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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the prose is gorgeous, the setting vivid and the characters beautifully full of life.
HOWEVER
i am unable to move past the multiple glorifications of rape, the dogged stalking of the main female character by the main male character and the paedophilic relationship between said male character and his (groomed) 14 year old goddaughter.
horrific. at points i wondered if that was the point ? and we were supposed to see all of the horror ? and then i decided it didn’t matter.
marquez is a master at his craft, but this was grim and too much for me.
HOWEVER
i am unable to move past the multiple glorifications of rape, the dogged stalking of the main female character by the main male character and the paedophilic relationship between said male character and his (groomed) 14 year old goddaughter.
horrific. at points i wondered if that was the point ? and we were supposed to see all of the horror ? and then i decided it didn’t matter.
marquez is a master at his craft, but this was grim and too much for me.
I recognise this book's probable greatness, the romanticism and elusiveness that float up from the pages the deeper you go into the book and the masterful prose of Márquez. But I simply didn't like the book. The story wasn't too contrived, nor too simple, it droned on. It was mildly interesting in places, even but it was also, frankly, disgusting.
One forgives a lot in the name of art, especially literary, and this book is perhaps the archetype of this tradition, considering the praise it has garnered over the years. But I couldn't quite reconcile myself with this old man and his habit of screwing around in the name of love. He was a weak character, without a single redeemable or likeable bone in his body. She, Fermina Daza, forms one of the only parts of the book that are so wholeheartedly realistic and in being so, manage to rise above the floating fantasy of the rest of the book instead of sinking below.
I did learn about love from this book, and how perhaps our romanticised perception of it is as far from the truth as can be, which is an important realisation for a 20 year old like me, but more than that, I learned about the place of a woman in this world, and how it's only changed in some societies since Marquez wrote this book in 1985 and that too perhaps only outwardly.
One forgives a lot in the name of art, especially literary, and this book is perhaps the archetype of this tradition, considering the praise it has garnered over the years. But I couldn't quite reconcile myself with this old man and his habit of screwing around in the name of love. He was a weak character, without a single redeemable or likeable bone in his body. She, Fermina Daza, forms one of the only parts of the book that are so wholeheartedly realistic and in being so, manage to rise above the floating fantasy of the rest of the book instead of sinking below.
I did learn about love from this book, and how perhaps our romanticised perception of it is as far from the truth as can be, which is an important realisation for a 20 year old like me, but more than that, I learned about the place of a woman in this world, and how it's only changed in some societies since Marquez wrote this book in 1985 and that too perhaps only outwardly.
slow-paced
challenging
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
I’m not a fan of translated literary fiction, but this book was on several Best of Lists, so I persevered even though I should have given up. I found Florentino to be absurd and obsessed, but not romantic. His character lacked the depth of unrequited love. Why would Fermina believe she had a good husband when he continued to cheat on her? Florentino declaring he is a virgin and he saved himself for her but had 622 affairs over his lifetime. It’s only a man who would write such a thing.
“El amor en los tiempos del cólera” es sentimiento escrito con palabras precisas y elegantes. Una pasión extrema, reflejo de una sociedad antigua con tradiciones arraigadas. Fuego vivo expresado en la voz de cada personaje.
Es amor, que se siente fluir por las páginas, cambiando de intensidad a través de los años, pero siempre presente. Es traición, de esa que duele el alma, pero también esperanza, que te levanta del barro y te mantiene en movimiento.
La historia es una maravilla. Abarca una vida completa que pasó ante mis ojos reflejando tanto la juventud, llena de ideales que nacen rumbo a un futuro incierto, como también la paciencia, confianza y evolución que la madurez te entrega. Un libro centrado en un romanticismo eterno que te abraza y te hace experimentar una larga espera ilusionada.
“El amor en los tiempos del cólera” es Gabriel García Márquez en su máxima expresión: pasión, música, vals, caribe y una diosa coronada.
Sentí su fuerza y me encantó.
Es amor, que se siente fluir por las páginas, cambiando de intensidad a través de los años, pero siempre presente. Es traición, de esa que duele el alma, pero también esperanza, que te levanta del barro y te mantiene en movimiento.
La historia es una maravilla. Abarca una vida completa que pasó ante mis ojos reflejando tanto la juventud, llena de ideales que nacen rumbo a un futuro incierto, como también la paciencia, confianza y evolución que la madurez te entrega. Un libro centrado en un romanticismo eterno que te abraza y te hace experimentar una larga espera ilusionada.
“El amor en los tiempos del cólera” es Gabriel García Márquez en su máxima expresión: pasión, música, vals, caribe y una diosa coronada.
Sentí su fuerza y me encantó.
emotional
reflective
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
there was a lot to like but there was even more that was boring as helllllll. good ending tho
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: War