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midwifereading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
What does GGM smoke when he's writing, because, 😳😳😳. I almost DNF'd this one too, because it's just too much. But, it's a book club book, and I really wanted to say I finished it. And I did it. Listening to the audio on 1.5x speed. 😬
Ultimately, he's a brilliant and beautiful writer, but his subject matter is disturbing, his characters impossible to like, and his style is very difficult to follow at times.
That said, I pulled up the Wikipedia page outlining the plot and characters, which really helped me follow the story much more easily, especially because all the characters have the same three names!!! That family tree came in handy.
This story wanders all over the place, and is supposedly an allegory of sorts about Columbian society, classes, elites, and politics. No wonder I don't get it. I know nothing about Columbia. Although I now wish I did know something!
There is some stunning visual imagery, especially surrounding death. (Yellow butterflies, any one?) Th characters are vivid, but don't quite feel real, though I assume they're not supposed to.
Anyway, this book is enough to tell me I probably don't like multi-generational family sagas, because never want to read anything like it again.
100 Years of Solitude may be considered an international masterpiece, but couldn't it have been told without all the incest and pedophilia? Maybe?
Ultimately, he's a brilliant and beautiful writer, but his subject matter is disturbing, his characters impossible to like, and his style is very difficult to follow at times.
That said, I pulled up the Wikipedia page outlining the plot and characters, which really helped me follow the story much more easily, especially because all the characters have the same three names!!! That family tree came in handy.
This story wanders all over the place, and is supposedly an allegory of sorts about Columbian society, classes, elites, and politics. No wonder I don't get it. I know nothing about Columbia. Although I now wish I did know something!
There is some stunning visual imagery, especially surrounding death. (Yellow butterflies, any one?) Th characters are vivid, but don't quite feel real, though I assume they're not supposed to.
Anyway, this book is enough to tell me I probably don't like multi-generational family sagas, because never want to read anything like it again.
100 Years of Solitude may be considered an international masterpiece, but couldn't it have been told without all the incest and pedophilia? Maybe?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Violence, Child death, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Death, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Rape, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Grief, and Gaslighting
Have some other resources handy to help you understand it.haleybird's review against another edition
I couldn’t get into it, and though I understand that many family histories involve incest, rape, pedophilia, and prostitution, the way all of these things were presented just rubbed me the wrong way. I also didn’t feel like the characters had much depth, and I found myself wishing certain plot points would just move along (like the random “insomnia” epidemic). I can appreciate that this is a much loved book and that the author won the Nobel Prize for Literature, but it’s just not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexism, Slavery, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Rape, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, and Murder
philolulu's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Rape
Moderate: War
blau_elmo's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- 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
5.0
This book is a masterpiece. The last line gave me actual chills.
Marquez writes about the family of Buendiás with such intricacy and reality, despite its themes of magical realism, that the characters feel so entirely human and relatable in spite of their, at times, caricature-like characteristics. Inspired by actual happenings in Colombia, the pervading theme of solitude in a wide array of forms is deeply moving and nuanced. Each family member has a moving story, all ending in relative tragedy.
The world that I had been transported into by reading this book will not leave my mind any time soon, so compelling and gripping the imagery and narrative is. Truly one of the greatest books in all of literature.
Marquez writes about the family of Buendiás with such intricacy and reality, despite its themes of magical realism, that the characters feel so entirely human and relatable in spite of their, at times, caricature-like characteristics. Inspired by actual happenings in Colombia, the pervading theme of solitude in a wide array of forms is deeply moving and nuanced. Each family member has a moving story, all ending in relative tragedy.
The world that I had been transported into by reading this book will not leave my mind any time soon, so compelling and gripping the imagery and narrative is. Truly one of the greatest books in all of literature.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Violence, Death, and Incest
artemy_se's review against another edition
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Incest
renharms's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and War
chrismisseve's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, and Death
bootetas's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
moral of the story: dont marry your cousins
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Incest
theincrediblemaja's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
Moderate: Rape, Violence, Trafficking, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Death, War, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny
mariamsaidwhat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this was v much not the book for me. There were moments when I’d get really into the style of the writing, but something like pedophilia, incest, racism, or violence would take me out of it again. Not to mention all the times I needed to consult a family tree to get characters straight.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Incest, Sexual content, and Racism