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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
A short read, finished in what I would estimate to two hours, pleasant. It reminds me of Lolita except the love is never consummated. The prose is clear, simple, not as elaborate or poetic as 100 Years (which I hope to finish soon). It's not really about "whores" at all, and you should try to keep in mind that this guy is old. I liked the story a lot. It has such sadness and weight squeezed into its 100 pages.
Bland bland bland...I don't really need to read any more stories about men's relationships to prostitutes. Even when the narrator's perspective is undermined as it is here, the story just dissolves into silly fantasies. Marquez can do better than this.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez never fails to impress with the way he writes. The prose is always so eloquent and leaves you in awe. This is definitely a complicated book to understand esp. if you just see the shell of it. But the way it talks about love and that too finding it so late in life and the way it changes you is just so beautifully expressed. One of the reviews here definitely provides a great insight into the story.
2 1/2
I'm not going to rave about it bc of the author. It was slow. I didn't enjoy.
I'm not going to rave about it bc of the author. It was slow. I didn't enjoy.
This novella opens with: “The year I turned ninety, I wanted to give myself the gift of a night of wild love with an adolescent virgin.”
This may sound off putting, but Marquez's emotive prose takes you on a journey into understanding an elderly journalist odd birthday wish.
His desire does not turn out as sexual as one may think, it's more of finding an emotional connection and love before he dies, something he has not had. In the process, there are many reflections about age, friendship, loneliness, and love.
The pace feels slow sometimes, but the eloquent writing keeps one reading.
This may sound off putting, but Marquez's emotive prose takes you on a journey into understanding an elderly journalist odd birthday wish.
His desire does not turn out as sexual as one may think, it's more of finding an emotional connection and love before he dies, something he has not had. In the process, there are many reflections about age, friendship, loneliness, and love.
The pace feels slow sometimes, but the eloquent writing keeps one reading.
Okaaay, 3.5 stars out of five, all because I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez's prose and the last pages made me happy. For this story you really need to get used to the massive gap between the ages of the respective romantic parties, otherwise you'll hate every word of it. Ignoring that, it is the tale of a man on his last legs whose life without uniqueness, success, or love chooses to reduce him to the state of not second infancy, but second first crush. And this all a result of his desire for a pure maiden, the last of a long line of melancholy whores, weighted down by the price of their bodies paid to them and the price they pay to their bodies. Who would've thought. Anyways, he's so doddering and helpless that you can't help cheering him on, especially when he fails so many times in the fulfillment of his initial goal out of fear and puppy love. Not the author's best, but still worth a read.
reflective
slow-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
a bit lolita-esque - the romance between the old man and the young woman is easier to understand as the book goes on and he emphasizes the love and tenderness between them, but at the beginning, i was kind of just creeped out.
not my favorite marquez, but still a good use of time. it's a very quick read!
not my favorite marquez, but still a good use of time. it's a very quick read!
Creo que fácilmente se puede malinterpretar la esencia de este libro. Sin embargo, disfruté de él y en especial los graciosos y cortos diálogos entre El Sabio y Rosa Cabarcas.