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botosmr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Incest, Sexual content, Police brutality, Murder, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, and Death
Minor: Abortion and Abandonment
cosmicpasta's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Incest, Dementia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Antisemitism
jimmy_ready2read's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Incest
Minor: Rape
gabrielwerthman's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Eating disorder, Incest, Pedophilia, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Rape, and Suicide
Minor: Misogyny and Self harm
kjf524's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
glowworms's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Forced institutionalization
tashba's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Incest, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Sexism, Sexual assault, and War
Minor: Racism
sullenreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
without much knowledge about one hundred years of solitude nor the writer, i ventured into an unknown world of magical realism and latin american literature. i didn’t have high hopes for this book despite being a widely praised one. to be honest, i took me twice read of the first chapter to fully get myself interested and after the second read everything went smooth.
i don’t think i’ve read a book full of unlikable characters like this one. everyone’s own flaws clung onto them till the day they die and are even passed down to their successors named after them. the little choices they make in life become a huge part in their endless cycle of distress and sufferings yet it seemed that not a single one of them learned from that. caught up in their own dramas and dilemmas in life, they get stuck in isolation and solitude countless of times. it’s written in such a beautiful and tender manner that despite of the revolting and heinous actions of the characters, you’ll find yourself turning to the next page.
Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, and War
Moderate: Child death and Death
bites_of_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I love multigenerational stories and this one goes through multiple generations of the Buendía family as they live through the establishment of Macondo, war, colonization, technological advances, and more. This book is deeply rooted in Márquez' culture and the history of Colombia, which can also translate to several parts of Latin America.
The magical realism was incredible, certain sections had the subtlest uses of it while others were impactful and they almost provoked a visceral emotional reaction. My mom's family has a house in Mexico that was filled with people when I was little, but slowly, as my mom and uncles began to live their lives outside of that house and after my grandma passed away, the house started to become empty and less cared for. The Buendía house mirrors the what happens within the family and what's happening in the community, people leaving, marriages, war, etc. The house is either clean and with additions for all the people in the house, or almost empty and deteriorating due to disuse and abuse.
There are so many things to explore about this book, it's one that I might revisit later in life since I'm sure I'll find more things that will resonate. While I give this book 5 stars, there are plenty of things that were not enjoyable as well and they all would fall into multiple content warnings, among them: sexual violence, war, child neglect and abuse, incest, and more.
I'd recommend this to anyone who'd like to learn more about classic Latin American literature, magical realism, anyone who loves multigenerational stories with a variety of very interesting characters, and also if you love drama, this one is full of it.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Incest, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
bludgeoned_by_hail's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
(Read in Spanish)
A classic for a reason, though not an easily classifiable or interpretable one.
Aided by beautiful language and imagery, the book elevates the story of multiple generations of the Buendía family to something mythological or biblical one second, and then goes back to basically slice-of-life the next.
While the messaging and symbolism is a bit abstract and can feel muddled sometimes, the emotional moments still hit hard in a very straightforward manner that wraps you in the tragic loop of the family's history and keeps you invested in their repeating fates.
Some aspects of the book might have not aged very well (the pedophilia, incest and sexual violence are especially uncomfortable) but overall the book has an almost whimsical feel that makes it timeless, and politico-social commentary that makes it poignant.
......
Un clásico con razón, pero no uno fácil de interpretar (o leer).
Ayudado por su lenguaje e imágenes de gran belleza, el libro eleva la historia de varias generaciones de la familia Buendía a algo casi mitológico o bíblico en un segundo, y vuelve a la cotidianeidad en el siguiente.
El mensaje y simbología son un poco abstractos y difusos, pero los momentos emocionales son intensos de una forma muy directa, envolviéndote en el bucle trágico de la historia de la familia y manteniéndote involucrado emocionalmente en sus destinos repetitivos.
Algunos aspectos del libro no envejecieron muy bien (la pedofilia, incesto y violencia sexual fueron bastante incómodos, en particular) pero el libro sigue teniendo un ambiente casi de cuento que lo mantiene eterno, y crítica socio-política que lo mantiene actual.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Colonisation
Moderate: Violence, Suicide attempt, War, and Classism
Minor: Child death