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Title: Magical realism in turn-of-the-century Mexico
Review: Recipes begin each of the chapters in this utterly charming book that centers much of the time around life in the kitchen of a traditional Mexican family. Tita, the daughter who has been destined to remain single so she can continue caring for her aging parents, falls in love and must watch as her lover marries her sister, Rosaura. Tita pours her heart and her loving into cooking, and as the years go by, and with each new creation she reflects the frustrations of a generation of Mexican women whose options in life to find personal happiness are limited by traditions. The conclusion is incendiary, apocryphal, and somehow hopeful for the future.
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