnecessarily crude. The novel attempts to reconcile a highly