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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Marquez is quickly becoming one of my favourite writers, and although he doesn’t have a lot of competition in this department, his writing finds a way to make me drift into another world, one where my mind is rich in ideas and is entirely free to explore them. I made the mistake of starting this during my revision/exams, hoping to slowly chip away 10 to 20 pages at a time. However, I found this very hard to do. I spent days, if not weeks not visiting the book, and due to the free-flowing and volatile style of Marquez’s narrative, I found myself becoming rather confused with the book at times. Although the wonderment in the pages helped to contrast the mundanity of learning medicine, I would say that not fully committing to the book made it even harder to appreciate it.
When I was finally relinquished from the shackles of exams, the first thing I did was to pick up where I had left off. Now with an abundance of free time, I became lost in the pages I had been obsessed with. It’s safe to say that it is never a chore reading his prose.
It’s not hard to assume that love is an ever-present theme within this, and whilst there are a myriad of other themes that are also dispersed throughout the book, love is at the core of it all. We are presented with a depiction of love that is not at all simplistic or familiar. We are far removed from a banal portrayal of love, and Marquez stays somewhat true to his skill of magical realism; his writing making the everyday seem ethereal (although the abundance of magical realism in this book is not at all equivalent to what is seen in 100 years). Love is shown to us as an unpredictable and unrelenting force; a torrent of emotions where the actions are not always congruent with the ultimate aim. It may offer us an indulgence and satisfaction that our dreams are envious of, whilst also being an infectious and damaging epidemic (much like cholera). In times of passion, grief and isolation, love finds its way into any crevice which it can occupy. It lingers for decades, its power ebbing and flowing with time. A lifetime is not long enough to understand how it works, for its manoeuvres enact themselves differently depending on the individual. Succumbing to it may not always provide the solace and comfort that you so desire, but there is one thing Marquez makes certain to us; as long as there is life, there is love.
Florentino Ariza (the protagonist) is the focus of scrutiny for readers, due to the multitude of his imperfections conflicting with his identity of being the supposed “hero” of the story. It does not appear consistent with me that this was Marquez’s intention. A protagonist ridden with imperfections is not made to be a role model, but is rather a subject to understand and learn from, enabling us to better appreciate our desires and shape our actions accordingly. No matter how disagreeable his actions may be, Marquez’s writing encourages us to appreciate how oxymoronic his acts are to his supposed beliefs.
I’m sure I will have more to say about this book and Marquez as time goes on, but for now this is enough for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
At 58% I'm tossing it. So far, it's been more a graphic chronicle of sexual encounters than anything else.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
pretty glorious.. quite weird and a little raunchy but i definitely found it easier to get into than one hundred years
I find that a rating of four stars means something different when the author is Gabriel Garcia Marquez than when it is someone less masterful..."Love in the Time of Cholera" is an incredibly well-written book, head and shoulders above 90% of what I read. But it is an exasperating book as well, and not quite as good as some of GGM's best writing ("100 Years of Solitude," perhaps, should win that honor). The first time I read this book, I was enchanted, and there are phrases and scenes that I still recall with deep pleasure 25 years later. The second time I read this book, the latin-male hubris drove me nuts, draining some of the joy from the reading and even from the memories of my first encounter with it. The third time I read it, I had reconciled myself to who GGM is as a writer, and was able to forgive him some of his sexism, much as I forgive Trollope or other writers from earlier ages and different cultures for not sharing my point of view. But I still saw how GGM's strongly macho sensibility weakened the writing and I believe that as time goes on, this will be considered a less essential book than "100 Years" or "The General in His Labyrinth."
Perhaps this is something like the difference between window-shopping for clothes at Macy's and at some haute couture boutique: you may be disappointed in this year's Chanel, you may compare it to the best Chanel and find it wanting, but it is undeniably in a completely different category of skill and artistry than what's readily available. And so it is with Marquez.
Perhaps this is something like the difference between window-shopping for clothes at Macy's and at some haute couture boutique: you may be disappointed in this year's Chanel, you may compare it to the best Chanel and find it wanting, but it is undeniably in a completely different category of skill and artistry than what's readily available. And so it is with Marquez.
I don’t know if I’ve ever been so conflicted on if I liked a book or not. Long story short: hated everything about the story but LOVED Marquez’s writing.
Literally not a single character was likeable, except possibly Aunt Escolástica or Tránsito Ariza. None of their actions were commendable. There was never a good choice made. None of them seemed to know what love was, but that’s the whole point of the story. It was frustrating for any moment of happiness to be followed with, “but that isn’t love.” At some points, I get it, but it seems like Marquez (or his characters) couldn’t understand that there were different kinds of love than the passionate and romantic kind.
I’m not even going to mention Florentino’s affairs, because if you’ve read the story, you likely know exactly what I’d say. If you haven’t read it, prepared to be the most disgusted you’ve ever been with a man from his teenage years to the end of his life.
Despite all the story aspects that I hated, Marquez’s writing was absolutely stunning. The prose and flow was fantastic throughout the entire story, even in the moments I hated. Marquez has a way of making you understand exactly what he’s saying even if he uses the most convoluted figurative language you’ve ever heard. It was his writing that made me enjoy this story even a little bit. That, and it was entertaining to see how the characters destroyed their lives with every action.
Literally not a single character was likeable, except possibly Aunt Escolástica or Tránsito Ariza. None of their actions were commendable. There was never a good choice made. None of them seemed to know what love was, but that’s the whole point of the story. It was frustrating for any moment of happiness to be followed with, “but that isn’t love.” At some points, I get it, but it seems like Marquez (or his characters) couldn’t understand that there were different kinds of love than the passionate and romantic kind.
I’m not even going to mention Florentino’s affairs, because if you’ve read the story, you likely know exactly what I’d say. If you haven’t read it, prepared to be the most disgusted you’ve ever been with a man from his teenage years to the end of his life.
Despite all the story aspects that I hated, Marquez’s writing was absolutely stunning. The prose and flow was fantastic throughout the entire story, even in the moments I hated. Marquez has a way of making you understand exactly what he’s saying even if he uses the most convoluted figurative language you’ve ever heard. It was his writing that made me enjoy this story even a little bit. That, and it was entertaining to see how the characters destroyed their lives with every action.