Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
I didn't judge it properly the first time I read it. I will definitely look into more Marquez after this.
I didn't really get this book - it wasn't at all what I expected from a Garcia Marquez book and instead made me mostly think that it was the author himself talking, which just came across as kind of creepy. Even putting that aside, the narrator just made me sad - to have lived so long, not loved anyone, seemingly not even to have any real friends and then to fall in love with a 14 year old made me feel awful about what he'd missed out on in life.
Classic Marquez. Great quick read about love and life and age.
¡Me dio muchísimo asco! Pero como es de GGM, es corto, tenía acceso a él, y estaba en mi lista desde hace tiempo, sí quise leerlo de una vez. Si pudiera volver en el tiempo y dedicar esas horas en otra lectura, lo haría. No me aportó nada. Es una historia de un hombre más, haciendo uso del poco dinero que tiene para poseer a una niña. Es un recordatorio de cómo las mujeres y niñas pobres son poco valoradas y utilizadas como objetos en este mundo machista. Me cagan los escritores que utilizan sus historias romantizando la pedofilia y el abuso infantil para completar sus asquerosos propósitos literarios.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have to set aside the subject matter, plot, and characters for this one, or else I’d give a solid one star. I detested this book, the unnamed narrator, and the plot. Its exploration of age and sexuality was too much for me given that pedophilia is completely ignored. I did not like it.
However, when I write reviews, I choose to focus on the storytelling elements being used in the story. As much as I disliked this story, Marquez’s writing is beautiful, haunting, and so well-executed. The structure is straightforward and chronological, the plot is basic, and the prose character-driven. What stands out is how Marquez characterizes the unnamed narrator.
Marquez does this in two ways very effectively. The first is how he uses the prose and first person perspective to show us the narrator’s decline into obsession. As the story progresses, the prose becomes more energetic and obsessive, reflecting the narrator’s state of mind. The second means of characterizing is by including details about the narrator’s past and current life that the narrator ignores, looks over, or only briefly lingers but have a deep impact on how we see him and his life.
The depressing nature of this book lies not only in the wasted, pointless life that the narrator has led but also in how he doesn’t recognize the opportunities that could have made it better. His obsessive nature over “Delgadina” shows us how his other extreme made him miss out on a relationship with Damiana, pursue a more advanced writing career, or even learn to take care of the cat properly. The tragedy of this story is found in the narrator’s too-late appreciation of life and the graven relics of opportunities that haunt every aspect of his life.
However, when I write reviews, I choose to focus on the storytelling elements being used in the story. As much as I disliked this story, Marquez’s writing is beautiful, haunting, and so well-executed. The structure is straightforward and chronological, the plot is basic, and the prose character-driven. What stands out is how Marquez characterizes the unnamed narrator.
Marquez does this in two ways very effectively. The first is how he uses the prose and first person perspective to show us the narrator’s decline into obsession. As the story progresses, the prose becomes more energetic and obsessive, reflecting the narrator’s state of mind. The second means of characterizing is by including details about the narrator’s past and current life that the narrator ignores, looks over, or only briefly lingers but have a deep impact on how we see him and his life.
The depressing nature of this book lies not only in the wasted, pointless life that the narrator has led but also in how he doesn’t recognize the opportunities that could have made it better. His obsessive nature over “Delgadina” shows us how his other extreme made him miss out on a relationship with Damiana, pursue a more advanced writing career, or even learn to take care of the cat properly. The tragedy of this story is found in the narrator’s too-late appreciation of life and the graven relics of opportunities that haunt every aspect of his life.
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content