Innocent Erendira and Other Stories

Rating:
Summary: Magically Real and Entertaining
Review: Eréndira is a dark fairy tale covered in the blanket of magic realism that has become Gabriel García Márquez's trademark. The story itself unfolds like a bizarre daydream that follows a 14 year old Eréndira as she is plagued by the "wind of her misfortune." It is this wind that causes Eréndira to burn down her grandmother's lavish villa. Upon seeing the ruin and ashes the Grandmother informs Eréndira that "it would take a lifetime to back the debt you owe me." And so begins the young girl's life of prostitution. In order to earn back her money, the Grandmother sells Eréndira to countless men, day and night. It is only when Eréndira meets angelic Ulysses that her tortured life seemingly begins to change. Perhaps the most brilliant aspect of this movie is the role of the Grandmother. She is continually seated upon a throne-like chair, is incredibly fat and gaudy and devours cake by the handful; all while dispensing cryptic advice to Eréndira. The power that the Grandmother has over the life of Eréndira is shocking yet morbidly interesting, as is she. This strong presence is the reason that her character commands the most attention in the story. Her greed and voracious appetite for life are quite possibly representative of the many corrupt and powerful organizations and politicians that are present in Latin America and throughout the world. Eréndira is a compelling story to say the least. It is funny yet eerie, intriguing yet grotesque, and I thought it was amazing. Every piece of description and every word of dialogue work together to create the web of magic realism that dominates story line. If you like slightly dark stories of Latin American culture that have a magical twist, then Eréndira should be your first choice.

Rating:
Summary: a slow but promising beginning
Review: Gabriel Garcia Marquez is certainly a great writer and his Nobel Prize is no fluke. However, this is a collection of his early stories with most dating back to the late 1940's and early 1950's. It is interesting to see the early focus on the out-of-body, after-life and other-worldly experiences that lead the author toward the eventual "magic realism". That doesn't mean that they're good stories to read. In fact, I found most stories (other than the title story) to be rather tedious reading even as short as most of them were. "Innocent Erendira" is a good example of the author's polished style and stands as a contrast to the other works. Some sort of editing mishap has the book lead with "Innocent Erendira" rather than closing with it. Thus we see the best in the beginning and watch the rest go down hill rather than build up to the climax (as should have been done). I have often made it a point to read all of a favorite author's works and Garcia Marquez is certainly a favorite of mine. However, I have learned that even greatness has its' measure of mediocrity. This book is a reminder of that.

Rating:
Summary: a slow but promising beginning
Review: Gabriel Garcia Marquez is certainly a great writer and his Nobel Prize is no fluke. However, this is a collection of his early stories with most dating back to the late 1940's and early 1950's. It is interesting to see the early focus on the out-of-body, after-life and other-worldly experiences that lead the author toward the eventual "magic realism". That doesn't mean that they're good stories to read. In fact, I found most stories (other than the title story) to be rather tedious reading even as short as most of them were. "Innocent Erendira" is a good example of the author's polished style and stands as a contrast to the other works. Some sort of editing mishap has the book lead with "Innocent Erendira" rather than closing with it. Thus we see the best in the beginning and watch the rest go down hill rather than build up to the climax (as should have been done). I have often made it a point to read all of a favorite author's works and Garcia Marquez is certainly a favorite of mine. However, I have learned that even greatness has its' measure of mediocrity. This book is a reminder of that.

Rating:
Summary: muy interesante
Review: I read this book as well as watched the movie for my Spanish 495 class at school and thought that it was one of the more interesting of the books that we read, among el reino de este mundo, and pedro páramo. It had so much simbolism and meaning to it. I recommend it for fun, as well as for a course. It's fairly short, but with a lot of meaning behind it.

Rating:
Summary: Colorful and easy to read.
Review: Start off with "100 Years of Solitude", and then enjoy these short stories, they will take you back to a magical time that used to be. Marquez weaves his magic best in long, heady volumes, but these stories are not-to-be-missed for any fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Rating:
Summary: muy interesante
Review: Start off with "100 Years of Solitude", and then enjoy these short stories, they will take you back to a magical time that used to be. Marquez weaves his magic best in long, heady volumes, but these stories are not-to-be-missed for any fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.