Rating: 
Summary: "...and the last is being eaten by ants."
Review: 100 Years of Solitude is by far the most exraordinary and profound pieces of literiture ever created. I strongly urge everyone who hasn't read it to do so. I must confess that I strongly dissaprove of "A reader from Saint Louis"'s review. Though I completely agree with him or her that 100 Years of Solitude is possibly "the most important novel of the XXth Century," I beg that you do not follow his/her "pointers." "Don't keep track of the names. Its pointless..." is a completely false statement. One must pay extremely close attention to names. Do names foreshadow ones fate? Are the twins who they were meant to be named after or have they been mixed up? "You can start reading the book on any page..." ie equally incorrect. Garcia-Marquez's genius is so well conveyed through 100 Years of Solitude that symbols whispered on the first page come into play in generations to come. Enjoy this literary masterpiece!
Rating: 
Summary: Suprising...
Review: I read this book during one of my sophomore literature courses (course selection) and I was kind of blown away. It's the type of book that you pick up and really can't put back down without being mysteriously drawn back to it. Within the bounds of the book, you get sucked into wondering how in the world the Buendía family became so [messed] up and end up marvelling at the "progress" of their town. I didn't give it five stars because I thought that it became kind of murky towards the end, kind of hard to follow. Be warned though, this is a pretty dark book, and if you're one to desire that resolution occur for the sake of having an ending, then don't read this - it might make you angry. If you don't mind a bit of random humor and can breeze past the bit of vulgarity that's in the book, then press on. It's a great read, especially on a rainy day when tornadoes are on the prowl.
Rating:
Summary: Only the most important Novel of the XXth Century..
Review: This novel is by far the most important novel written in the XXth century... Don't let anyone fool you.. It's not Ulysses by James Joyce, this stuff is READABLE!!!!
If you can read it in Spanish don't miss it... This novel created magical realism, a concept that might seem foreign to many "American" readers, but it's quite real to us Colombians..
Two pointers on reading this book:
1)Don't keep track of the Names!!! It's pointless...
2)You can start reading the book on any page...If you like Allende and would like to know where she got ALL her ideas.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read
Review: I just finished reading the book yesterday and was completely blown away. As soon as I put the book down, all these questions started popping up in my head: was everything real or was it just a dream? What was Marquez'point? Even with these questions, Marquez' storytelling was superb. The dischord in narrative, the fantasy intermixed with reality and Marquez' political beliefs, make this book memorable. The surreal quality of the narrative is supposed to make us detached from the characters. It is this detachment that makes us ask, whether we are reading a history of the Buendia family or whether we are reading Melquiades' parchments; whether Macondo really existed or whether it was a figment of somebody's imagination. If you enjoyed reading this book, consider these other books to read: --"Like Water for Chocolate"
--"The House of Spirits" by Isabel Allende
--Anthology of Short stories by Borges
Rating:
Summary: A novel of profound worth and a must-read for everyone!
Review: Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude is an enchanting and engaging read that chronicles the lives of the Buendia family. The lively and eccentric characters like Jose Arcadio Buendia, the patriarch of the family, whose pursuits include getting a daguerreotype of God will make you laugh and make you think. Humorous incidents abound, including a supposed insomnia plague which causes the town to label every item in their house including the cow. Marquez's style is intoxicating and with every word he challenges the limits of reality and unearths the magical aspects of daily life. When Marquez describes carpets laden down with passengers flying through the air you simply accept an obviously impossible act as truth. The novel's length is somewhat daunting but very accessible. I would recommend this novel for anyone who enjoys fantasy or has an interest in Latin American culture. As the title suggests each character has his/her own private battle regarding the amount of solitude which is necessary and beneficial and amount that is overwhelming and debilitating. Sometimes the character's actions, like Rebecca eating earth and whitewash, seem absurd but Marquez always keeps in mind the nature of humanity and its varying inclinations. This novel won both the Nobel Prize and my admiration.
Rating: 
Summary: I wish I cared about these people
Review: Yes Mr. Marquez is very intelligent and has a remarkable story-telling ability, but the thing he wasn't able to do for me, was get me to care about the characters. He lost 2 stars for that. It was in certain parts very interesting and rich in detail, but I have to admit, I forced myself through many parts of it. And did Mr. Marquez try to act a little 'Joycean' by making his sentences long.....(look at pgs. 329-331 paperback edition)? And yes, I have the same gripe about similar sounding names. However if the reader keeps reading, he/she can usually figure out what is what by the context. Mr. Marquez, very few will ever win a Nobel in literature, but could you please pump out something in what I know is your brillant mind, that will make me CARE.?
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: Marquez's use of magical realism allows this novel its endless possibilities! While considered a great work of literature, I found this book to be easy to read. The only part I had trouble with was keeping everyone's similar-sounding names straight. Luckily a family tree was provided for the easily confused readers like myself. I highly enjoyed reading this book and would reccomend it to anyone looking for a fun and powerful read.
Rating:
Summary: there are better g.g.m. books out there
Review: it's actually a 3-star book, but i love g.g.m., so.... try 'of love and other demons' instead.
Rating:
Summary: It`s hard to read it but u will be amazed by it
Review: It was the first great book i`ve read and i must admitt it took me a while( i was 16 then)but this book is great.It`s just perfect.i love GGM and his style.He just manges to express feelings so easily and everything in this book seems perfectly beliveable even if some things are magical and don`t get in connection with reality.This book is hard to review.One must read it to understand it.It`s just that one cannot resume this book here.This book must be experienced.
Rating:
Summary: A favorite--don't be intimidated!
Review: I'm not surprised that people who read this book because they thought they were "supposed" to didn't enjoy it. If you don't think you'll enjoy it... well, you're almost certainly right. It's not beach reading. But if you want to read it and are just intimidated, by all means don't be! To dispel some myths/common complaints: it's NOT particularly long--just the length of an average novel. And the repetition of names from one generation to the next is extremely easy to follow once you realize one simple thing: the name for an individual character is always used in EXACTLY the same form. So, José Arcadio Buendía is always José Arcadio Buendía, and José Arcadio is always José Arcadio, etc. No nicknames, no references by first name here and last name there. Just one very specific name per character--to me, actually easier to follow than most books, and certainly easier than a Russian novel where each character can go by one of a dozen different names and they're all used randomly. The one thing that's true is that it's not plot-driven. What it is is a wonderful, rich, rewarding text with lush language and imagery, and one I personally enjoy returning to. If you're interested in sampling Gabriel Garcia Marquez but looking for more of a story, try Love in the Time of Cholera. It lacks the depth of 100 Years, but offers a taste of his writing style in a more accessible format for many readers.
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