It's light and mostly pleasant, but it has all the energy of Marquez books. It chooses an unusual character for a love novel and then gives an unusual love story. And as it is the case with most of his stories, the ending is not necessarily the point, it's all about the process and the journey that you will walk with Marquez and his characters. I also admire how he centers the story so perfectly around his main character, he is not just the narrator of the book but the whole book is his internal journey. He doesn't introduce himself, he doesn't tell you why he is telling this story and you will not really here other characters' point of view. No it is about this 90 year old lover and about him alone.

Es diferente de lo usual. El estilo mágico se permea a través de las páginas como es regla con este autor, pero a diferencia del resto de su obra esta en primera persona.

Esto es algo particular, y me duele un poco admitir que lo prefiero más con su usual estilo omnisciente. Me duele un poco admitir tal cosa porque sé que esta fue uno de las últimas cosas que escribió mi tocayo, y de una forma bien extraña siento que le dolería si le dijera en persona que prefiero su viejo estilo.

He leído tantas cosas de el, que de cierta forma siento que lo conozco. Sé que es ingenuo, pero cada una de sus historias me hablaban personalmente, y aún que nunca lo conocí, de cierta forma sé que tengo un cachito de el reservado en ese lugar especial de mi librero, el cual nunca abandonará.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO TOMATO TOMATO TOMATO BOOOOOOOOO
challenging reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

While I've enjoyed other works by Gabriel Garcia Marquez this was not what I was expecting to read. It gave me major Lolita vibes, which grosses me out. What's with men fantasizing about adolescents and significant age gaps? Get some therapy please.

When Garcia Marquez' sons recently decided to publish his "do not publish" novella "Until August" they stated that they felt the quality was as high as some of his other writing. They might have compared it to this late in his career mediocre (at best) novel. At times a "charming" tale. At other times it is just pretty creepy - a 90 yr old man (the text lets us know that supposedly he is in good shape, and could pass for - well, 70!) and a 14 year old peasant girl. Who he prefers asleep, especially after the one time she does talk to him (he is a "scholar" after all).
Ugh. Nope. Garcia Marquez' prose and stories can be sensual. But later in life they just became the unlikely dreams of an old man.
1 out of 5.
reflective
Plot or Character Driven: Character

Avevo cominciato a leggere questo libro a puntate su Repubblica un paio di estati fa, o forse meno, e l'incipit mi aveva decisamente colpito e ve lo riscrivo, magari colpisce anche voi:
"L'anno dei miei novant'anni decisi di regalarmi una notte d'amore folle con un adolescente vergine".
E l'argomento è proprio questo, non è un inizio ad amo per far abboccare tanti pesci, si parla proprio dell'amore tra un uomo di 90 anni ed una ragazzina e di come certi struggimenti e dolori profondissimi, che ti lacerano dentro, non hanno proprio un età, anzi, ce l'hanno ed è quella di ognuno di noi.
Il protagonista perde finalmente la testa dopo tutta una vita consacrata all'amore mercenario e nonostante la scabrosità dell'argomento, l'autore riesce a rendere le cose con una levità ed una dolcezza sconcertante, sfido chiunque a scrivere di prostitute e sesso con la stessa armonia di Màrquez.
Ammetto di avere una passione per lui, non è certo questo il primo libro che leggo, ma ancora una volta resto dell'idea che gli riescono meglio i romanzi brevi di quelli lunghi. Capiamoci 100 anni di solitudine resta un libro bellissimo, ma mi è piaciuto molto di più Cronaca di una morte annunciata, la candida Erendira o i racconti raminghi.

The book was weird and small (only 115 pages or so) with really large fonts.
Yes, that is my review of the book. I don't know what else to say.
The book was elegantly written, in fact a single sentence of the book had more elegance than all the books of Chetan Bhagat combined (sorry Bhagat's bhagts :P ). But I didn't understand it at all. Why was the book written? What was it that writer wanted to convey?
I hope that the other book of Marquez I am currently reading (Love at the time of Cholera) will make more sense!