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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
I think I need to be more weary of novels that have so many reviews saying this is the best novel of all time or the greatest piece ever written, because I never seem to like them. I think this was no different as I failed to grasp the meaning or magic of this novel.
I think my greatest difficulty with this novel was that I never felt like there was a set place and time. The location was vague and the time period maybe around the early twentieth century. But because of this lack of stability, I felt like I was floating the entire time I was reading this novel. My second great difficulty was the various versions of like three names. I couldn't keep anyone straight! The family tree in the front helped a bit, but man is it a pain to keep flipping back to it whenever someone is mentioned. I felt like too many personal stories fell through, came to no conclusion, or came to the finality of death only to have the character come back later, very much not dead. It was so confusing that I just never got into a rhythm for it. I understand that the whole point of either loving others or loving solitude was predominate, but because of it I felt like there was just harsh juxtaposition between passionate, fiery love and absolute abandonment. There was no balance and there was no flow between the characters. It was jarring, abrupt (as very death was prompted with a well this character croaked), and left me wondering what the hell I was reading. I still don't know what the hell I read!
See, with books like these I feel like if I don't like it as much as those who wrote rave reviews of it do then I am too stupid to understand the power and meaning of it. Books are not meant to make someone feel dumb, they are meant to bring another world to life. Nothing came to life for me in this novel and all I can say is that it's a shame.
I think my greatest difficulty with this novel was that I never felt like there was a set place and time. The location was vague and the time period maybe around the early twentieth century. But because of this lack of stability, I felt like I was floating the entire time I was reading this novel. My second great difficulty was the various versions of like three names. I couldn't keep anyone straight! The family tree in the front helped a bit, but man is it a pain to keep flipping back to it whenever someone is mentioned. I felt like too many personal stories fell through, came to no conclusion, or came to the finality of death only to have the character come back later, very much not dead. It was so confusing that I just never got into a rhythm for it. I understand that the whole point of either loving others or loving solitude was predominate, but because of it I felt like there was just harsh juxtaposition between passionate, fiery love and absolute abandonment. There was no balance and there was no flow between the characters. It was jarring, abrupt (as very death was prompted with a well this character croaked), and left me wondering what the hell I was reading. I still don't know what the hell I read!
See, with books like these I feel like if I don't like it as much as those who wrote rave reviews of it do then I am too stupid to understand the power and meaning of it. Books are not meant to make someone feel dumb, they are meant to bring another world to life. Nothing came to life for me in this novel and all I can say is that it's a shame.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Es un libro muy extraño, porque pertenece al realismo mágico. Te cuenta cosas extrañas, inverosímiles, pero lo hace tan bien que hasta te lo crees. Los personajes están bien construidos y, aunque la novela es larga y lenta, no es aburrida. Poco a poco ves cómo se repite la historia, y desde el principio necesitas un árbol genealógico a tu lado. Todo lo que se menciona tiene un sentido, y te hace reflexionar bastante sobre la soledad y la muerte. Es de esos libros que merece la pena leer, dedicándole su tiempo y su atención, y releer en varias ocasiones. Si no buscas análisis, no lo entiendes, aunque el propio García Márquez haya confesado que sus intenciones no eran tan simbólicas como la crítica ha querido hacer ver. Desde luego, un libro muy recomendado.
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
I’m actually not sure how I feel about it. I would read a chapter then need to take a break from it. I really like the concept of the story, and there are many great moments (the ending was pretty cool). However I had trouble keeping track of the huge number of characters, many with similar names. If I read this again I will need to take notes to keep track of them all.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes