Reviews with content warning for Death - Hundert Jahre Einsamkeit

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.

One Hundred Years of Solitude put South-American Literature on the map and awarded Gabriel García Márquez the Nobel Prize. It revolves around family, the circularity of time and unavoidable outcomes. And solitude.

Because a century of cards and experience had taught her that the history of the family was a machine with unavoidable repetitions, a turning wheel that would have gone on spilling into eternity were it not for the progressive and irremediable wearing of the axle.

Márquez wrote the story like his grandmother used to: weaving the unreal into reality. This Magical Realism feels very natural and enhances the story. There are ghosts; there are butterflies following a man wherever he goes; there are people who die multiple times. There are mysterious parchments which one day will reveal themselves…

The story is absurd and full of situational comedy that made me laugh out loud. The story follows the Buendiá family over approximately one hundred years through the throws of civil wars and social uproars, incest and jealousy, love and solitude. The family founded the little town of Macondo, a place that is almost a character in itself. It will rise, it might fall. It is confronted with changes from the outside world, like post or railroads.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is an adventure one probably shouldn’t dissect too much — and I could go on….

Often mentioned is the big family tree containing tons of men called Aureliano or Arcadio. It serves a purpose, promise. And it’s doable with taking a few notes on the go.

Content Warnings

katanai's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

“she became human in her solitude” damn

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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alfredesin's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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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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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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.

Content Warnings

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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