Take a photo of a barcode or cover
npericchi 's review for:
El Amor En Los Tiempos del Cólera
by Gabriel García Márquez
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's very difficult to swallow that this is considered a good example of Latin American literature.
It's ridden with unapologetic displays of stalking, sexism, xenophobia, and paedophilia. At no point in the +400 pages is there ever any effort to empathize with the perspective of the female characters, at least not in a way that feels realistic. It felt like an old man's fantasy of what he wishes he would be perceived as by the women and little girls he assaulted throughout his life.
The reference to male characters liking little girls is not exclusive to Florentino, the main character. Often times men describe the women they are attracted to as having child-like qualities such as "she had infantile nipples," whatever that's supposed to mean.
And if you are a person of colour or Chinese, do brace yourself for some god awful descriptions and please do not think this is a representation of all Latin American people's way of thinking.
It was an embarrassing experience to read this as a Latina.
It's ridden with unapologetic displays of stalking, sexism, xenophobia, and paedophilia. At no point in the +400 pages is there ever any effort to empathize with the perspective of the female characters, at least not in a way that feels realistic. It felt like an old man's fantasy of what he wishes he would be perceived as by the women and little girls he assaulted throughout his life.
The reference to male characters liking little girls is not exclusive to Florentino, the main character. Often times men describe the women they are attracted to as having child-like qualities such as "she had infantile nipples," whatever that's supposed to mean.
And if you are a person of colour or Chinese, do brace yourself for some god awful descriptions and please do not think this is a representation of all Latin American people's way of thinking.
It was an embarrassing experience to read this as a Latina.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Xenophobia, Stalking
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Addiction