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Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
184 reviews
malinaann's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, War, Violence, and Colonisation
kjf524's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Rape, War, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, and Violence
peej_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I think it would be hard for me to add anything else to reviews of this book that have not already been said by better critics and writers than I, but I will say this:
oftentimes as I try to get back into reading after Ye Olde Adolescent Hiatus that so many of my peers and those before me have gone through, I find myself stuck starting books that I should read vs. books that I want to read. Not wanting in the sense of thinking the concept of a book is interesting and starting to read it; rather in the sense of wanting to read the book after you’ve gotten some ways in. I’ll try to pick up a book that adults are supposed to read, something that’s complicated and well-esteemed and at the reading level that every standardized test I took in school told me I was.
As a result, I’ve read books (some even in the short number of reviews I’ve published here) that were informative, books that won awards or were deemed classics, but were terribly hard for me to get through and enjoy much of the time (#respectfully you cannot get me to read Tom Sawyer ever again). Some just seemed so thick and their prose so antiquated I could barely bother (1001 Nights, I promise I’ll get back to you someday baby). At a certain point I felt like I was doomed to only enjoy YA novels, manga and those airport reads people pick up while starting their holiday. All fun and good things in their own right! But nothing that I could enjoy while being challenged.
Enter Cien Años de Soledad— Nobel Prize Winner, national treasure of Colombia, the seminal work of Latin American fiction.
I can’t say it was easy for me to get through that first chapter as it was my first time in maybe a year reading a proper book, but that’s more atrophy than anything. Once I found my footing, I was hooked. The book is complex and intricate, containing the lives of what seems like an entire village all in beat with the grand scale of time itself, yet still shrouded with a presence of disconnection from reality. It’s very easy to keep plugging along, seeing the world through the almost supernatural lives of the Buendías, but the last 100 pages hit like a truck. I didn’t find a place I wanted to stop in that final act. I was entranced in a proper novel for the first time ever (I think).
If you’re looking for a perfect blend of what you should vs. want to read, if you’re looking for a bit of challenge but still a well-paced work of fiction, read Cien Años de Soledad. You will thoroughly enjoy it.
oftentimes as I try to get back into reading after Ye Olde Adolescent Hiatus that so many of my peers and those before me have gone through, I find myself stuck starting books that I should read vs. books that I want to read. Not wanting in the sense of thinking the concept of a book is interesting and starting to read it; rather in the sense of wanting to read the book after you’ve gotten some ways in. I’ll try to pick up a book that adults are supposed to read, something that’s complicated and well-esteemed and at the reading level that every standardized test I took in school told me I was.
As a result, I’ve read books (some even in the short number of reviews I’ve published here) that were informative, books that won awards or were deemed classics, but were terribly hard for me to get through and enjoy much of the time (#respectfully you cannot get me to read Tom Sawyer ever again). Some just seemed so thick and their prose so antiquated I could barely bother (1001 Nights, I promise I’ll get back to you someday baby). At a certain point I felt like I was doomed to only enjoy YA novels, manga and those airport reads people pick up while starting their holiday. All fun and good things in their own right! But nothing that I could enjoy while being challenged.
Enter Cien Años de Soledad— Nobel Prize Winner, national treasure of Colombia, the seminal work of Latin American fiction.
I can’t say it was easy for me to get through that first chapter as it was my first time in maybe a year reading a proper book, but that’s more atrophy than anything. Once I found my footing, I was hooked. The book is complex and intricate, containing the lives of what seems like an entire village all in beat with the grand scale of time itself, yet still shrouded with a presence of disconnection from reality. It’s very easy to keep plugging along, seeing the world through the almost supernatural lives of the Buendías, but the last 100 pages hit like a truck. I didn’t find a place I wanted to stop in that final act. I was entranced in a proper novel for the first time ever (I think).
If you’re looking for a perfect blend of what you should vs. want to read, if you’re looking for a bit of challenge but still a well-paced work of fiction, read Cien Años de Soledad. You will thoroughly enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Infidelity
nicolelis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
100 Years is very entertaining and often confusing -- I was both appalled and enthralled the entire time I was reading it, so do with that information what you will.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
glowworms's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Child death, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Forced institutionalization
dorkestra's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The cyclical nature of this family is devastating to watch unfold. There are some patterns I did not even realize until after I finished, looking at the family tree. Not a conventional read, and there are many disturbing parts of this book, but it still rates highly in spite of that. Very well written/translated (Gregory Rabassa's translation).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Animal death, Incest, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Alcohol, Violence, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual violence
ord1narymach1ne's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i got shivers down my spine while reading the last page but idk whether it's bc i enjoyed reading or finishing it
this is a very tragic book without it necessarily being trauma porn
i liked the themes but the characters weren't as captivating as i expected. honestly i got into the book expecting something completely different...
