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ana610615's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Police brutality, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Sexual assault, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Suicide, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Rape, and Sexism
ran_sophia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content
Moderate: Colonisation, Sexism, Miscarriage, War, Self harm, and Death
Minor: Homophobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Child death
shreyasingh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Incest, Child death, Violence, Terminal illness, Rape, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Mass/school shootings, Infidelity, and Gun violence
Minor: Miscarriage, War, Police brutality, Pedophilia, and Cursing
kat_tk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, War, and Incest
Moderate: Blood, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Mental illness, and Pedophilia
elizlizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
In the end that's what this is, a clever book, marvelously crafted with exquisite prose, but deeply disturbing and depressing. I do not agree with GGM's worldview here and the whole Oedipus Complex trope seemed to point at Shakespearean levels of tragedy, but where my man Willy didn't take himself too seriously, GGM does this sad boi act which made me dislike his books in the first place. Appreciate the art, but won't be re-reading it soon, nor recommending it to nobody.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Genocide, Gun violence, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Police brutality, Torture, and Trafficking
Minor: Confinement, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Dementia, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Dementia, Fatphobia, and Miscarriage
Minor: Rape
basedrincewind's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Infidelity and Incest
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Murder, and Miscarriage
Minor: Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Cannibalism
catapocalypse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First, I can't believe how seldom its humor is brought up by others! There's a lot of focus placed on the heavy, cynical, serious elements, but there's also many absurd and silly and tongue-in-cheek and clever elements!
Even while mixing all those things, García Márquez subtly shifts the feel of the narrative as it progresses. Mind, this is an entirely character-driven story, with little to no real plot beyond the lifespan of the Buendía family and their town of Macondo. Folks who prefer plot-driven stories may find this book incredibly boring! But as time passes, the family, town, and narrative itself seem to shift and mature in a way. The beginnings of all three feature many fantastic elements. There are flights of fancy viewed with an almost childlike wonder. Time feels more sprawling.
But as things progress, they become more grounded in reality (though never entirely), and more serious events and concerns pop up. The little town of Macondo starts without even a mayor, but gradually sees Colonel Aureliano Buendía's war, the influence of foreign colonizing powers, and the high tension of the banana company worker strikes. Time gradually speeds up to the hurricane pace of the ending.
Across this lifespan of the Buendía family and Macondo, there's a lot going on, and García Márquez brilliantly connects all of it together. Even fanciful elements are not careless. I feel it has high reread value, and might even consider an immediate reread if I didn't have so much else to get to right now.
I do have some warnings. While the narrative is fairly linear in time, there are some overlapping points where events are retraced when the focus has moved between characters. This isn't so bad, so long as you can keep track of the many similarly-named ones. I recommend an edition that provides a family tree, like that from Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
There are also many Content Warnings, some rather significant, so please check out those listed for the book on its entry!
The prevalence of some of this, especially of the incest and problematic relationships between adults and minors, will definitely turn off some readers, which is valid! I was conflicted on its inclusion the entire way through, but ultimately, I think it ties into the presentation of the Buendía family as being deeply flawed. Let's face it, Úrsula was probably right about everything all along.
I'm sure there are even further layers I'm not fathoming. I do think that this book fully deserves its status as a classic, and I will absolutely read more Gabriel García Márquez.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Dementia, Eating disorder, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, and Trafficking
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Cannibalism, Homophobia, and Vomit
beachbuddy's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Miscarriage, Police brutality, Adult/minor relationship, and Incest
keenanmaree's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Dementia, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Dementia, and Excrement