Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Cien años de soledad by Gabriel García Márquez

204 reviews

reverie_and_books's review against another edition

challenging funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Incest, and War

r0sie_33's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, and Rape

bklein827's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, and Pedophilia

1957s's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Police brutality, and Dementia

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic

shendrixson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Incest

sineadw9's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

artmuseam's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Incest

missmarguerita's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

armatic's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Sexual content

oneshelf'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

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, and Sexual content