Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - Honderd jaar eenzaamheid

I remain conflicted about Márquez as an author. On the one hand he is a skilled storyteller that builds comprehensive worlds and complex characters, as in this familial epic. I enjoy the magical realism elements, and find his writing captivating. On the other hand, the unconventional romantic relationships (and here, outright incest) are really challenging. As much as I might like a character it’s difficult to be on anyone’s side when they are going after their sistercousinauntmother…

All told this is an immersive, engaging story that spans generations of a family in a unique setting, with compelling narration. But parts of it give me the ick.

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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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artmuseam's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense 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

2.0

maybe this just isn’t my cup of tea, but i found this book to be overall boring and slow. i wasn’t sure what was exactly happening and the abundance of names kept confusing me at times. 2/5 stars

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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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armatic's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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oneshelf's review against another edition

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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

It's one of those books that are difficult to give a star rating because there's too much going on.

Beautiful prose and masterful manipulation of time/pacing. I loved the magical realism component.

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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.

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