Swift As Desire - book review

I enjoyed reading Swift As Desire by Laura Esquivel but not nearly as much as I expected. Perhaps it is because the book I read is a translation from the original Spanish or perhaps the author just write this way. In any case, I found too much "telling" and not enough "describing". It feels like someone telling what the book is about rather than describing the lives and feelings and actions of the book's characters. The book comes across as a book review itself.

The author has also written the much more famous book "Like Water for Chocolate" and refers to the same phrase in this book as well. Esquivel points this out in the book and indirectly points out the symbolic meaning. According to the Urban Dictionary: The phrase "like water for chocolate" came from Mexico. In Mexico,hot chocolate is made with water, not milk. The water is brought to a boil and then the chocolate is spooned into it. A person in a state of sexual excitement is said to be "like water for chocolate." In fact, the author educates us quite a bit regarding Mexican and Mayan traditions.

The main male character Jubilo is born with a sixth sense that allows him to sense what people want which makes him perfect as a mediator or simply as someone who enjoys helping others. He uses this talent in his job as telegraph operator when he helps people word their telegraphs just the right way to express their real wishes.

There are some tender scenes and some relatively graphic descriptions of couples having sex so by warned. If you get the book on tape it may not be the one you want to listen to on the way to school.

I enjoyed it in spite of it's faults but it certainly isn't her best work.