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Patty's Reviews > One Hundred Years of Solitude
One Hundred Years of Solitude
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I'm hesitant to even write a review, since many of my friends love this book!
In the beginning, I enjoyed it. It felt like reading a compilation of various short stories. There are MANY characters - all in the same family - so you have to keep up with the reading to remember who is who (especially since many of the characters have similar names). I constantly caught myself going back to the "genealogy chart" that he includes at the front of the book.
Unfortunately, like Love in the Time of Cholera, it was very depressing to me. In one way, I like how he captures common human failings, such as only living for your job or your family/home - and how he portrays this through the use of magic realism. All of the characters seem to lack any sort of higher calling. It reminded me of the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible...how without God, life can lack a lot of meaning and purpose. Once the family/business fails, so does the strength and energy of the character.
I just felt like it was longer than it needed to be (I stopped with 60 pages or so left - page 387!). It's basically the same story of hopelessness told over and over again, regardless of which character's life he is describing. I always appreciate a little growth and hope in my characters (at least some of them!). I could compare it to Death of a Salesman being told over and over and over again. It just leaves me depressed! Many people like Marquez, however, so perhaps you will enjoy it. It just wasn't for me. I can see why people think his writing is genius, but the depressing nature of the stories and the same story being told repeatedly caused me to stop reading.
In the beginning, I enjoyed it. It felt like reading a compilation of various short stories. There are MANY characters - all in the same family - so you have to keep up with the reading to remember who is who (especially since many of the characters have similar names). I constantly caught myself going back to the "genealogy chart" that he includes at the front of the book.
Unfortunately, like Love in the Time of Cholera, it was very depressing to me. In one way, I like how he captures common human failings, such as only living for your job or your family/home - and how he portrays this through the use of magic realism. All of the characters seem to lack any sort of higher calling. It reminded me of the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible...how without God, life can lack a lot of meaning and purpose. Once the family/business fails, so does the strength and energy of the character.
I just felt like it was longer than it needed to be (I stopped with 60 pages or so left - page 387!). It's basically the same story of hopelessness told over and over again, regardless of which character's life he is describing. I always appreciate a little growth and hope in my characters (at least some of them!). I could compare it to Death of a Salesman being told over and over and over again. It just leaves me depressed! Many people like Marquez, however, so perhaps you will enjoy it. It just wasn't for me. I can see why people think his writing is genius, but the depressing nature of the stories and the same story being told repeatedly caused me to stop reading.
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Finished Reading
January 23, 2012
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Laura
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Jan 24, 2012 12:20PM
I completely agree with you. Garcia Marquez writes some of the most beautifully written depressing stories ever. If I want to feel hope, I don't turn to him. For writing mastery, though, yes. I also agree with you that the book was longer than it needed to be. I felt like he didn't know how to end the story. It's definitely an epic and probably his best-known book, but it's not my favorite of his. I prefer his short stories and "Of Love and Other Demons."
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