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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
isnotacrayon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War
lolosadcat's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
that being said, i would recommend reading this with the family tree accessible to help remember the character's names and relationships. the repeating names can be confusing to track, but they are important to the themes of certain traits and flaws repeating in the family.
definitely one of the most fascinating books that i have ever read. i'll be thinking of this doomed family and their exploits for quite a while.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Incest, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Pedophilia, Racism, and War
adhdru's review against another edition
Este libro es indiscutiblemente centrado mas en los personajes que en cualquier tipo de trama. Normalmente, esto es una plusvalía para mí en los libros, pero en este caso en el que los personajes son complejos pero tan desagradables (y no en esa manera que me hace amarlos más) solo he hecho la lectura de apenas la mitad del libro un gran tedio.
Por otro lado, la narración de Juan Pablo Raba me ha parecido bastante buena.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, 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
hem_lianne'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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Incest, and Death of parent
bebodotcom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
CW: for dated terms for Romani people, sex workers, etc.
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail
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
kimby213'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Incest, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic