Reviews with content warning for Death - Cem Anos de Solidão

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Cem Anos de Solidão by Gabriel García Márquez

142 reviews

sineadw9's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.5

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this and how quickly I worked through it. The town of Macondo, and the Buendias’, intertwine and come to life in a compelling, magical way - I feel close to them. I can picture myself in their home, in the town. In so many ways it’s a tragedy but it unfurls so naturally that it doesn’t feel that way. I couldn’t keep track of the Aurelianos by the end but it didn’t really matter. This sort of reads like a long-exposure photo. It’s so rich and dense that I’ll probably reread it at some point. I actually found the writing to be quite fast-paced.

Lives up to the hype? Read it if you’re up for an ever-unwinding family saga and some OG magical realism, don’t read it if you get frustrated keeping track of names or by problematic protagonists 😂 not for everyone

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readahrita's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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dazzlingreader_'s review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

this book its a wonderful mix between non-fiction and fantasy, the stories can make you feel uneasy, disgust, love and also angry, sometimes thinking about the Buendías as a crazy family to just see them as what they really are a intricated family tree with more than just one turn.

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a_eterno's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

replaying brilliant corners by thelonious monk when reading the last 100 pages of this is the way to go.
i purposefully didn't keep a family tree in hand while reading this book, and i think it added positively to the experience. i feel as if you're meant to confuse the aurelianos and josés. how time is cyclical and memories are easily vanished.
the last few pages were frenetic and captivating. i do feel as if some parts of the narrative dragged. most of the subject matter is pretty disturbing.
i also think reading this in spanish was incredible. the language used…

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sarasreading's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a very difficult book to rate. It accomplished so much and conveyed so much in interesting and allegorical ways, but without all the extra extrapolation and reading it as a straight story, it's a bit messy, and I didn't really connect with any of the characters. So the allegory was fascinating, as well as the magical realism and quality of the writing, but the actual characters and plot were so-so, and it was also frequently disturbing.

I also needed to read this with the family tree open at all times, and recommend doing the same. I also recommend reading the Sparks Notes chapter summaries either as you read, or at the end. It really helped me delve deeper into the meaning of the bizarre incidents that happen in this. I do recommend it, but go in prepared to approach it with some tools in your belt!

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midwifereading's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

What does GGM smoke when he's writing, because, 😳😳😳. I almost DNF'd this one too, because it's just too much. But, it's a book club book, and I really wanted to say I finished it. And I did it. Listening to the audio on 1.5x speed. 😬

Ultimately, he's a brilliant and beautiful writer, but his subject matter is disturbing, his characters impossible to like, and his style is very difficult to follow at times.

That said, I pulled up the Wikipedia page outlining the plot and characters, which really helped me follow the story much more easily, especially because all the characters have the same three names!!! That family tree came in handy.

This story wanders all over the place, and is supposedly an allegory of sorts about Columbian society, classes, elites, and politics. No wonder I don't get it. I know nothing about Columbia. Although I now wish I did know something!

There is some stunning visual imagery, especially surrounding death. (Yellow butterflies, any one?) Th characters are vivid, but don't quite feel real, though I assume they're not supposed to.

Anyway, this book is enough to tell me I probably don't like multi-generational family sagas, because never want to read anything like it again.

100 Years of Solitude may be considered an international masterpiece, but couldn't it have been told without all the incest and pedophilia? Maybe?

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blau_elmo's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is a masterpiece. The last line gave me actual chills.

Marquez writes about the family of Buendiás with such intricacy and reality, despite its themes of magical realism, that the characters feel so entirely human and relatable in spite of their, at times, caricature-like characteristics. Inspired by actual happenings in Colombia, the pervading theme of solitude in a wide array of forms is deeply moving and nuanced. Each family member has a moving story, all ending in relative tragedy.

The world that I had been transported into by reading this book will not leave my mind any time soon, so compelling and gripping the imagery and narrative is. Truly one of the greatest books in all of literature.

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chrismisseve's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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theincrediblemaja's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

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listette's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is my first book by Marquez and it will definitely not be the last. There were a lot of great themes and funny parts in this book that I don’t really even know what I should say about it.

I see why it is a classic and recommend everyone reads it at least once to know what’s it all about.

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