Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

4 reviews

mzgeee53's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.0

Márquez's Love in the Time of Cholera is a sweeping tale of love, obsession, and the passage of time. The story follows Florentino Ariza's lifelong love for Fermina Daza, a love that begins in youth and endures through decades of separation and societal pressures. As the novel unfolds, we witness the intricate tapestry of their lives, set against the backdrop of a cholera epidemic and the evolving landscape of Colombia.

Márquez's lyrical prose and philosophical musings are undoubtedly captivating. His ability to weave intricate narratives and explore profound themes is on full display in Love in the Time of Cholera. However, the novel's main characters, Fermina Daza and Florentino Ariza, proved to be challenging to connect with. Daza's racist views and Ariza's pedophilia and womanizing tendencies made it difficult to fully invest in their relationship and root for their happiness.

While the novel's exploration of love, passion, and the human condition is thought-provoking, the characters' flaws ultimately hindered my enjoyment of the story. As a result, I found One Hundred Years of Solitude to be a more satisfying and compelling work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.0

Another stunning novel by one of the most talented authors to ever existed. Within the social commentary, magical realism, and class dynamics, there is also an incredible amount of heart. I would highly, highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Outing, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

gabriella_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

Was anyone going to tell me there’s a

pedophilic relationship

in this or was I supposed to find out on my own? Genuinely left a disgusting taste in my mouth reading this. 

And why was there so much casual racism and bigoted language throughout the book? It was physically painful in a book that otherwise had a gripping prose (but was problematic, I smell misogyny). 

I don’t want to rate this because I feel so conflicted. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

elmyhelmos's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Racial slurs, Terminal illness, and Vomit