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The Law of Love

Laura Esquivel,

Margaret Sayers Peden (Translator)

3.55 · Rating details · 3,063 ratings · 217 reviews

This exuberantly romantic and wildly comic tale from the author of Like Water for Chocolate combines inventive printed fiction with Puccini arias on a CD! When a Mexican astroanalyst in the 23rd century searches her past lives for her lover, she encounters many adventures, including the fall of Montezuma and a plot by a reborn Mother Teresa to rule the planet. As the music ...more

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Hardcover, 266 pages

Published September 11th 1997 by Random House Value Publishing (first published 1995)

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3.55 ·

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· 3,063 ratings · 217 reviews

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May 21, 2018 Sleeping with Ghosts rated it it was ok

No, no, no. Los diseños internos sólo traen imágenes de una violación en la época colonial Argentina. Si!! Inentendible.

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Jun 13, 2011 Deborah rated it it was amazing

This book was amazing! Ms. Esquivel did an amazing job of blending science fiction, humor, Buddhism, & Catholicism into a beautiful story that quite simply is a call to mankind to come together in love. This is a book that I must own so that I can re-read it throughout my life. ;-)
Here are three of my favorite quotes from the book:
"Most people are constantly forming opinions...This creates an insurmountable barrier and we find ourselves dominated by intolerance. As soon as we meet a person, ...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Aja rated it it was amazing

This is now one of my top reads of all time (my sister says its the Latina in me that loves magic realism, but it goes beyond that). A masterful blend of time, space, and instruction on how to break personal and socially inherited karma. Part graphic novel, musical score, and head trip. It requires the reader surrender their imagination to a plot that is woven through a narrative that attempts to express a holistic way of viewing and communicating the past, present, and future as they exist in e ...more

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Nov 23, 2018 Belle Sabattin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Este libro fue una experiencia para los sentidos: Música, imágenes y la narración de una latina maestra en realismo mágico. Entonces, ¿Por qué 3 estrellas y no 4 o 5? Pues, hay cosas que personalmente no me gustaron tanto, pero que se vieron compensadas por la experiencia sublime que se vive con la convergencia de Puccini, las viñetas y la imaginación de Laura Esquivel.

En serio (necesito recalcarlo) fue extrasensorial el ver viñetas y escuchar la música y que ambas cosas se sobrepusieran de mane ...more

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Apr 08, 2009 R.Z. rated it did not like it

A beautiful cover, an included CD, and pages and pages of pastel paintings couldn't make this a book worth reading. It was truely awful. I picked it up because I am a big fan of the magical realism often found in the South American literary tradition, but Esquivel just doesn't have it!

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Apr 25, 2018 Aide Rojas rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Me ha encantado este libro: su ritmo e historia te atrapan con la justa medida de comedia, amor y aventura, con un toque de ciencia ficción y reflexión espiritual, haciendo que la energía del universo siga fluyendo bajo la “Ley del Amor”. La experiencia de los cómics con la música de ópera en verdad que fue una experiencia diferente y gratificante. Lo único que hizo que no obtuviera el máximo número de estrellitas fue el final tan apresurado, que en mi opinión, la historia tuvo.

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Jan 09, 2012 Hardly rated it it was ok

Shelves: bleh

After all the hype regarding Like Water for Chocolate, and in view of my deep interest in reincarnation in fiction, I had greatly anticipated this book. It had a compelling start, in detailing the karmic events set into motion with Rodrigo and Citlala, but the switch to the futuristic setting, with all its fantastical and foreign new technologies and philosophies, was too much far, far too soon.

Problems I identified were: poor, scanty characterization; almost total lack of blocking (description After all the hype regarding Like Water for Chocolate, and in view of my deep interest in reincarnation in fiction, I had greatly anticipated this book. It had a compelling start, in detailing the karmic events set into motion with Rodrigo and Citlala, but the switch to the futuristic setting, with all its fantastical and foreign new technologies and philosophies, was too much far, far too soon.

Problems I identified were: poor, scanty characterization; almost total lack of blocking (description of setting); and comprehensive, almost omnipresent 'telling' instead of 'showing'. We are never allowed to draw our own conclusions about the characters from their actions and words-- Esquivel informs us, either through her narration or that of a guardian or demon, exactly what we are to think of everyone. And both the preachiness and massive breadth of the metaphysical 'stuff' was intrusive and annoying, giving the impression she's telling us what to believe, as well.

