One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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Book Reviews of One Hundred Years of Solitude
Book Review: A classic? No, but not a bad book...
Summary: 2 Stars
I guess people like this book; I've been hearing about it for years and thought it was about time I had a look. Starts well, with the introduction of quirky characters and bizarre situations delivered in a charmingly straight tone, somewhat reminiscent of Louis de Bernieres, but, to be honest, it loses it for me in the long middle section. The names are confusing, the characters have sudden and unlikely personality shifts, and none of it is shown - there is very little dialogue - but told. It gets pretty dull, pretty quickly. Having said that, the story picks up again when the number of characters is reduced in the last section, allowing us to see through the clutter, and I must confess I did feel a sense of missing all the Aurelianos and Arcadios, if only because I had become so used to repeating their names. If you're like me, and won't put a book down once you've started, then I'd say exercise some will-power and avoid this one - there are far better reads out there, and many more books worthy of the status "classic".Book Review: A Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Truly this novel is a masterpiece. It tells the story of a family line condemned to live one hundred years of solitude. But this could be anyone, any family because maybe solitude is a human condition, which is what I came away from the novel with.
What a brilliant book. The loves and lives of this family are so exquisitely told, fusing magic into everyday life, and it is all tied together by the gypsy Melquiades. Such poetry, such vivid images stick in my imagination, such as the mechanic lover boy who is followed by a cloud of butterflies, and the beautiful woman who lives in a gothic horror house, and the most beautiful woman in the world who ascends to heaven like an angel, and the Colonel who starts wars because of pride, the little gold fishes, the father under an almond tree, babies with pigs tails, the passion and the lack of passion, you have to read this book to understand all of this, and I guarantee it will change your life.
Book Review: Magical realism from the master of the genre
Summary: 4 Stars
I've read this book several times and it gets better with each reading. While I believe LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA is Marquez' best novel, ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE is probably his most mesmerizing. From the very first, beautifully constructed sentence (my favorite book beginning of all time) the reader is immersed in the world of the Buendía family and their town Macondo. Meandering, episodic, and always entertaining, this is a book to be consumed with childlike wonder as the narrative drifts through time, plot, and many confusingly named characters. There is an intentional blurring of character's names that can leave the reader confused. However, this is not a novel mainly about characters. It is about the passing of time, of the intractable mysteries of life, and about the tragedy of joy, and the joy that follows tragedy.
Book Review: Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my favorite novel by some distance. The novel is simultaneously the story of several generations of an extended family and the story of the entire human race from the beginning of history. It is full of magic not only in the sense that magical things happen, but also in its glowing prose and deeply sympathetic portrayals of its characters. The repetition and near-repetitions of names over the generations invite the reader to conflate information about different characters, demonstrating the interconnectedness of the family members. Maybe it doesn't matter if we keep their identities straight, and maybe we're not even supposed to. Let the plot swirl and let Marquez work his magic. Then step outside and notice how the world shimmers and glows.Book Review: Fantastical history of a common clan
Summary: 4 Stars
This surrealistic excursion, told matter of factly in a style reminiscient of James Joyce, traces the life of several generations of the Buendia family, ordinary folks living ordinary lives in a small Colombian town who accidentally become witnesses to such monumental events as civil war, plagues, social oppresion while cherishing passionate encounters and obsessive fixations on obscure activities. Only in the final pages does it become clear that all which has transpired over the generations was foretold as the rise and fall of the Buendia family by the mystical gypsy Maquiliades. I suspect this literary masterpiece is more impressive in its original Spanish version, but its constant surprises and matter of fact style compel the reader's attention.