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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
"'He grabbed my whole pussy,' Divina Flor told me. 'It was what he always did when he caught me alone in some corner of the house, but that day I didn't feel the usual surprise but an awful urge to cry." p12 WHAT?!
There were some beautiful lines in the book as well. But, the women in this book are no more than instruments. I cannot look past the way they are used, and the way they are described.
"'The only thing they believe is what they see on the sheet," they told her. And they taught her old wives' tricks to feign her lost possession, so that on her first morning as a newlywed she could display open under the sun in the courtyard of her house the linen sheet with the stain of honor." p38
Horrific. Not the only time honor is mentioned.
When she is rejected by San Román, she is punished by her mother. "... holding me by the hair with one hand and beating me with the other with such a rage that I thought she was going to kill me." p47 And why was her satin dress in shreds?
"Divina Flor, her daughter, who was just coming into bloom." p7 I dislike talking about teenage girls coming into bloom, suggesting you can 'use' her for her biological duties. 'She is getting ripe for the picking' kind of thing.
"The girl, a yet a bit untamed, seemed overwhelmed by the drive of her glands. Santiago Nasar grabbed her by the wrist when she came to take the empty mug from him. 'The time has come for you to be tamed.'" p7
I dislike talking about a girl as being tamed or untamed. A person is not to be tamed at all. I feel like it is the author who is overwhelmed by his glands writing this. It creeps me out.
"She'd been seduced by Ibrahim Nasar in the fullness of her adolescence. She'd made love to him in secret for several years in the stables of the ranch, and he brought her to be a house servant when the affection was over." p8
In the fullness of her adolescence? You mean underage? Wasn't that man Ibrahim married and is this cheating too?
I have to think of Hannah Gadsby, 39 at the time of her show Nanette, saying: 'A 17-year-old girl is just never, ever, ever in her prime! Ever. I am in my prime.'
"Divina Flor, who was the daughter of a more recent mate, knew that she was destined for Santiago Nasar's furtive bed, ..." p8
Such horror that she knows that it is her destiny to have to sleep with this man, not even as his spouse but as a side piece. Why does the author say this though. Why could she not have thought, 'Over my dead body.'
As a writer, you can make choices in the way you portray people. If you choose to portray all woman as merely useful for bed and kitchen, or a clerk in the milk store at best, that is deliberate. Even if at the time (1950's) it was still embedded in the culture that women often took a more secondary role in life, and certain women's rights were not yet established.
I think of women, including Colombian women, as strong, worthy and autonomous people. I want to see that in literature, even if you write about a historic event, you can still make your stance on this known. He had ample opportunity and did not. Even worse, the wiki page about this event states that there was never a reconciliation between the bride and groom when they're older, in real life. The author made up that she is 'pining' for him, for this man that she didn't even like and didn't even want to marry in the first place. Because that's all women can do in the end, pine for a man
There were some beautiful lines in the book as well. But, the women in this book are no more than instruments. I cannot look past the way they are used, and the way they are described.
"'The only thing they believe is what they see on the sheet," they told her. And they taught her old wives' tricks to feign her lost possession, so that on her first morning as a newlywed she could display open under the sun in the courtyard of her house the linen sheet with the stain of honor." p38
Horrific. Not the only time honor is mentioned.
When she is rejected by San Román, she is punished by her mother. "... holding me by the hair with one hand and beating me with the other with such a rage that I thought she was going to kill me." p47 And why was her satin dress in shreds?
"Divina Flor, her daughter, who was just coming into bloom." p7 I dislike talking about teenage girls coming into bloom, suggesting you can 'use' her for her biological duties. 'She is getting ripe for the picking' kind of thing.
"The girl, a yet a bit untamed, seemed overwhelmed by the drive of her glands. Santiago Nasar grabbed her by the wrist when she came to take the empty mug from him. 'The time has come for you to be tamed.'" p7
I dislike talking about a girl as being tamed or untamed. A person is not to be tamed at all. I feel like it is the author who is overwhelmed by his glands writing this. It creeps me out.
"She'd been seduced by Ibrahim Nasar in the fullness of her adolescence. She'd made love to him in secret for several years in the stables of the ranch, and he brought her to be a house servant when the affection was over." p8
In the fullness of her adolescence? You mean underage? Wasn't that man Ibrahim married and is this cheating too?
I have to think of Hannah Gadsby, 39 at the time of her show Nanette, saying: 'A 17-year-old girl is just never, ever, ever in her prime! Ever. I am in my prime.'
