One Hundred Years of Solitude (P.S.)
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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Book Reviews of One Hundred Years of Solitude (P.S.)
Book Review: I really wanted to like this...
Summary: 2 Stars
I really wanted to like this. The style of writing is interesting, and somewhat poetic, which is why this even rates two stars. The story just seems to ramble on and on, and didn't keep my attention. It was painful to keep going, and I still haven't finished it... (I normally read through books to the end in a relatively short amount of time.) The writing style, while interesting and poetic, slips key bits of information into the story to the point where it's almost hidden, rather than doing what most writers do and building up to important parts of the storyline. Several times I found myself rereading a sentence or paragraph to verify that I had read it correctly -- that significant parts of the story had just been slipped in to otherwise rambling text. It's not that things need to be pointed out to me, but I found this method of storytelling very anti-climactic. Additionally, the characters were so highly flawed, with so little (or in some cases no) redeeming qualities, I didn't find myself connecting with any of them. I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it.Book Review: Marquez at its best!
Summary: 5 Stars
For those of you who have read Marquez before this book will not dissapoint you, in fact I think its one of Marquez best.
For those of you who havent, this is a great way to start.
This is the story of the Buendia family and how things happen through the years. It is full of memorable passages that will make you think that what happens to the family and the town can be related to different passages in world history.
Dont worry if after the first couple of pages you are confused by the many names and vatriations of each. The characters and their story are so unique that the similarity in names will have little importance.
I think Marquez tells a good and enjoyable story that can be enjoyed by everyone at anytime and you will find that after the first few pages it will be hard to put it down.
Granted that I read this book in Spanish so I think it might feel a little different reading it in English and maybe some events will seem strange if you are not familiarized with the way families behave in Latin countries.
Totally worth it though.
Book Review: A Work You Come Back To, Ever and Always
Summary: 5 Stars
What is it about a certain work of fiction that keeps us coming back to it, time and again, as if we're all ancient travellers on the same road of life? ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE is such a work; whenever I travel I take the book with me, dip into its pages, as if I'm skinny-dipping into familiar waters, revisit its characters and scenes, savor its language and wild flights of imagination. Gertrude Stein once said, "If a book is really true, you'll always need it again." How could a work of fiction be this true, this powerful, this overwhelming in its understanding of the human condition? Damned if I know. And I write fiction all the time, with everything I've got, every muscle and bone in my body. Maybe it's got something to do with "magic realism," with the way you tell a story, not conventionally in a straightforward narrative fashion, but rather, in a series of concentric circles, hovering around the characters, around the events of Macondo and the multigenerational families that occupy the landscape, that live it, breathe it, and make you, the reader, part of it.Book Review: Magical Realism at its Finest
Summary: 5 Stars
One Hundred Years of Solitude is the novel we compare all attempts at Latin American magical realism to. In this book Marquez perfectly executes the requirements of the genre, making sure that the more unrealistic elements are used purposefully, not just to shock or confuse (although I do understand some readers' initial disgust with several incestuous encounters and with the scene in which red ants are carrying away an infant). Nothing is done randomly is this novel, the characters, events, stories and dialogue tie together to prove the strength of the Buendia family bond.
Just about everyone should be able to find thematic elements to interest them in this dense, lengthy novel. Violence and war, success and defeat, love and loss, friends and enemies, loyalty and betrayal, tradition and innovation and, above all else, the role of the family. Marquez's style allows for humor to coincide with very serious, grave emotions and events.
A novel everyone who considers themselves "a reader" should read.
Book Review: Amazing Book, TERRIBLE Translation
Summary: 2 Stars
As a native speaker of both English and Spanish, I typically read a work in it's native language, however as I am in a hurry, I decided to read the English translation of this piece because it is about 100 pages shorter. This story is a masterpiece, it is phenomenal, however I am terribly disappointed in the translation.
I honestly don't know how Harper accepted this for publication. There are a number of simply bad translations that jump out as Spanglish at best to the bilingual reader, and as simply wrong at worst. An example is the improper construction of past participles throughout the text. Additionally, there are Spanish phrases that are translated literally and that I had to re-translate in my mind back to Spanish in order to understand the meaning.
To summarize, it is a poorly edited translation of a masterpiece. If you aren't bothered by the writing style then this should be fine as it is an easy read; however if you are like me and style is important, find a different translation.