List $14.95

Written by Laura Esquivel - Audio book performed by Yareli Arizmendi - Abridged Fiction - 4 CASSETTES

Publisher, Bantam Doubleday Dell (February 1994)

"A delightful first novel... the fragrant story makes you dream of love and want your supper too." --Glamour

"A mystical Mexican love story... [that] will charm the palate and the heart." --USA Today

"A tall-tal, fairy-tale, soap-opera and home-remedy handbook all rolled into one." --San Francisco Chronicle

Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit. The classic love story takes place on the De la Garza ranch, as the tyrannical owner, Mama Elena, chops onions at the kitchen table in her final days of pregnancy. While still in her mother's womb, her daughter to be weeps so violently she causes an early labor, and little Tita slips out amid the spices and fixings for noodle soup. This early encounter with food soon becomes a way of life, and Tita grows up to be a master chef. She shares special points of her favorite preparations with listeners throughout the story.

The last of three daughters, Tita is saddled with a terrible responsibility that tradition carries down: in well-born Mexican families, the youngest daughter must remain unmarried and stay at home to care for her mother in old age. When she falls in love, Mama Elena refuses to bend the rules, and forces Tita to reject her suitor and assume the role of family cook. The result is a clash of wills that brings magic, love, sex, and fabulously good food to a previously unknown level of enjoyment.

With more than two million copies in print, Like Water for Chocolate has taken its place alongside such beloved First novels as The Joy Luck Club and Hoe, to Make an American Quilt as a treasured part of America's literary memory.

The Spanish language edition of the best-selling Like Water For Chocolate is a remarkable success in its own right. Now, in this mass market edition, thousands of new readers will be able to partake in the sumptuous, romantic, and hilarious tale of Tita, the terrific cook with an extra special something in her sauce.

About the Author: LAURA ESOUIVEL is the award–winning author of Like Water for Chocolate, which has sold more than four and a half million copies around the world in thirty-five languages, as well as The Law of Love, Between Two Fires and Swift as Desire. She lives in Mexico City.

About the Performer: YARELI ARIZMENDI was born in Mexico City. She is best known for her role as Rosaura, the "mean" sister in the film version of Like Water for Chocolate. Film credits include A Day Without a Mexican, which she co–wrote with her husband, Sergio Arau. Yareli has also appeared in Six Feet Under and 7th Heaven.