Perhaps I'm missing something, or maybe this book is much better in Spanish. The chapters were very episodic (a byproduct of the book's original serial form, I guess), and the language clunky.

The appearance of magical realism in the book, as others on Goodreads have mentioned, is done with complete disregard for subtlety or originality. Come on, what's more interesting, aphrodisiac food or the swarm of yellow butterflies that follows Mauricio everywhere?

My inner feminist cringed at some of the descriptions of women and sex. Must be a cultural thing because this stuff probably wouldn't fly in America even in 1989.

I guess people who enjoy this book like it because it's a one-handed read, but aren't there other books--Harlequin Spice, perhaps?--more suited to this purpose?

Not my cup of tea, I guess.