airclay3's review against another edition
2.0
F I N A L L Y D O N E. This book was a major struggle for me to finish. Cool to see the origin of magical realism. Solitude as a theme was definitely present throughout the more than 100 years the book covers (certainly felt like longer than 100 years!!) the characters were not likable, except I liked Ursula. The cool history about the author at the end of (Cindy’s) copy was cool to read because it described his childhood listening to family stories where tall tales and facts were told with the same tone/ voice. That was definitely present here, and learning that part of the author’s history made me appreciate that aspect of the book more!!
****** SPOILERS******* At the end, I was honestly expecting Maquillades to walk into the house, not the 17th Aureliano. Who then got murdered after being denied hospitality…. yikes.
I honestly enjoyed the ending because it was so interesting! (And also, I was glad to be done with a book that took me 5+ months to read) The tornado coming through to wipe out the town and the last surviving member of the Buendia family and it all being predicted by Mequillades was so fascinating! And it happened when he had just unlocked how to read the scrolls. Fascinating.
I especially liked the line how the first was [tied to a tree (?)] and the last devoured by ants. But also holy crap, why would he abandon his newborn baby?!?
****** SPOILERS******* At the end, I was honestly expecting Maquillades to walk into the house, not the 17th Aureliano. Who then got murdered after being denied hospitality…. yikes.
I honestly enjoyed the ending because it was so interesting! (And also, I was glad to be done with a book that took me 5+ months to read) The tornado coming through to wipe out the town and the last surviving member of the Buendia family and it all being predicted by Mequillades was so fascinating! And it happened when he had just unlocked how to read the scrolls. Fascinating.
I especially liked the line how the first was [tied to a tree (?)] and the last devoured by ants. But also holy crap, why would he abandon his newborn baby?!?
malinaann's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, War, Violence, and Colonisation
anansi_girrl's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tamayatz's review against another edition
5.0
Rarely there is a book that has the most colourful language and a complex story and to truly understand the book deeply, one would need to read it more than once. This book is exactly like that. I actually listened it and would say it is better to actually read the actual book instead of audio book. Because of the several same named characters and the rich language, reading would get more out of the book just listening to it.
I read a comment here from someone wondering if this book is a classic because of some professor named it so. I have thought about what makes a book classic and it is not only the scholars and popularity of the book, but the legacy it gives to the people, the history and the future of writing (and films and popular culture). In the end of my version was notes from the translator (I read it in Finnish) and he said in South America there is no people who would not think Macondo was a place that existed once somewhere. He also said people referred to actions of his like "what are you doing, this is not Macondo!" So a legacy of a classic book is something far more complex that also feeds to the book being a classic. This book is truly one that every avid reader should read at least once in their lifetime.
I read a comment here from someone wondering if this book is a classic because of some professor named it so. I have thought about what makes a book classic and it is not only the scholars and popularity of the book, but the legacy it gives to the people, the history and the future of writing (and films and popular culture). In the end of my version was notes from the translator (I read it in Finnish) and he said in South America there is no people who would not think Macondo was a place that existed once somewhere. He also said people referred to actions of his like "what are you doing, this is not Macondo!" So a legacy of a classic book is something far more complex that also feeds to the book being a classic. This book is truly one that every avid reader should read at least once in their lifetime.
fictivefreak's review against another edition
A masterpiece that confounds as much as it astounds, One Hundred Years is the work of an unparalleled storyteller from another world.
I don’t want to rate this one because I frankly can’t. I’m equally enamored and frustrated by this book. There were sections that dragged. Then there were parts I couldn’t adore more. I can’t summarize the book. Can anyone? All I can tell you is that this is the most fascinating book about a town that gets slowly colonized and destroyed due to the actions of men named Aureliano, the solitude with which they destroy themselves, and the reckless abandon that they pursue their incest with.
I wish I knew more about Colombian history. I wish I had read this in Spanish. One day, I hope to revisit this book better equipped in both ways. But I will revisit. Macondo awaits.
I don’t want to rate this one because I frankly can’t. I’m equally enamored and frustrated by this book. There were sections that dragged. Then there were parts I couldn’t adore more. I can’t summarize the book. Can anyone? All I can tell you is that this is the most fascinating book about a town that gets slowly colonized and destroyed due to the actions of men named Aureliano, the solitude with which they destroy themselves, and the reckless abandon that they pursue their incest with.
I wish I knew more about Colombian history. I wish I had read this in Spanish. One day, I hope to revisit this book better equipped in both ways. But I will revisit. Macondo awaits.
amelial_'s review against another edition
3.0
(Audiobook)
The way he writes is so intriguing and impossible. Jumping through four generations in a single sentence. Introducing elements of magical realism with ease and nonchalance.
The plot was hard to grasp at times, and the characters even harder to remember. All this made it not the best audiobook candidate.
But its style is so undeniably unique. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a beautiful writer.
It’s also a book full of incestuous desires and uneven sexual power dynamics — things that seem all too normal in that world. Don’t know how to feel about all of that, and I’m unsure if all of it was necessary.
The way he writes is so intriguing and impossible. Jumping through four generations in a single sentence. Introducing elements of magical realism with ease and nonchalance.
The plot was hard to grasp at times, and the characters even harder to remember. All this made it not the best audiobook candidate.
But its style is so undeniably unique. Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a beautiful writer.
It’s also a book full of incestuous desires and uneven sexual power dynamics — things that seem all too normal in that world. Don’t know how to feel about all of that, and I’m unsure if all of it was necessary.
dima2800's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
davidvlopz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest