These two novels (“Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” and “The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul”) are at least as good as Hitchhiker’s. They are perhaps more linear and set closer to home (mostly in England) but they are weirder, darker and, on occasion, they display that (seemingly!) effortless comic genius that Adams is famed for.

Highly recommended.

I find myself in the minority when I speak about Like Water for Chocolate – everyone seems to like this book. I agree that the premise is interesting (food and romance, with recipes at the beginning of each chapter) yet the plot is ragged, characterisation non-existent and dialogue laughable.

I struggled to find any meaning in the book when writing an analytical essay on it some months ago, but perhaps I was looking too hard – the book’s blurb and overall presentation seem aimed at the stereotypical Mills and Boon readership; and with prose (and plot!) this wooden I cannot fathom how the book made the list of ‘1001 Books you Must Read Before You Die’. I hope that the version I read was simply a poor translation, since the stilted dialogue and abundant clichés nearly drove me insane on repeated readings. However, I don’t hold high hopes for the next translation, since the plot is hackneyed and the ending a very poorly disguised deus ex machina.

Nevertheless, this book is reasonably enjoyable the first time round, with absorbing usage of magical realism. Just don’t try and analyse it!

Edit: I should have posted this in the other page, since that was the edition I read. Of course, my criticisms and praises still stand.