"Divina Flor, who was the daughter of a more recent mate, knew that she was destined for Santiago Nasar's furtive bed, ..." p8
Such horror that she knows that it is her destiny to have to sleep with this man, not even as his spouse but as a side piece. Why does the author say this though. Why could she not have thought, 'Over my dead body.'
As a writer, you can make choices in the way you portray people. If you choose to portray all woman as merely useful for bed and kitchen, or a clerk in the milk store at best, that is deliberate. Even if at the time (1950's) it was still embedded in the culture that women often took a more secondary role in life, and certain women's rights were not yet established.
I think of women, including Colombian women, as strong, worthy and autonomous people. I want to see that in literature, even if you write about a historic event, you can still make your stance on this known. He had ample opportunity and did not. Even worse, the wiki page about this event states that there was never a reconciliation between the bride and groom when they're older, in real life. The author made up that she is 'pining' for him, for this man that she didn't even like and didn't even want to marry in the first place. Because that's all women can do in the end, pine for a man
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
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
Also on Snow White Hates Apples.
In Chronicle of a Death Foretold , Santiago Nasar is the tragic man-turned-scapegoat, slated to die at the hands of two brothers of a returned bride. He is a Christ figure, doomed to suffer for others, to be punished for a crime he did not commit and thus, his death is inevitable — almost sacrificial even, what with his death happening again and again due to the way this book is written.
However, as fascinating as this premise is, the actual story falls flat. The narrative is dully repetitive, retold multiple times like laundry going through the same spin cycle with little to no deviations or additions. I really do think this book would’ve been better had there been something substantially different happening in every other repeat, but no, there wasn’t.
It also didn’t help that there was no depth to the characters. They were all so superficial that it was only by grace that the characters involved in the murder were repeatedly mentioned throughout the book that they could be remembered. Otherwise, none of the other characters had any impact. They could’ve been easily replaced by any other Tom, Dick and Harry, which just makes the story confusing because I couldn’t remember who was who despite reading this book in one sitting.
All in all, this was just unnecessarily complicated for such a simple, dry tale.
In Chronicle of a Death Foretold , Santiago Nasar is the tragic man-turned-scapegoat, slated to die at the hands of two brothers of a returned bride. He is a Christ figure, doomed to suffer for others, to be punished for a crime he did not commit and thus, his death is inevitable — almost sacrificial even, what with his death happening again and again due to the way this book is written.
However, as fascinating as this premise is, the actual story falls flat. The narrative is dully repetitive, retold multiple times like laundry going through the same spin cycle with little to no deviations or additions. I really do think this book would’ve been better had there been something substantially different happening in every other repeat, but no, there wasn’t.
It also didn’t help that there was no depth to the characters. They were all so superficial that it was only by grace that the characters involved in the murder were repeatedly mentioned throughout the book that they could be remembered. Otherwise, none of the other characters had any impact. They could’ve been easily replaced by any other Tom, Dick and Harry, which just makes the story confusing because I couldn’t remember who was who despite reading this book in one sitting.
All in all, this was just unnecessarily complicated for such a simple, dry tale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, Abandonment
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
Si tratta di un tentativo di indagine su un omicidio avvenuto anni prima. Quando i fratelli Vicario uccisero Santiago Nasar accusato dalla loro sorella Angela di averla disonorata. Un omicidio d’onore, dunque.
Se il processo si è concluso da anni e ormai i due fratelli, scontata la breve pena, sono in libertà, e i protagonisti proseguono la loro esistenza senza scosse, c’è qualcosa su cui cercare (invano) di indagare.
Quasi certamente Santiago Nasar era innocente, benché la ragazza ribadisca che era stato proprio lui.
L’atteggiamento di Santiago prima e durante e dopo le nozze della ragazza con un altro uomo, era troppo disinvolto e tranquillo. Quando alla fine lui capisce che i due fratelli lo cercano per uno scopo solo, assassinarlo, lui davvero cade dalle nuvole.
Non capisce assolutamente che cosa stia per accadere, e perché ce l’abbiamo con lui.
Da parte loro, i due fratelli Vicario fanno di tutto perché il villaggio sappia della loro intenzione. Lo proclamano a tutti quelli che incontrano, sperando che qualcuno li fermi.
Non accadrà nulla del genere.
Perché questo omicidio, proclamato ai quattro venti, alla fine si consumerà in modo atroce. E l’indagine, portata avanti da un amico di Santiago, il narratore, che dopo oltre vent’anni cercherà di capirci qualcosa, non riuscirà a far piena luce su quegli eventi.
Perché una morta annunciata a quasi un intero paese si verifica con puntualità? Che cosa va storto? Che cosa non funziona? Perché le persone sanno, e se ne restano a guardare, agendo solo quando ormai gli ingranaggi della macchina della morte si sono messi in moto, e fermarla non è più possibile?
