Customer Reviews

One Hundred Years of Solitude

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I truly cannot remember the last time I have read something so imaginitive and insightful. While this book is sure to make you laugh, the wisdom imparted through hysterical and fantastic happenings is almost chilling at times. This book reminds me of Voltaire's "Candide," in that it takes a satirical tone towards the human race. A piece of advice: Definitely read this book at a time when you won't have to take too much time away from it. The character list is long, and it can be difficult to become reoriented. A perfect vacation read!

If you understand "house of mirrors" is the name of the town, and you understand that each generation repeats the errors and mistakes of the past, and Melquiades, and the inventions, and the click-clocking of the bones in the wall, and the magical realism, and the cyclical pattern of the stories, and the corkscrew tail of a pig on a wailing child being carried off into the jungle by ants, you will get this story. There is a reason this book won the Nobel Prize for Literature. This is a book for lovers of literature, for those who search the world for meaning. Amazing. Blinding in its beauty and brilliance. A sheer joy to read.

I thought this book was alright. It is a good story with excellent insights into human nature. There are many truths about people and society ingeniously woven into the text. However, it is not a leisurely read, which I admit, I read way too often. Therefore, I began reading this book with the wrong attitude, which has probably tainted my opinion. Nonetheless, enjoying this book is hard work. It is very long and, in my opinion, very wordy at times. It is not one of those books that caused me to hang onto every word and read for hours on end because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. There are also many characters who share similar names (many are named after each other) which gets confusing. Some of them are not mentioned for long stretches in the story, only to pop up again, making you ask, "And who was that again?" There is a family tree printed inside the cover which I had to refer to often. So, if you begin reading anticipating some mental stamina, you will probably enjoy it more than I.

My first couple of tries at reading this book didn't go very far. I never made it beyond the first chapter. Then on a visit to Colombia I was determined to read this book. I kept at it. Before long I was totally absorbed into the story, which is truly fascinating and amazing. Now I don't know why I could not get into it on my earlier attempts. I'm so glad that I persisted. So, the book that I originally couldn't get into, finally became one of my favorite novels.

This book was a bit of a slow start for me, but once it got ahold, it wouldn't let go; I couldn't wait to come upon the next marvelous insight or memorable phrase like "he had peeped into the abyss of greatness" or "children inherit their parents' madnesses." There were no characters quite up there in the first tier of fictional acquaintances in my memory (hence four stars instead of five), but I left this book with reinvigorated faith in the ability of literature to transcend geography and time, the good judgment of the Nobel literary committee, and the conviction that the best fiction can teach us more than life itself.

I'm not sure I would classify this book as one of my favorites, and yet it is entirely profound. Written in a beautiful style that is amazingly complex at the same time it is beautifully simple, One Hundred Years of Solitude reveals a true mastery of composition. The themes are as grotesque as they are beautiful, realistic and at the same time fantastical, bright and full of hope and at the same time cast in a hopeless darkness. Definitely worth reading.

"One Hundred Years of Solitude" is not for everyone. It is one of the most fantastical books ever written. In style it is somewhere between "Still Life with Woodpecker", "The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test", and "The Satanic Verses", but perhaps with even weirder events occurring. It is a book you will want to take your time with, re-reading a lot as you go so that you soak up the style; and going back to previous passages to review how the characters are changing as time passes.

I read it in Spanish since is my native language, and it's a beautiful book. I have read like three times. However if you are a native English speaker the traslation may not cause the same effect to you and might find it very difficult. It really is a challenge to read tis book.

A few writers in each generation are gifted with such writing talent that they create books that make you catch your breath. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one of those writers. His gift with prose, the way he uses language, his storytelling ability is staggering. This is an engrossing read from the very first sentence. You will be captivated by the magical world that has been created and the all too human characters that populate the story.

For reading pleasure, I would recommend the Harper Perennial Modern Classics edition of this book, which has those very convenient flaps on the front and back covers that make perfect bookmarks to save your page when you do manage to put the book down!

This book is like Achilles' dream of Patroklos: the yearning pain when the book ends is almost too hard to bear. I have read this dozens of times and never tire of it, nor am I ever any less moved. It is for those who know the torment of nostalgia. The language and depth are astonishingly beautiful; it is hilarious and searingly tragic. This is one of those books that makes you wonder how such brilliance can come from a single human being.