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bbqcandy's review against another edition
- 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
Though the book can be very challenging and confusing, this often serves as a way to further the themes of the book. I’ve heard others complain that they can get confused by all the characters that share names, but this is quite purposeful in the book,
The other, often confusing and major theme in the book is the cyclical nature of time. Much of the book is written in a way where the passage of time is hard to discern. Many sections are written as flashbacks, some segments are written as flashforwards, and overall the book is written in a way that almost feels as if every event is happening at one.
For me personally, the hardest challenge of this book was reading through it in the original Spanish. I have been a Spanish-speaker my whole life, but most of my education took place in the USA, so I never got the chance to read many books in Spanish, especially more challenging and academic books. I do not regret reading this in Spanish. Marquez’s words and rhythms add a deeper layer to this book that makes it so much more rich and often beautiful in a tragic way. That said, I do wish I had read other, simpler books in Spanish as practice, in order to work myself up to reading this one. I don’t think my lack of skill took much away from my experience reading this, but it did take me a long time to get through it.
I could talk about this book for hours, but this review is getting long, and I’m writing on the clock at work, but I will just say that this is an incredible book written by a very talented author and I would frankly recommend to anyone, especially if they are interested in hispanic literature and history.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Child death, Self harm, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Death of parent, and War
stacey_gilchrist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Classism
linkkill's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Body horror
kers_tin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
kiabert's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicide
1orne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Police brutality, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Slavery and Abortion
badbadwolf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
regenherz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, and Abandonment
katanai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, and War
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and War
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Excrement, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
sineadw9's review against another edition
4.5
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
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism