Rating:  Summary: I loved this book Review: I read this book prior to reading One Hundred Years of Solitude - and perhaps that was a good thing, as I was able to see it without the influence of one of the best books I've ever read, One Hundred Years of Solitude. I loved this book. It's the reason I continued to read Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It did not move me as deeply as the other book I keep mentioning, but how many times can one author write something that profound? This book should not be pushed aside because it is not the same as One Hundred Years of Solitude. In its own way, it is very powerful, and well worth reading.
Rating:  Summary: A little dissapointing Review: I have to say that I LOVE Garcia Marquez. I've read "One Hundred Years of Solitude" about a zillion times. But this book somehow didn't do it for me. I found it too slow and a little boring. Also, in my opinion, the characters appeared too crule for the 'love story' theme to be touching enough. I think Garcia Marquez should better be remembered for his much more beautifully crafted, earlier works.
Rating:  Summary: a beautiful book Review: Ah, some books just leave you feeling empty. I'll need time to recover from this one. It is simply beautiful.
Rating:  Summary: Adulterous Review: Perhaps the translation was not good. It almost seemed like the author was trying to prove to himself and the readers how eloquent and descriptive he could be. The whole book was overflowing with chapter-long descriptions and character analyses made by an omniscient narrator. For every effect, there was a cause that had to be explained for several pages. As if the author wanted to make certain that the reader was convinced of the complexity of the characters and situations. The first half was quite lovely, but when the adultery began, I became so tired of the characters and their actions. I read his novella, A Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor and thought it was excellent.
Rating:  Summary: Excellent characters, and a whammo ending Review: I liked this book quite a bit. I thought the characterizations of the three protagonists were excellent, detailed; Garcia Marquez can make the most mundane detail speak volumes about a person. The ending, too, was a surprise -- bittersweet, melancholy, and I know it will linger in my memory for a while. Complaints about Ariza's relationship with his young ward are silly and reactionary, especially since Garcia Marquez clearly puts this relationship into a moral and character-development context.
Rating:  Summary: Good storywriting, an excellent premise, not his best ... Review: Unrequited love, eternal love and stubborn love in the face of impossibility ... Two things kept me reading this book. First, Marquez has an incredible narrative - so rich that I felt transported in time. Second, I was compelled to see if in fact Ariza would finally attain what alluded him so many years ago, the *true* love of Fermina.Being a purist where matters of the heart are concerned, I was sorely disappointed with Ariza's "622 liasons" and very troubled by his relationship with his ward. Disgusted in fact. However, Ariza managed to find some measure of redemption in my eyes by loving Daza with the same fervor that he did 50+ years after he first laid eyes on her. Robbed of her youth and bloom, he still loved her, wrinkled and smelling of old lady ... I regret that we didn't learn more about Daza and Dr. Juvenal Urbino. I think there was more to Dr. Urbino than met the eye. Perhaps fodder for another book? Not Marquez's best, but worth the reading.
Rating:  Summary: Definitely on my "must-read" 100 list Review: I read this book in my last year as an English major undergraduate -- and suddenly felt cheated that I hadn't been a comparative lit major instead. Having spent ten years since then reading literature from throughout Latin America, I visited Amazon to find a nice hardcover edition to replace my twice-read paperback, as this book deserves a more permanent representation on my shelf of recommended reads. If you haven't discovered Marquez yet, you should.
Rating:  Summary: I expected more... Review: I read Love in the Time of Cholera fresh from the euphoria of having finished One Hundred Years of Solitude, which is undoubtedly one of the best books I've ever read. Reading these two novels back to back may have been a mistake. Love in the Time of Cholera is a nice story, at times touching, but I did not love these characters, feel their motivations, or really care what happened to them. Florentino, to me, was immature, and his idea of love hardly changed from the time he was an adolescent. He had childish notions of love, and selfishly indulged in relationships with women in a manner that was Freudian, at best. Love is noble, infatuation is not. Therapy may have done him a lot of good. Nor did I care for the stoic, selfish, spoiled Fermina, though she was more practical and grounded than Florentino. She seemed to be a more static version of Amaranta from 100 Years. However, I think Marquez made a strong statement regarding the effect individual pride can have on intimate relationships. Ultimately, these characters seemed destined to make bad, selfish choices, to be immersed in what we now call "game playing." It was very tiring, and I did not believe the relationship at the end of the novel. It seemed like an easy way to end the novel, and I do not think either characters ever found true love. In sum, I was disappointed by Love in the Time of Cholera, though I wanted very much to like it. I will continue to read Marquez, and hopefully my initial love for his work will be restored.
Rating:  Summary: Love in Times of Cohlera takes you to a different world... Review: Is amazing how love can and does move mountains. The love Florentino has for the woman of his dreams is admirable. He patiently awaits his entire life to love this woman. It is an emotional ending and a beautiful trama. I recommend this book to anyone who is searching for the love one.
Rating:  Summary: A poetic, romantic, passionate and well-written novel. Review: I read this book and was captivated like I have never been in so long. Garcia Marquez did a fantastic job writing about such passion, I almost find it unbelievable. Can such poetry exist ? Can one's heart survive such pain and turmoil ? Florentino was so dedicated in his idea of love, I wept for him. Garcia Marquez dealt with many issues and philosophies of life. It was a thought-provoking book and I recommend it to any serious reader. Thanks again for such great writing. I also enjoyed "One hundred years of solitude" and now I will read all his other books.
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