Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

5 reviews

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

4.0

Another stunning novel by one of the most talented authors to ever existed. Within the social commentary, magical realism, and class dynamics, there is also an incredible amount of heart. I would highly, highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Terminal illness, Racism, Infidelity, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Death

gabriella_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

Was anyone going to tell me there’s a

pedophilic relationship

in this or was I supposed to find out on my own? Genuinely left a disgusting taste in my mouth reading this. 

And why was there so much casual racism and bigoted language throughout the book? It was physically painful in a book that otherwise had a gripping prose (but was problematic, I smell misogyny). 

I don’t want to rate this because I feel so conflicted. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Dementia, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death, Death of parent, Rape, Excrement, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Classism, Cursing, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual violence, and Stalking

mgraceoliver's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Death, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death of parent, War, Murder, Pregnancy, and Infidelity

amkclaes's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

this is an absolutely beautifully written book about a completely disturbing, obsessional love - it's about love, sure, but the way that love can find many forms and require different things from one another, and the pitfalls of "love" that removes you from reality. Florentino is a sad, creepy character, he only finds relationships with vulnerable, lonely women as he pines for the one high society woman that rejected him. Fermina is a totally average rich woman, that García Márquez uses to comment on the obliviousness, the pettiness, and even the casual racism of that class, while also, through her relationship with Urbino, showing how society traps women and the pros and cons that marriage can have for a woman in her position. the book is so subtle and insightful when portraying human relationships and social structures, it's all in a gesture or a look, and the descriptions are stunning. 
i have to say the storyline with the young girl perplexed me. maybe i'm making excuses for the author, but to me Florentino is such an antipathetic character, and he's at his absolute lowest base state, and to me that storyline shows the true harm he inflicts on the world through his self absorption. he makes his raggedy old self the center of this child's life,

and ultimately drives her to her death

because he is unable to extract himself from his lifelong obsession with Fermina and confront the reality of his life, that it has passed by and that he is old now.
one task of authors is to reflect our society, it its ugliness too, and he does that brilliantly

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Suicide, Sexism, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, and Misogyny

smallredboy's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.75

I hated this book. I truly cannot understate how much I hated this book. If it wasn't a mandatory reading for Spanish, I would've ditched it at about 10%. I can't stress enough how much I hated this book. Not one of the characters was likeable, the narration was as stretched out as possible, each description of each house and each outfit making me slowly go insane. The plot had some semblance of interest to it, but everything about it was ruined by the last few pages and the cheesy fucking ending.

I was going to give this book a gentle 2 to 3 starts before it's just dropped 80% into the book that the male protagonist, Florentino Ariza,

is sleeping with a fourteen-year-old who he's supposed to be a mentor to and who is RELATED TO HIM.

. I  got so angry at this that I had to finish the book, so I wouldn't have to deal with it  tomorrow. Fuck this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Stalking

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Incest, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Pedophilia

Minor: War, Violence, Murder, and Homophobia