The ending is, as with so many novels nowadays, rushed and insufficient, a mere wrap-up chapter telling us what happened to all the main characters after the fact, the lazy man's (woman's?) way of getting the damned thing over with. We aren't shown how any of these things occurred, though it would have been both interesting and satisfying to see how these people came to their rewards or punishments.

And worst of all is the pat and ludicrous resolution of the distance between Azucena and Rodrigo. After their initial meeting at the start of the book, they are separated, and the story basically details (with many flourishes) Azucena's travails in finding him again. But when they do find each other, he doesn't remember her any more, and only has eyes for the reincarnation of Citlala, of whom his violation in a prior life was so lovingly recounted in the first chapter.

Azucena, then, finds love with Teo, and enthusiastically copulates with him at every opportunity. This is explained away with a few convenient sentences by Esquivel, who gives Azucena's reunion with Rodrigo the same treatment in her rushed ending. "Oh, Rodrigo remembers Azucena and leaves Citlala and now only has eyes for his soul mate." Just that easy, was it?

I guess a scene of such power and emotion wasn't important enough for her to render for her readers, but I was left wondering if he felt shame for forgetting Azucena was his soul mate and taking up with Citlala, if Azucena harbored resentment for it. Of course, knowing how Esquivel prefers to tell us what to think, she'd have just informed us with a sole paragraph how it all went down, so I suppose that we're not missing anything by her leaving it out.

Also ludicrous is how easily Azucena forgives Isabel's transgressions against her and the others-- again solved with a convenient telling instead of showing. Esquivel proves how poor her grasp of human nature, and how inadequate she is at rendering it in words for her readers, if she thinks that being murdered and abandoned repeatedly by the same person over multiple lifeties can be erased with a sentence or two.

The multimedia aspect of the book feels gimmicky. The music is redundant in style and theme, and the graphic novel parts feel more like Esquivel couldn't be arsed to describe the scene herself, so got someone else to draw it. If a picture is worth a thousand words, she saved herself about 25,000 of them with the artwork. Convenient for her, but ultimately dissatisfying for us.

In general, this book felt like a wacky sci-fi concept that Esquivel wanted "out there" but didn't feel like bothering to put any effort into. Her heavy-handed treatment of both the story and philosophical issues too many 'WTF' moments, where we have to stop and think hard about what in the world is happening, gives her an overlooming presence that prevents the reader from becoming absorbed in the book; we're too aware it's written, rather than unfolding before us. ...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Jess rated it liked it

Shelves: dystopian

I found this book several years ago in the hallway of my first apartment building in New York (the one that also frequently had chicken bones littering the halls). It had been discarded by my neighbor across the way; she had put out many books over the time I lived there, mostly of a semi-mystical, feminist bent (for example, this is also where I found a copy of Women Who Run With the Wolves). I was kind of fascinated by the neighbor, as she designed clothes and had a fabulously overstuffed livi I found this book several years ago in the hallway of my first apartment building in New York (the one that also frequently had chicken bones littering the halls). It had been discarded by my neighbor across the way; she had put out many books over the time I lived there, mostly of a semi-mystical, feminist bent (for example, this is also where I found a copy of Women Who Run With the Wolves). I was kind of fascinated by the neighbor, as she designed clothes and had a fabulously overstuffed living space and wrote things in the blank back matter pages of the books, like drawings of plans to redesign her apartment, and as in this book, a recipe for lemon bars.

I took one look at the cover of this book and was appalled by it, but upon reading the description was so intrigued by how insane it sounded. I have kept the book for the last 6 years, through 3 subsequent apartments and therefore, several culls of my book collection. I just finally read it, today.

It is batshit. It is not as appalling as the cover art. It was actually a really enjoyable book to read. It is about the intricate laws of a society in which people are reincarnated through 14,000 lives and must right all the wrongs and emotionally process the conflicts of the past in order to evolve to a point where they are allowed to apply for a meeting with their Soul's Twin. The hilarious parts of the ones that describe the bureaucracy of the governmental agencies that must uphold these laws; the tone of this reminds me of Douglas Adams. Amidst all of that is a lot of spouting of spiritual tenets, such as that we are all One and therefore must release all negativity in order for positivity to flow from us and therefore, be returned to us. Memories of past lives are displayed as comic panels as the characters are regressed through them to discover theirs truths and these images are recorded with a "photomental camera". Finally, there is an accompanying CD containing opera music that the text cues you to listen to at certain points. I do not have the CD, my neighbor must have kept it.

