Critical Overview
When Margaret Sayers Peden's translation of Laura Esquivel's second novel, The Law of Love, was published in 1996, the reviews were mixed. Some critics argue that the novel does not live up to the promise of Esquivel's critically acclaimed first novel, Like Water for Chocolate. Others, however, like Salon's A. Scott Cardwell, conclude that the novel ‘‘shows off, once again, Ms. Esquivel's romanticism, playfulness and bold ambition.’’
Many critics deem the book to be, at the very least, a partial success. A writer in Kirkus Reviews finds the novel "exuberant, hectic, [and] ultimately exhausting’’ and continues, ‘‘Whenever Esquivel is celebrating 'the hidden order of the world,' the salvational possibilities of love, she's engaging and persuasive. But the novel, which comes with a CD featuring arias and Mexican danzones (presumably to foster the right mood in the reader), and which includes several gaudy, comic-book-like sections illustrated by the artist Miguelano Prado, finally seems too anxious to overwhelm, too determined to entertain at any cost. There's enough here to demonstrate that Esquivel can write, and that she possesses considerable originality. Next time out, though, she needs to try a little less hard to astonish.’’ Library Journal reviewer Barbara Hoffert echoes this review when she writes that the work ‘‘is at once wildly inventive and slightly silly, energetic and cliched.’’
Robert Houston in his article for the New York Times Book Review argues that ‘‘the CD ... is a delight; and the illustrated panels by Miguelano Prado, though they contribute little, will surely please aficionados of that craft. The pre-Columbian poetry is welcome in any context.’’ He concludes, however, that "no amount of razzle-dazzle can hide the fact that The Law of Love is seriously, perhaps even fatally, flawed. At times, Ms. Esquivel appears to ask a reader to take the book's characters and their troubles seriously, and at other times to see them only as the cardboard characters of farce or of Saturday morning cartoons. Nor can a reader be certain whether the novel is a sendup of New Age cliches or whether its narrator is truly an advocate for them. In trying to have it both ways, Ms. Esquivel has it neither.’’ Commenting on the novel's structure, Houston writes, ‘‘confusing, tediously plotted, marred by muddy philosophy and dubious verities, [the novel] strains far too hard to achieve its effects. It is, one hopes, only a brief detour for Ms. Esquivel. What was humor and charm in Like Water for Chocolate has become in this book simply silliness.’’
Other reviewers find the novel to be a literary success. Donna Seaman in Booklist argues that while the novel ‘‘gets off to a rocky start ... [in its] sloppy opening sequence’’ and ‘‘gimmicky 'multimedia' presentation, Esquivel gets her bearings, and her narrative coalesces into a highly amusing mix of mysticism, science fiction, and her own brand of earthy and ironic humor.’’ She finds the main character "engaging" and Esquivel's construction inventive. Seaman adds, ‘‘Esquivel revels in clever futuristic speculation, imagining such things as an aura-reading computer, soul transplants into "unregistered" bodies, and intergalactic soccer matches. She also executes a number of inventive plot twists that keep Azucena and Rodrigo in suspense and danger and her readers in excellent spirits.’’ Lilian Pizzichini in the Times Literary Supplement finds that this "multimedia event ... incorporates elements of magic realism, science fiction, and New Age philosophy.’’ She concludes, ‘‘Esquivel dresses her ancient story in a collision of literary styles that confirm her wit and ingenuity. She sets herself a mission to explore the redemptive powers of love and art and displays boundless enthusiasm for parody.’’
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