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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.
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,
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
gewrgia_lightwood's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
Minor: Stalking
sommer22's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
CW: p*dophilia
The writing in this book is beautiful, although at some points the narrative felt like it was dragging and others I couldn't put it down. The biggest problem I have with this book is its main character. Florentino Ariza is so consumed by his love for Fermina Daza that he ignores the potential consequences of his actions and does not hold himself accountable for them once they come to fruition. In his bid to rise to the top of the Riverboat Company as a way to gain enough status as Fermina, he causes deforestation along the Magdalena River, destroying the ecosystems and livelihoods of the people within and surrounding it. He also grooms and takes advantage of a FOURTEEN YEAR OLD CHILD, and barely bats an eye when she commits suicide in the aftermath of their relationship. He takes advantage of so many people and things and thinks of women, including Fermina, in such a misogynistic, flippant, and exploitative way that was really frustrating to read. I was not rooting for him by the end, and as Fermina was my favorite character, I hate how they ended up together after he essentially stalked her for his entire life.
This book is very heavy-handed with symbolism (cholera, the river, taking journeys) and has an interesting narrative structure. It's portioned into larger sections, rather than individual chapters, which in my opinion was very immersive, and it made me feel the time passing as each character went through their lives. The majority of this story is also told in a flashback with past-within-the-past references, which adds to its narrative uniqueness. As I said, Márquez uses very beautiful, immersive imagery that makes each setting distinctive, but my dislike of the main character is my biggest reason for the low rating.
This book aims to represent love in many different forms, but the incarnation that is meant to be its centerpiece is instead very toxic, unsettling, and hard to ignore.
The writing in this book is beautiful, although at some points the narrative felt like it was dragging and others I couldn't put it down. The biggest problem I have with this book is its main character. Florentino Ariza is so consumed by his love for Fermina Daza that he ignores the potential consequences of his actions and does not hold himself accountable for them once they come to fruition.
This book is very heavy-handed with symbolism (cholera, the river, taking journeys) and has an interesting narrative structure. It's portioned into larger sections, rather than individual chapters, which in my opinion was very immersive, and it made me feel the time passing as each character went through their lives. The majority of this story is also told in a flashback with past-within-the-past references, which adds to its narrative uniqueness. As I said, Márquez uses very beautiful, immersive imagery that makes each setting distinctive, but my dislike of the main character is my biggest reason for the low rating.
This book aims to represent love in many different forms, but the incarnation that is meant to be its centerpiece is instead very toxic, unsettling, and hard to ignore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Dementia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Rape and Suicide
ohlhauc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
I'm a sucker for Marquez's writing. As always, it's gorgeous, poetic, and makes you sink into his world effortlessly.
His writing is so enchanting that it can overshadow the plot, which it did in this book. I re-read this immediately after the first time because I felt that I hadn't fully grasped what had happened because of an infatuation with the prose. Upon re-reading and focusing on the story, it was just okay.
The scenes of the main female protagonist and her husband were most interesting, and there were a few times where the female characters were portrayed with spunk, strength, and owning their sexuality although there were some scenes that showed the ugly side of the characters living in a strong patriarchy.
While it's touted as a story of unrequited love, it's more the story of a man obsessed with his first love, in a way that would be creepy and disturbing if left in the hands of a less talented writer. The story also seemed to romanticize sexual assault and the grooming/assault of an underage girl by an elderly man. It was these things that left the most pressing memory and I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading this novel unless you really want to.
His writing is so enchanting that it can overshadow the plot, which it did in this book. I re-read this immediately after the first time because I felt that I hadn't fully grasped what had happened because of an infatuation with the prose. Upon re-reading and focusing on the story, it was just okay.
The scenes of the main female protagonist and her husband were most interesting, and there were a few times where the female characters were portrayed with spunk, strength, and owning their sexuality although there were some scenes that showed the ugly side of the characters living in a strong patriarchy.
While it's touted as a story of unrequited love, it's more the story of a man obsessed with his first love, in a way that would be creepy and disturbing if left in the hands of a less talented writer. The story also seemed to romanticize sexual assault and the grooming/assault of an underage girl by an elderly man. It was these things that left the most pressing memory and I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading this novel unless you really want to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Death, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Stalking
Minor: Racism
allisoncc's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book essentially 350 pages of "redemption arc" of a dude who harbors a love for a woman (who marries/is married to someone else) for 50 plus years and chronicles all the sexual escapades (including grooming a minor), so that they can ride off on a riverboat into the sunset together in old age after she's a widow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Stalking, Misogyny, Medical content, Grief, Excrement, Death, Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, and Infidelity
Moderate: Homophobia
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