So, yeah: hot mess. But fun. ...more

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Jan 05, 2009 Cheryl rated it it was amazing

This book came with a CD to listen to as you read the book, a multimedia experience that was amazing. The illustrations were interesting and added depth to the story. It was one of the most unique reading experiences in my life and I wish there were more like it! I loved the CD and still listen to it, it has some great songs by Liliana Felipe, a Mexican folk singer as well as arias from Puccini. I like most of Esquivel's writing, it can be spiritual and funny and philosophical all at the same ti ...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Michael rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, sexuality, magical-realism, mexico

Mythic tale of love across the ages told from perspectives of reincarnated characters in Mexico City in 2200, 1985, and 1521. Too preachy about the karma of past transgressions and the concept of soulmates for my taste. Interesting music in a CD to be played on cue with the story and graphic art renderings of regression sequences. The sci fi on the main character's profession as an astroanalyst doing past-life regression work seems to glorify, rather than satirize, a current flaky practice. Yet, ...more

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Jan 27, 2019 Elizabeth rated it liked it

Loved the ideas and concepts, but it was horribly rushed and the story just wasn't well put together. Slapdash, at best. Perhaps her publishers were pushing her? I don't know. This had the potential to be a great book, but it was rushed and oversimplified, as if a child had written it. The characters were very one dimensional with no real redeeming qualities about them, even the heroine.

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Aug 26, 2016 David rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mexican-lit, español

I enjoyed Like Water for Chocolate, her international best seller (1989) and the movie too. This was her follow-up book in 1996, which was "considered the first multimedia novel in Mexico." This a novel, a comic book and a CD to challenge the senses.

It comes with a CD with Puccini opera classics (Nessun Dorma, O Mio Bambino, to name a few) alternating with songs by Eugenia León and Liliana Felipe (Liliana has a fabulous voice). I love the opera and the funky Mexican tunes are wonderful. So how d I enjoyed Like Water for Chocolate, her international best seller (1989) and the movie too. This was her follow-up book in 1996, which was "considered the first multimedia novel in Mexico." This a novel, a comic book and a CD to challenge the senses.

It comes with a CD with Puccini opera classics (Nessun Dorma, O Mio Bambino, to name a few) alternating with songs by Eugenia León and Liliana Felipe (Liliana has a fabulous voice). I love the opera and the funky Mexican tunes are wonderful. So how does this work? Throughout the book, the main character Azucena listens to her Walkman to chill out. Sadly I had to download it to listen on my phone. Well technology has changed even for this concept book. Still it was fun.

The comic book, illustrated by the Spaniard Miguelanxo Prado, is staggered throughout the novel to illustrate the key actions of the characters. All of the comic stories are set to the operatic arias. I was a little unsettled by the very graphic content set for the music but then, it follows the key elements of opera: love, cheating, betrayal renewal and/or death. This book has all of these plus a little comedy (that is also a genre of opera).

The novel itself is very unique - a blend of romance, science fiction, souls and reincarnation set in the year 2200. Azucena loves Rodrigo but starts to discover his past and the more she delves into into, the wilder it gets. She herself is an astroanalyst - she uncovers people's past lives to help better themselves. She is a lot neurotic but the humour through keeps the book moving along.

I was hooked by the startling initial story of the Spanish Conquistador Rodrigo whose child by Isabel is murdered by the Aztec princess Citlali. Suddenly we are in the year 2200 dealing with space travel, fixing souls, reincarnation and the whole lot and I was a little miffed. What on earth is going on here? Souls and reincarnation are not typically my thing but I did keep reading. Then I had a hard time putting the book down and the story as complicated was it was, had some great moments and reflections throughout..

Does it work? Sometimes it seemed a little hokey. Sometimes I was a little confused. Sometimes a lot weirdness happens (even for a book written 20 years ago). The comic and the CD elements work although are certainly dated. Her theme of revenge and payback, as old as they are, work. It was an enjoyable entertainment. So I would give it a 3.5.

Leí en español. ...more

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Oct 03, 2008 Lausº rated it liked it

I am not sure that is true, but when I bought it, they told me it was the first interactive novel. The fact is that in certain parts of the book are a series of illustrations (like a story-book) wich are complemented by a CD with opera and popular music.
The main character is Azucena and the story focuses on the search for their soul mate, with which it has been involved in their past lives since pre-Hispanic times.
I read it twice, the second time, I decided not to use the interactive parts and ...more

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Jan 03, 2009 bookczuk rated it really liked it

Shelves: bookcrossing, fantasy, home-library, time-travel-reincarnation-etc

I must say that this really was unlike anything else I have ever read, but more because of the multimedia opportunities: straight-forward science fiction (ha!) graphic novel, poetry, arias and even an accompanying CD. Whoa!

