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michelareads 's review for:
Memories of My Melancholy Whores
by Gabriel García Márquez
I have to admit that it was really difficult for me to read this book.
Not because of the writing, which is excellent and finely crafted, but because of the main character. I would have appreciated more a whole book about his memories and regrets, I'm sure I would have loved that. The trigger here is his 90th birthday and the present he wants to give to himself. When he starts obsessing about his own desire to own a poor 14-years-old girl, who happens to be sold as a prostitute and still has to experience and learn what intimacy is, the story became honestly disgusting for me. I also didn't appreciate the fact that we don't know the real name of the girl, as she remains sadly just something that this creepy old man wants to possess, and not a (very unfortunate) character with a voice.
2 stars only because of the brilliant writing style.
Not because of the writing, which is excellent and finely crafted, but because of the main character. I would have appreciated more a whole book about his memories and regrets, I'm sure I would have loved that. The trigger here is his 90th birthday and the present he wants to give to himself. When he starts obsessing about his own desire to own a poor 14-years-old girl, who happens to be sold as a prostitute and still has to experience and learn what intimacy is, the story became honestly disgusting for me. I also didn't appreciate the fact that we don't know the real name of the girl, as she remains sadly just something that this creepy old man wants to possess, and not a (very unfortunate) character with a voice.
2 stars only because of the brilliant writing style.