One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

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Max Tyrone
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Re: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Post by Max Tyrone »

I read this novel last year because I had been wanting to read more on world literature. I had read some American authors (authors from my homeland), some from Germany, Russia, Japan, France, but nothing topped One Hundred Years of Solitude. There's just a lot in the novel with which I can identify--along with the greater human consciousness; yet there's still much mystery in it.

I love how Garcia Marquez develops every character, every scene, every sentence, every word. His prose fascinates me to no end--and this is coming from a person who is literate in English mostly and lives in an area where Spanish shares dominance. If I learned Spanish completely, maybe I would enjoy it fully; but as for now, it's my favorite novel.

At the heart of the novel, I believe we get a glimpse of reflection and, of course, solitude, beautifully explored through a name and a blood doomed to oblivion. Everything is doomed. Solitude is a guarantee. Reflection is also inevitable, though its effectiveness can change us for better or worse. Sometimes the narrative of a life foretold is not as beautifully written. However, I wouldn't mind reading Garcia Marquez's stories until my own life reaches its reflective end.
"No battle is ever won ... victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools."
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MarianMarion
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Post by MarianMarion »

When I was in college, one of my last upper level English courses was Fabulist Fiction (dealing with magical realism), and this was one of the books we read and discussed. I remember it dragging at the time, but I have never had a book stick with me lIke that one has. It was my favorite book in all my classes. I'll never forget the mental image of the wind catching the sheet Remedios the Beauty is folding and carrying her off to heaven, never to be seen again.
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jessica3llen
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Post by jessica3llen »

I really enjoyed this book but did at times have trouble keeping the characters straight. He uses the same names, or variations of the names. My copy (and I think all copies?) Have a family tree in the beginning. I found this to be very helpful! I will definitely be reading more from Marquez.
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chytach18-
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Post by chytach18- »

It is one of my favourite books, among the others by Marquez. The scene in which Ursula was told about the death of her son by the stream of his blood was haunting me for days. That was the most terrifying, but the most beautiful scene written in magical realism.
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Post by bettiannasbookcrush »

I found One Hundred Years of Solitude in a thrift store for one dollar and decided to give it a try. It's an okay book, not too crazy about it. It dragged a bit but overall it's a fair book.
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Post by CCtheBrave »

Fran wrote:I've read it but in honesty it's not a favouriter - I much preferred Love in the Time of Cholera.
I just found it so difficult to follow the multiplicity of characters many with similar if not the same names.
I completely agree! I really, really like the author's other works, like Love in the time of Cholera and his collection of short stories. I'm glad that I read One Hundred Years of Solitude, and I think that it was written very well and that it's an important work in the realm of magical realism, but personally, I felt like it dragged on and was repetitive (I know that that's sort of the point, you know, the cyclical nature of life...). I'd suggest his short stories, if you're looking for more variation.
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Post by jctnteach »

I read 100 Years when I was in college due to an offhanded suggestion from my world literature professor. I was awestruck by the magical realism of Marquez. I had never read anything like it. It opened my appreciation for literature. I re-read it last year- 10 years out of college. It didn't hold the same appeal to me. I don't believe I've grown cynical or cankerous in my old age, but the magic was gone (no pun intended).

-- 20 Oct 2015, 13:54 --

I read 100 Years when I was in college due to an offhanded suggestion from my world literature professor. I was awestruck by the magical realism of Marquez. I had never read anything like it. It opened my appreciation for literature. I re-read it last year- 10 years out of college. It didn't hold the same appeal to me. I don't believe I've grown cynical or cankerous in my old age, but the magic was gone (no pun intended).
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Post by Gnj »

This was quite a surreal book, and I'm still unsure how I feel about it. On the one hand, it's not the type of story that I'm used to, and it took me a while to get into the mindset of this 'magical realism.'
On the other hand, once I was able to delve into the characters lives, I couldn't stop. The idea of life going round in a circle, of history repeating itself time and again is illustrated beautifully in this book. Seeing the rise and fall of the village through the eyes of different generations also hits home the inevitability of time.

It was certainly an enjoyable read, and a step outside of my comfort zone. I'm not sure whether it is a book that will stay with me, but I can see why it has captured so many peoples imaginations. In a way, it shows humanity in its most raw form - it strips away the layers of etiquette, culture and society that I guess I am so used to in other novels. It is pure in its illustrations of human emotion and relationships, and I guess for me that's what made it stand out.
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Post by KateNox »

I was putting off this book because sometimes I do this with the books of whom I have great expectations. Boy, did it not disappoint! It is a magical book with heartbreaking scenes, beautiful and vulnerable human beings, with devastating destinies. I would, if I could, buy this book to everyone.
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Post by jstriker »

It's been years since I've read One Hundred Years of Solitude, but it did leave a lasting impression on me, as all of GGM's fiction does. I have the book in both English and Spanish, and have found that his writing voice in his native language is very difficult for English translations to fully capture; although, some can. The strong images he creates are especially memorable - the rain of yellow flowers during the funeral scene, for example. His short fiction is where that particular style really shines brightest, I found. I loved this book, but after several years, I can't remember very much about it other than the fact that I enjoyed reading it and loved GGM's particular brand of magical realism. His short stories, though, have stuck with me long after I first read them in my college Spanish class.
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Post by MsMartha »

This is a great book, and I've been thinking about reading it again!
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Post by Romashka »

I´ve just finished the book and I loved it more than I thought I would. A lot of people warned me that is drags forever and it´s difficult to read but it surely didn´t feel that way to me despite the almost total lack of the dialogue. Somehow I didn´t get confused among the characters although almost all of them have the same name :) I am not a big fan of magic in books but here it´s just what doctor ordered, it gives the book some irresistible charm.
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Post by ipuerta »

I read One Hundred years of solitude when I was in highschool. At first it was an assignment but by the 150th page I found myself attached to Buendías´story. Magical Realism for me is a way to reveal every human aspect you can think of, and an amazing way to expose them to readers. I loved it, and I still do.
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Post by Carsh_Lohal »

I'm glad this topic was bumped. I finally read Love in a Time of Cholera a few months ago after it lingered on my book list for a few years. It was one of the most moving books I've ever read, and now reading through this thread I've just flagged One Hundred Years to go on to the list as well. Looks like I might have to add his short stories too!
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Post by lily_kh87 »

I read this book twice. The first time I did not like but the second time I felt it was great. I guess I found a hard time concentrating because there were so many characters with the same names and some people died then all of a sudden they came back. The first time I read I did not understand everything but the second it was better.
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