A romance that covers a span of 14,000 past lives and a time period from Montezuma to the 23rd century-- and does it all in a plausible, manner. I'd just re-read Like Water For Chocolate and while on one hand the two novels seem so different, there is a similar touch of roman ...more

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May 17, 2013 Robyn added it

Shelves: audio, given-away, div-rep

I remember when this first came out I was so excited about it. The author was getting a lot of press at the time, and this book is made up of textual story, graphic representation of story, and an audio CD that contains music, which the reader is instructed to play while reading certain parts of the book. It's an interesting idea and from what I remember I did enjoy the book, but that was nearly 20 years ago and I've never re-read the book, so it's time for it to go to a new home.

Found an old " ...more

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Feb 23, 2016 Pedro rated it liked it · review of another edition

Tiene un primer capítulo increíble (en el buen sentido de la palabra), si eres del tipo sentimental es probable que te lleve a las lágrimas. Luego, de un preciso y único sopetón, pierde toda esa fuerza para terminar siendo un libro aburrido. Creo que fue un error darle todo ese enfoque rayano en la ciencia ficción, (no sé si en realidad llamarlo así, pero no le encuentro cabida dentro del realismo mágico), simplemente no cuaja. Pienso que si hubiera mantenido una línea histórica - mística, hubie ...more

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Aug 30, 2008 Kelly rated it it was ok

Shelves: adventure, fiction, fantasy-supernatural, sci-fi, love-story

I guess I am just not hip or open enough to this book. I didn't care for it. I felt as if Esquivel was pandering to the audience and trying to show us how cool she is to have illustrations and music and to write a book that doesn't fit into any one genre. Then I felt guilty for not liking the book (because I loved her Like Water for Chocolate so much) that I listened to it on audio after reading it. Nope, that didn't change my mind at all. I just think the entire story is bizarre. I guess it's h ...more

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Jan 24, 2018 Job Acevedo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

¿Cómo te digo que es el libro que tienes que leer en algún momento de tu vida? cuanto antes mejor eh. Este libro es increíble; Laura Esquivel mezcla ciencia ficción, humor, budismo y catolicismo en una bella historia de amor. Es un llamado a la humanidad, un instructivo para romper con tu karma heredado. Tiene el perfecto balance entre novela, partitura musical y un viaje espiritual mediante una narrativa que intenta expresar una forma holística de ver y comunicar el pasado, el presente y el fut ...more

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Aug 07, 2013 carpe librorum :) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mexicanos

Emprestei-o e nunca mais o vi... curiosamente à mesma pessoa que me está a dever o Fernão Capelo Gaivota. Mas enfim, os livros são feitos para voar. Adorei o CD, especialmente as músicas tradicionais mexicanas. Não desfazendo no Puccinni, que aquela "Nessun Dorma" É qualquer coisa!
O livro em si tem algumas ideias curiosas que apreciei.

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Sep 20, 2015 Stefanie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

¡Lo amé!El concepto me pareció super original y no se parece a nada que haya leído. Me divirtió, entretuvo y fascino. ¡Super recomendable!
Si bien este libro lo encontré en la biblioteca de mi abuela sin el cd que se supone viene con el, ese hecho no arruinó para nada mi experiencia con el libro, la cual fue fantástica.

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Aug 26, 2010 Diba Adibi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

شاید با شنیدن اسم کتاب فکر کنین از اون دست کتابهای کم ارزشه ولی اینطور نیست، اگر نثرش براتون عجیبه باید بگم که این شیوه نوشتاری به ریالیسم جادویی مشهوره که آمیزه ای از حقیقت و رویاست. از صفحه 166 تا168 رو خیلی دوست دارم، من رو با خودش بزرگ کرد

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May 04, 2014 São Palma rated it liked it

Um livro engraçado, que se lê bem, mas, pelo menos neste momento, não acho que mereça mais de três estrelas . O que nem é mau :)

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Aug 19, 2017 Debbie rated it liked it · review of another edition

"...it's not by changing the social order that one's problems are resolved. It's by changing ourselves."

