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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
sad
fast-paced
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
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Like many short story collections, some stories were better than others. The title story was a clear standout, as was the billiard thief one. The last one, "Big Mama's Funeral," was a low point to end on. Maybe my ignorance of South American politics is showing, but I didn't understand it at all. When stories are good, they are universal, are they not?
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
«Durante cincuenta y seis años –desde cuando terminó la última guerra civil–, el coronel no había hecho nada distinto de esperar»
Reseña en español | Review in English (below)
¿Le pondré a Gabo alguna vez una nota menor de 4 estrellas? No lo creo. Relectura de un relato que no recuerdo cuándo leí por primera vez pero que, como era de esperar, me ha gustado mucho. Lo bueno (o malo, según cómo se mire) de las historias cortas del autor colombiano es que se leen en un día-tarde pero acabas inmersa en ese mundo mancondiano (sí, me acabo de inventar este término) y necesitas seguir leyendo sobre sus personajes y sus temáticas. Y reírte a ratos y emocionarte con su maravillosa prosa. Creo que no os debe extrañar ya que Gabriel García Márquez es y seguirá siendo uno de mis autores favoritos y que seguiréis viendo por aquí que poco a poco acabaré leyendo toda su producción literaria.
––
Will I ever give Gabo’s novels a lower rate than 4 stars? I don’t think so. This was a reread of a story that I don’t remember when I read it for the first time but, as expected, I liked it a lot. The good (or bad, depending on your point of view) of the short stories of the Colombian author is that you can read them in just one day/afternoon but you end up immersed in that Mancondian world (yes, I just invented this term) and you need to continue reading about his characters and his literary themes. Gabriel García Márquez is and will continue to be one of my favorite authors and that you’ll continue to see around here that little by little I’ll end up reading all his works.
P. S. I'm not English, so if you see any mistakes let me know so I can correct them, please
“The only thing that comes for sure is death, colonel.”3/5 stars.
Paperback, 170 pages.
Read from January 16, 2018 to January 19, 2018.
Márquez has been on my TBR list for way too long. This novel was a gift and a perfect way to start reading this phenomenal author. Márquez won the Nobel prize for literature in 1982 and has been praised as one of "the most significant authors of the 20th century".
An elderly and unnamed colonel and his wife live in a small village in Columbia during the 1970s. Columbia is in the midst of a civil war that spans nearly a decade and is called the "La Violencia Era" and the country is being governed by martial law as result. The novel opens with the colonel attending the funeral of an older man who has died of natural causes, an event that has not happened in a while, making the funeral a somewhat happier and noteworthy event. The colonel spends his days waiting for his pension that he earned during his service in the military. Each day he checks with the postman to see if it has arrived but to no avail, with the country in upheaval, pensions are not a top priority.
Unfortunately, as he and his wife are elderly, they need that money in order to survive as their funds are slowly dwindling. His wife begins to sell their prized possessions to make ends meet and to make matters worse for the couple, their son is believed to be dead as a result of the current war. The colonel has been taking care of his son's fighting rooster as there is a fight scheduled in the near future. The wife wants the colonel to sell the rooster but the colonel cannot part with it. He claims it is because there is a lot of people who have bet money on the upcoming fight and that they might make some money if the rooster wins but, in reality, the colonel has not given up hope that his son will return.
The story of the colonel is a mix of tragedy and the awful realities of war but ultimately it is about hope. The colonel has lost his purpose in life but has not given up hope that things will turn around. He has to, as hope is all he has left. The rooster becomes the colonel's metaphor and symbol of his hope. Even at the end when he and wife have next to nothing he still insists on feeding and caring for the rooster, much to his wife's dismay.
Márquez has a distinct, brusque and masculine style of writing that lends itself well to the emotional subtleties of his characters and the bitterness of a setting stricken with the pains of war and poverty. Indeed, Márquez's prose is gorgeous, even in translation. If you are not paying attention to this carefully worded story, however, you may misplace or not understand the colonel's attachment to the rooster and thereby not see or enjoy the beautiful pinnacle of this story.
This book is a quick read and seems like a good place to start if you have not read anything by Márquez, as some of his works, like One Hundred Years of Solitude, are quite lengthy. One Hundred Years of Solitude will be my next read by Márquez as this short novel has given me a desire to read more of Márquez's outstanding writing style.
Relato corto que nos cuenta la historia de un coronel que se aferra a lo que tiene y no quiere progresar por él mismo. Este lleva 15 años esperando todos los viernes recibir la pensión de veterano, tiene que pagar la hipoteca, tiene un gallo al cual ha de darle comida cara, con la mujer asmática...
"Cuando se acabe el maíz tendremos que alimentarlo con nuestros hígados".
Nos pasamos la vida esperando a que nos pasen cosas buenas y no pensamos que, tal vez, haciendo unos cambios tendríamos una mejor vida. Porque uno a veces se da cuenta de ello, pero ya es demasiado tarde. Me parece necesario que reflexionemos y actuemos en nuestra vida cotidiana para buscar nuestro camino. ¿Nos equivocaremos alguna vez? Pues claro, pero eso no debe frenarnos.
Lectura muy amena que me encantó, segundo libro de GG Márquez que leo y este tío no baja el listón. Esperando el siguiente.
"Cuando se acabe el maíz tendremos que alimentarlo con nuestros hígados".
Nos pasamos la vida esperando a que nos pasen cosas buenas y no pensamos que, tal vez, haciendo unos cambios tendríamos una mejor vida. Porque uno a veces se da cuenta de ello, pero ya es demasiado tarde. Me parece necesario que reflexionemos y actuemos en nuestra vida cotidiana para buscar nuestro camino. ¿Nos equivocaremos alguna vez? Pues claro, pero eso no debe frenarnos.
Lectura muy amena que me encantó, segundo libro de GG Márquez que leo y este tío no baja el listón. Esperando el siguiente.
Huh. A different kind of story. I think the payoff would come after reading them (the "and Other Stories") a few times.
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes