Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

6 reviews

lissybeth91's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

3.0

Wow. Folks, I have got THOUGHTS on this book. Up to the last two chapters, I would not have said I was enjoying this book, in spite of being amazed by the undeniable brilliance of the writing. The plot seems to ramble all over the place, with events that I expected to be ultimately climactic in nature being nearly thrown away in the narrative. On top of that there were lots of scenes and events that made me feel deeply "squicky" (check the trigger warnings on this book before you read it, because there are some doozies). However, just when I would nearly make up my mind to stop reading, I would encounter a phrase or a piece of imagery that was so breathtaking that it would keep me reading. And then, as the book ended in a whirlwind of revelation and fulfilled prophesy, I was so glad that I finished the story. 

Even so, I don't think I can honestly give the book more than three stars, even for the brilliance of the final chapters. I don't think it makes up for the unnecessarily graphic descriptions of the Buendia family's hereditary vices.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Excrement, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Police brutality, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, and War

notartgarfunkel's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Incest, Death, Death of parent, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: War, Vomit, Blood, Pedophilia, Child death, and Medical content

Minor: Gun violence and Cannibalism

ran_sophia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The book reads me well and I was able to orient in the story, which surprised me quite a bit.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

Moderate: Colonisation, Sexism, Miscarriage, War, Self harm, and Death

Minor: Homophobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Child death

olivefoil's review

challenging dark sad tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, and War

catapocalypse's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective 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? Yes

5.0

There is so, so much to say about this book.

First, I can't believe how seldom its humor is brought up by others! There's a lot of focus placed on the heavy, cynical, serious elements, but there's also many absurd and silly and tongue-in-cheek and clever elements!

Even while mixing all those things, García Márquez subtly shifts the feel of the narrative as it progresses. Mind, this is an entirely character-driven story, with little to no real plot beyond the lifespan of the Buendía family and their town of Macondo. Folks who prefer plot-driven stories may find this book incredibly boring! But as time passes, the family, town, and narrative itself seem to shift and mature in a way. The beginnings of all three feature many fantastic elements. There are flights of fancy viewed with an almost childlike wonder. Time feels more sprawling.

But as things progress, they become more grounded in reality (though never entirely), and more serious events and concerns pop up. The little town of Macondo starts without even a mayor, but gradually sees Colonel Aureliano Buendía's war, the influence of foreign colonizing powers, and the high tension of the banana company worker strikes. Time gradually speeds up to the hurricane pace of the ending.

Across this lifespan of the Buendía family and Macondo, there's a lot going on, and García Márquez brilliantly connects all of it together. Even fanciful elements are not careless. I feel it has high reread value, and might even consider an immediate reread if I didn't have so much else to get to right now.

I do have some warnings. While the narrative is fairly linear in time, there are some overlapping points where events are retraced when the focus has moved between characters. This isn't so bad, so long as you can keep track of the many similarly-named ones. I recommend an edition that provides a family tree, like that from Harper Perennial Modern Classics.

There are also many Content Warnings, some rather significant, so please check out those listed for the book on its entry!

The prevalence of some of this, especially of the incest and problematic relationships between adults and minors, will definitely turn off some readers, which is valid! I was conflicted on its inclusion the entire way through, but ultimately, I think it ties into the presentation of the Buendía family as being deeply flawed. Let's face it, Úrsula was probably right about everything all along.

I'm sure there are even further layers I'm not fathoming. I do think that this book fully deserves its status as a classic, and I will absolutely read more Gabriel García Márquez. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Dementia, Eating disorder, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, and Trafficking

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Cannibalism, Homophobia, and Vomit

keenanmaree's review

challenging reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Dementia, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Dementia, and Excrement