A mix of magical realism, sci-fi, and Buddhist philosophy.

Azucena has been given a mission to restore balance to the universe and to be reunited with her twin soul, Rodrigo. Her efforts force her, and the people whose lives are intertwined with hers, to understand the lessons that their souls need to learn.

"An evolving spirit must pass through every imaginable horror before reaching enlighte ...more

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Sep 05, 2017 Lisa rated it liked it

I remember reading this as a young teen. If you liked Cloud Atlas, you will definitely enjoy this. Having read both, I prefer Esquivel's take on love and life across reincarnations. The conceit falls flat but the plot at least has a coherent resolution. The CD is a nice touch and very much ahead of its time. This was published 20 years ago and it's only now that authors are starting to engage readers with playlists that accompany the book. One part of this story gives me particular pause, even y ...more

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Apr 19, 2018 Caitlin rated it did not like it

Shelves: read-harder-2017

Boo. I didn't finish reading The Law of Love. I got 20 pages in and was pretty mad/uncomfortable, so I decided to just put it aside and spend my precious reading time on something else. I tried. It was touted as a Mexican Midsummer Night's Dream, but the half-page diatribe about souls filling each other like a man filling a woman, like the only way to be truly whole was heteronormative, penetrative sex, and I just didn't like it. Maybe I'm being a little too obtuse, a little too reactionary, but ...more

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Sep 19, 2018 Ana rated it liked it · review of another edition

Valoro mucho el esfuerzo de la autora de hacer algo diferente. Mezclar el texto con cómics, y acompañarlos con música es una excelente idea. El libro llegó a mí a través del trueque, así que no tenía el CD inserto, por lo que busqué en internet la lista de canciones y juiciosa hice la tarea de ponerla en los momentos adecuados, pero en mi caso, la música no me llegó tanto y se perdía el efecto deseado.
La historia empieza en la época de la conquista, entre los aztecas y los españoles, y muestra c ...more

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Jun 06, 2017 Laura Lima rated it liked it · review of another edition

Este libro, aunque me costó entenderlo porque no conocía muy bien esa cultura, me pareció una lectura ligera e interesante.

Me gustó mucho la idea de mezclar la ciencia ficción y temas futurísticos con el romance y la cultura.

Es reconocible que la autora quería algo auténtico de México, por la forma en la que los personajes hablaban, y sus nombres.

Confieso que no seguí los pasos que ella indicaba con respecto a la música, no se parecían a mis gustos, y no soy muy flexible en cuanto a ellos; pero ...more

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Feb 27, 2019 Kathy Lyons rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: book-sale-find

Weird but also brave and artistic. Past lives, history, gods, future high tech...hard to pin down the genre. The book comes with a cd. There are prompts in the book to tell when to listen to the next track. The music often coincides with a series of storyboard type art spread through the book to experience "flashbacks" in a visual way. I loved the art! I kept flipping back through the pages to study the scenes, again. Did I also say poems were in the book? My favorite section was how she explain ...more

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Jul 15, 2018 Lucia rated it it was amazing

The Spanish version of this book influenced me in an positive unexpected way when it first came out. The spin of reincarnation of souls Gave me months of conversation material. Lovely story , well written and with music to go along with. Good combo.

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Aug 16, 2018 Hernán López rated it liked it · review of another edition

Tiene una narración un tanto enredosa y alocada, eso me pareció interesante. juega con conceptos de la new age y plantea cuestiones acerca de las relaciones interpersonales. Me agradó bastante. No le tenía mucha fé pero me atrapó.

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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Book, possibly set in Spain or written by a Spanish author, published mid to late 1990's, includes CD with tracks to listen to throughout text [s]	7	93	Jan 24, 2015 02:33PM

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About Laura Esquivel

Laura Esquivel

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A teacher by trade, Laura Esquivel gained international attention with Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes, Romances and Home Remedies and The Law of Love. In both books she manages to incorporate her teaching abilities by giving her readers lessons about life. During an on-line Salon interview with Joan Smith, she said, "As a teacher I realize that what one lear ...more

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Quotes from The Law of Love

“Surely the heart is not a fitting place to house hatred. But where is its place? I don't know. That is one of the universe's Unknowns. It would seem that the God's truly delight in messing things up, for in not having created a particular spot to house hatred, they have provoked eternal chaos. Hatred us forever hunting down a refuge, poking it's nose where it shouldn't, taking over sites reserved for others, invariably forcing out love.” — 0 likes

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