Forse quel paese senza nome è talmente immerso in una cultura soffocante e brutale, dove la violenza è compagna di vita, che quando scorge le evidenti avvisaglie di quanto sta per accadere (un omicidio), non riesce a decifrarle correttamente.
Ha assimilato a tal punto quel clima avvelenato che il senso di responsabilità del singolo verso il prossimo, si è di fatto azzerato. Se sei abituato alla violenza, occorre uno sforzo quasi sovrumano per uscirne e scorgerne la sua struttura malata.
E vedere due persone che si aggirano per le strade con i coltelli, urlando che ammazzeranno un altro uomo, suscita solo curiosità. Non allarme.
Il buonsenso, il senso di appartenenza a una comunità civile, dove per civile non si intende rispettare tradizioni o riti, ma prestare attenzione e cura verso l’altro, si sono come atrofizzati.
Ci si riduce quindi a delle marionette tirate da un fato contro il quale non si può fare nulla, che si subisce.
Ma il fato è il nome che si dà alle cose quando noi rinunciamo al nostro senso di responsabilità. Quando voltiamo le spalle alla nostra umanità.
Da sottolineare infine la maestria di Garcia Marquez, e del traduttore italiano. Non appena si iniziano a leggere le prime righe, in un attimo si viene risucchiati dentro questa storia tragica, inevitabile. È come salire su un treno che all’istante inizia a viaggiare a pieno vapore.
La maestria di Garcia Marquez, quando è in stato di grazia, può essere ammaliante.
Se il processo si è concluso da anni e ormai i due fratelli, scontata la breve pena, sono in libertà, e i protagonisti proseguono la loro esistenza senza scosse, c’è qualcosa su cui cercare (invano) di indagare.
Quasi certamente Santiago Nasar era innocente, benché la ragazza ribadisca che era stato proprio lui.
L’atteggiamento di Santiago prima e durante e dopo le nozze della ragazza con un altro uomo, era troppo disinvolto e tranquillo. Quando alla fine lui capisce che i due fratelli lo cercano per uno scopo solo, assassinarlo, lui davvero cade dalle nuvole.
Non capisce assolutamente che cosa stia per accadere, e perché ce l’abbiamo con lui.
Da parte loro, i due fratelli Vicario fanno di tutto perché il villaggio sappia della loro intenzione. Lo proclamano a tutti quelli che incontrano, sperando che qualcuno li fermi.
Non accadrà nulla del genere.
Perché questo omicidio, proclamato ai quattro venti, alla fine si consumerà in modo atroce. E l’indagine, portata avanti da un amico di Santiago, il narratore, che dopo oltre vent’anni cercherà di capirci qualcosa, non riuscirà a far piena luce su quegli eventi.
Perché una morta annunciata a quasi un intero paese si verifica con puntualità? Che cosa va storto? Che cosa non funziona? Perché le persone sanno, e se ne restano a guardare, agendo solo quando ormai gli ingranaggi della macchina della morte si sono messi in moto, e fermarla non è più possibile?
Forse quel paese senza nome è talmente immerso in una cultura soffocante e brutale, dove la violenza è compagna di vita, che quando scorge le evidenti avvisaglie di quanto sta per accadere (un omicidio), non riesce a decifrarle correttamente.
Ha assimilato a tal punto quel clima avvelenato che il senso di responsabilità del singolo verso il prossimo, si è di fatto azzerato. Se sei abituato alla violenza, occorre uno sforzo quasi sovrumano per uscirne e scorgerne la sua struttura malata.
E vedere due persone che si aggirano per le strade con i coltelli, urlando che ammazzeranno un altro uomo, suscita solo curiosità. Non allarme.
Il buonsenso, il senso di appartenenza a una comunità civile, dove per civile non si intende rispettare tradizioni o riti, ma prestare attenzione e cura verso l’altro, si sono come atrofizzati.
Ci si riduce quindi a delle marionette tirate da un fato contro il quale non si può fare nulla, che si subisce.
Ma il fato è il nome che si dà alle cose quando noi rinunciamo al nostro senso di responsabilità. Quando voltiamo le spalle alla nostra umanità.
Da sottolineare infine la maestria di Garcia Marquez, e del traduttore italiano. Non appena si iniziano a leggere le prime righe, in un attimo si viene risucchiati dentro questa storia tragica, inevitabile. È come salire su un treno che all’istante inizia a viaggiare a pieno vapore.
La maestria di Garcia Marquez, quando è in stato di grazia, può essere ammaliante.