The subject of reading translations came up today. It brought to mind a promise I made to obtain and read more of them.

I decided to go through my library and was surprised by the amount that I have and how varied. Below is a listing of the twenty-seven books I currently own. That’s only 7% of my library, but it isn’t as low as I thought it would be.

What a pleasant surprise!

The countries represented by the list below are: Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Germany, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey.

So, do you read translations? How much of your home library is made up of stories translated for your reading pleasure?

(Those with an [R] are one’s I’ve read)

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
Portrait In Sepia by Isabel Allende
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende [R]
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano [R]
A Lucky Child by Thomas Buergenthal [R]
Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes
The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coehlo [R]
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel [R]
Hannah’s Daughters by Marianne Fredrickson
The Old Gringo by Carlos Fuentes
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz
Miramar by Naguib Mahfouz
The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
Blindness by Jose Saramago
Homecoming by Bernhard Schlink
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon [R]

Inspired by personal experience, Coelho brings us this novella which explores the perceptions of those with mental illness and those who have to deal with it – or choose not to.

At the core is a story about finding acceptance, facing denial, and finding the freedom to takes one’s fate into their own hands regardless of the obstacles.

The only detraction, for some readers, may be way the author handles the narration, at times literally placing himself within the story. In addition, there is sexual content which didn’t bother me, but may put off others.

This was a good introduction to Coelho, but not the best one. I have a feeling The Alchemist may be a much better story. I’m looking forward to reading it, hoping to appreciate this author more.

If you would like to learn more about the this work, the author, or any of his other stories, please visit the links below:

• Paulo Coelho’s website
• Author discussing writing this book
• My reading notes

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Magical Realism, 246 pages (Hardcover edition)
Spanish Edition (1989)
English Translation (1992)
Random House, Inc.

 Like Water for Chocolate’s full title is, Like Water for Hot Chocolate: A novel in monthly installments with recipes, romances and home remedies. However it is much more than a “diary” recounting the life of a beloved aunt.

This book is about relationships: those between a family of women and the challenges borne out of sibling love and rivalry; those affected by a family tradition that is the catalyst for rebellion; and of those between women and the men who pass through their lives.

The setting plays an important part in Esquivel’s narrative, as it mirrors the lives of her characters. It is turn-of-the-century Mexico. A time of revolution and change. Not only in politics, but in the culture as well. This is clear to see within the family of the De La Garza women as the story moves along from one generation to the next: How they, and the times change, some adapting – some not.

When I first saw the film, I misunderstood the title and its meaning. Not until studying the Spanish language did I realize the error. It was my “Ah ha!” moment. The story, the metaphors, the beauty of it all became so much clearer, and I was thrilled to finally “get it”. I decided then and there to get the book and read it. I am so glad I did.

The phrase is common in many Spanish-speaking countries and in this book, it applies to those people or emotions (such as anger and passion) that are so extreme, they are close to reaching a point where they are about to “boil over”.

The steam rising from the pan mingled with the heat given off by Tita’s body. The anger she felt within her acted like yeast on bread dough. She felt its rapid rising, flowing into every last recess of her body, like yeast in a small bowl, it spilled over to the outside, escaping in the form of steam through her ears, nose, and all her pores.

I can nearly count on one hand the number of books adapted as well as this. Of course Esquivel wrote the screenplay, which helped. However, it remained with the director and the actors to bring to life the story as the author intended, and they did it well.

Deciding on which rating this story deserves has been extremely difficult. I love the book. I love the story. However the translation is an issue albeit a small one. Compared to others such as The Shadow of the Wind, this one comes up a little short as sometimes the flow runs a little less smooth than it should. Still, I cannot get over the amount of depth and beauty in this book.

Laura Esquivel’s novel Like Water for Chocolate has sold more than four and a half million copies around the world in thirty-five languages. She has also written Malinche, Swift as Desire, The Law of Love, and Between Two Fires.