One Hundred Years of Solitude LP [Large Print] [Paperback]

Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2004

Probably García Márquez’s finest and most famous work, One Hun-dred Years of Solitude tells the story of the rise and fall, birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. Inventive, amusing, magnetic, sad, alive with unforgettable men and women, and with a truth and understanding that strike the soul, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a masterpiece of the art of fiction.

Gabriel García Márquez was born in 1928 in the town of Araca-taca, Colombia. Latin America’s preeminent man of letters, he is considered by many to be one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. He began his writing career as a journalist and is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, including Love in the Time of Cholera, The Autumn of the Patriarch, and Collected Stories. His most recent work is a memoir, Living to Tell the Tale. García Már-quez was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“More lucidity, wit, wisdom, and poetry than is expected from 100 years of novelists, let alone one man.” (Washington Post Book World )

“The first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race.” (William Kennedy, New York Times Book Review )

About the Author

Gabriel GarcÍa MÁrquez was born in Colombia in 1927. His many books include The Autumn of the Patriarch; No One Writes to the Colonel; Love in the Time of Cholera; a memoir, Living to Tell the Tale; and, most recently, a novel, Memories of My Melancholy Whores. Gabriel GarcÍa MÁrquez was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Harper (February 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060750766
• ISBN-13: 978-0060750763
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,004,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece, December 16, 2008

By 

Amr Ahmad Alghamdi (KSA, Khobar) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Hundred Years of Solitude LP (Paperback)

This novel is the best ever, no novel i have read caused me feel like i'm in a dream, so strong so penetrative, it keeps you wonder how a man can write such marvelious piece of art.

So recommended.

3.0 out of 5 stars Read it as a challange., April 18, 2008

By 

Vicky Chong (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Hundred Years of Solitude LP (Paperback)

This book was written in Spanish and was translated into English by Gregory Rabassa, and I felt he tried to stick as closely to the Spanish language as possible.

The sleeve of this book summarises the story of "the rise and fall, birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendia family". True, the writing is sometimes amusing and witty that I burst out laughing while reading it, like the feasting dual between Camila, 'the Elephant', and Aureliano Seguando. I also like how the author describe Ursula, the Matriah of the family, goes about as lucid as ever, even after she became blind, as she discovered every member of her family repeated the same path, same action and the same words at the same hour. It's only when they deviated from the meticulous routine did they run the risk of losing something. Quote: "The search for lost things is hindered by routine habits and that is why it is so difficult to find them." How true!

Some sub story on the different members of the 6 generation family is just so incredulous. Remedio the beauty not only captivated men and eventually killed them, but her secnt lingered on wherever she had been. Then there is the fluttering yellow butterflies to signal the appearence of Mauricio Babilonia, and Fernanda, whoes father sent her children gifts of saint statues every Christmas, and whoes last gift is of himself in a coffin.

The book starts with the marriage of two cousins, Ursula and Jose Arcadio Buendia, who close boodline marriage was a constant source of worry, for it was believed that the offspring may be born with a pig's tail. Cleverly, it ended with the birth of a son with a pig's tail, the result of an affair between 2 cousins six generations later.

The book was difficult to read because the names of the offspring were repeated as they were named after their fathers. So in the book, there were 19 Aurelianos and 3 Arcadios in 2 generations. Luckily there was a family tree diagramm for readers to constantly refer to in case they got lost. The use of pronouns 'he' and 'she' even after 2 subjects was discussed also lead to some confusion, as i had to figure out which subject the author was referrring to.

It is a clever book and only a genius of a writer could clearly articulate the different characters that make up this 6 generation family and the detailed relationship between each one.

4.0 out of 5 stars Mind Boggle!, June 5, 2006

By 

S. Carlisle (KY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Hundred Years of Solitude LP (Paperback)

This story really does take a geniune effort to read. With that it is a fantastic journey that will toy with your emotions in both positive and negative ways. A little confusing at times, but with steady reading it all comes together. Wonderful piece of literature!