the book definitely made want to read more of Marquez's novels and im thinking about a reread already
this is a very tragic book without it necessarily being trauma porn
i liked the themes but the characters weren't as captivating as i expected. honestly i got into the book expecting something completely different...
the book definitely made want to read more of Marquez's novels and im thinking about a reread already
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Adult/minor relationship
cleansky7's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Mass/school shootings, Death, Colonisation, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, War, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Pedophilia, Genocide, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness
bites_of_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I finally read Márquez' most recognized novel and now I understand why it is called one of the most influential books of Latin American literature and culture.
I love multigenerational stories and this one goes through multiple generations of the Buendía family as they live through the establishment of Macondo, war, colonization, technological advances, and more. This book is deeply rooted in Márquez' culture and the history of Colombia, which can also translate to several parts of Latin America.
The magical realism was incredible, certain sections had the subtlest uses of it while others were impactful and they almost provoked a visceral emotional reaction. My mom's family has a house in Mexico that was filled with people when I was little, but slowly, as my mom and uncles began to live their lives outside of that house and after my grandma passed away, the house started to become empty and less cared for. The Buendía house mirrors the what happens within the family and what's happening in the community, people leaving, marriages, war, etc. The house is either clean and with additions for all the people in the house, or almost empty and deteriorating due to disuse and abuse.
There are so many things to explore about this book, it's one that I might revisit later in life since I'm sure I'll find more things that will resonate. While I give this book 5 stars, there are plenty of things that were not enjoyable as well and they all would fall into multiple content warnings, among them: sexual violence, war, child neglect and abuse, incest, and more.
I'd recommend this to anyone who'd like to learn more about classic Latin American literature, magical realism, anyone who loves multigenerational stories with a variety of very interesting characters, and also if you love drama, this one is full of it.
I love multigenerational stories and this one goes through multiple generations of the Buendía family as they live through the establishment of Macondo, war, colonization, technological advances, and more. This book is deeply rooted in Márquez' culture and the history of Colombia, which can also translate to several parts of Latin America.
The magical realism was incredible, certain sections had the subtlest uses of it while others were impactful and they almost provoked a visceral emotional reaction. My mom's family has a house in Mexico that was filled with people when I was little, but slowly, as my mom and uncles began to live their lives outside of that house and after my grandma passed away, the house started to become empty and less cared for. The Buendía house mirrors the what happens within the family and what's happening in the community, people leaving, marriages, war, etc. The house is either clean and with additions for all the people in the house, or almost empty and deteriorating due to disuse and abuse.
There are so many things to explore about this book, it's one that I might revisit later in life since I'm sure I'll find more things that will resonate. While I give this book 5 stars, there are plenty of things that were not enjoyable as well and they all would fall into multiple content warnings, among them: sexual violence, war, child neglect and abuse, incest, and more.
I'd recommend this to anyone who'd like to learn more about classic Latin American literature, magical realism, anyone who loves multigenerational stories with a variety of very interesting characters, and also if you love drama, this one is full of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, War, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Gun violence, and Incest
gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is a wonder; upon finishing, its easy to draw parallels to how it has inspired a plethora of other intergenerational novels, though none quite so vast as this story. The way in which Gabriel García Márquez tackles issues of war, imperialism, and colonialism through the lens of the Buendía family members humanizes their struggle to a individual level, interspersing these serious plot points with shockingly jarring moments ranging from pedophilia to incest and everything in between.
Though these disturbing scenes feel add purely to shock readers, it was definitely intriguing to see the way Márquez uses these instances purposefully to show the deterioration of memory and the cyclical nature of time in the six generations of the Buendías. Although, as a book originally written in Spanish, its interesting to ponder whether the voice of the translator serves to give a different perspective than that originally intended by the author.
Either way, this book is by no means perfect, but I enjoyed it very thoroughly, though I would heavily recommend checking the content warnings before reading.
Though these disturbing scenes feel add purely to shock readers, it was definitely intriguing to see the way Márquez uses these instances purposefully to show the deterioration of memory and the cyclical nature of time in the six generations of the Buendías. Although, as a book originally written in Spanish, its interesting to ponder whether the voice of the translator serves to give a different perspective than that originally intended by the author.
Either way, this book is by no means perfect, but I enjoyed it very thoroughly, though I would heavily recommend checking the content warnings before reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Incest, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Colonisation, War, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Gun violence and Violence