Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Cien años de soledad

okay. so many thoughts but also none at all? um. when i went in to this book i definitely wasn’t expecting such dark elements such as pedophilia, incest & rape. author’s writing is so lengthy im unsure of why it took so long to get to the point. a yapper for sure. it was so wordy & not in a way that’s all the way enjoyable although you will get lost in the sauce. at the beginning, all the different ppl but sharing such similar names ground my gears bc i got confused to who was who. i can see why it’s some ppl’s favorite books but also out of all books why this one? i get it but it doesn’t mean i have to like it. in short, a novel that tells of the worst that humans can be as well our stubbornness that leads to solitude in which do we even matter at all? anyway.

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sineadw9's review against another edition

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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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missmarguerita'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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smolena's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I didn't really like this as much as I thought I was, it being a must-read masterpiece and all.
Structurally it's great, language is plain and matter-of-fact, characters are entirely reprehensible.
I don't like the narration style, I would prefer something with a bit more depth.
Also, the second to last chapter is shit and should have been left out entirely.

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haleybird's review against another edition

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I couldn’t get into it, and though I understand that many family histories involve incest, rape, pedophilia, and prostitution, the way all of these things were presented just rubbed me the wrong way. I also didn’t feel like the characters had much depth, and I found myself wishing certain plot points would just move along (like the random “insomnia” epidemic). I can appreciate that this is a much loved book and that the author won the Nobel Prize for Literature, but it’s just not for me.

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