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Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
28 reviews
michelareadsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Classism
lacifaeria's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This is a remarkable book about a lifelong epic preoccupation/obsession with some parts that definitely did not age well in the nigh 100 years since it was first published. Still, it was strange reading this now and seeing how many events/attitudes still featured prominently in an era ravaged by a pandemic. The section which preceded how Dr. Juvenal Urbino discovered Fermina Daza was dazzling in how succinct it was at providing a snapshot of pre-20th century medicine and sewage treatment while also feeling painfully familiar when detailing the reluctance he experienced in attempting to drag local medical methods towards the future in a community reliant on superstition and traditional methods of healing (although his being against vaccines was a bit disheartening).
And also love. How love, in all its pervasiveness and obsessiveness, seems to be the same, 100 years ago as it is now. It's beautifully written and some of the phrasing is majestically composed, even the parts that seem understated. If there was a way you could just cut the "America Vicuna" parts at the end (very uncomfortable), I think the rest is an eloquent examination of a lifelong focus, and how different people become in the pursuit of long-term goals.
The evolution of Fermina Daza and Florentino Ariza, from the moment we really get to know them as teens experiencing the rush of first love to the end when, after entire lifetimes spent tucked away in their independent lives they reconnect as seasoned elders, was such an incredible journey. Both of theirs, with Fermina being courted by Dr. Juvenal Urbino and settling into a quiet familiar contented married life and with Florentino attempting to sate his desire for companionship in a variety of widows before, once again, returning to worship at the Altar of the Crowned Goddess. I thought it was the kind of perspective you don't usually get to see, with a level of pointed focus that would put an engineer to shame.
Though, at the end of the day, this was still a love story about two people spread out over several decades and the transition of two centuries, encapsulated in poignancy and heartbreak.And, yeah, at the end, I was still rooting for Florentino, and for finding "Forever" after fifty-three years, seven months, and eleven days and nights. I'm a softie and a romantic at heart.
And also love. How love, in all its pervasiveness and obsessiveness, seems to be the same, 100 years ago as it is now. It's beautifully written and some of the phrasing is majestically composed, even the parts that seem understated. If there was a way you could just cut the "America Vicuna" parts at the end (very uncomfortable), I think the rest is an eloquent examination of a lifelong focus, and how different people become in the pursuit of long-term goals.
The evolution of Fermina Daza and Florentino Ariza, from the moment we really get to know them as teens experiencing the rush of first love to the end when, after entire lifetimes spent tucked away in their independent lives they reconnect as seasoned elders, was such an incredible journey. Both of theirs, with Fermina being courted by Dr. Juvenal Urbino and settling into a quiet familiar contented married life and with Florentino attempting to sate his desire for companionship in a variety of widows before, once again, returning to worship at the Altar of the Crowned Goddess. I thought it was the kind of perspective you don't usually get to see, with a level of pointed focus that would put an engineer to shame.
Though, at the end of the day, this was still a love story about two people spread out over several decades and the transition of two centuries, encapsulated in poignancy and heartbreak.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Grief
t_c_g_'s review against another edition
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
cpenteado's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, and Toxic relationship
sommer22's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
CW: p*dophilia
The writing in this book is beautiful, although at some points the narrative felt like it was dragging and others I couldn't put it down. The biggest problem I have with this book is its main character. Florentino Ariza is so consumed by his love for Fermina Daza that he ignores the potential consequences of his actions and does not hold himself accountable for them once they come to fruition. In his bid to rise to the top of the Riverboat Company as a way to gain enough status as Fermina, he causes deforestation along the Magdalena River, destroying the ecosystems and livelihoods of the people within and surrounding it. He also grooms and takes advantage of a FOURTEEN YEAR OLD CHILD, and barely bats an eye when she commits suicide in the aftermath of their relationship. He takes advantage of so many people and things and thinks of women, including Fermina, in such a misogynistic, flippant, and exploitative way that was really frustrating to read. I was not rooting for him by the end, and as Fermina was my favorite character, I hate how they ended up together after he essentially stalked her for his entire life.
This book is very heavy-handed with symbolism (cholera, the river, taking journeys) and has an interesting narrative structure. It's portioned into larger sections, rather than individual chapters, which in my opinion was very immersive, and it made me feel the time passing as each character went through their lives. The majority of this story is also told in a flashback with past-within-the-past references, which adds to its narrative uniqueness. As I said, Márquez uses very beautiful, immersive imagery that makes each setting distinctive, but my dislike of the main character is my biggest reason for the low rating.
This book aims to represent love in many different forms, but the incarnation that is meant to be its centerpiece is instead very toxic, unsettling, and hard to ignore.
The writing in this book is beautiful, although at some points the narrative felt like it was dragging and others I couldn't put it down. The biggest problem I have with this book is its main character. Florentino Ariza is so consumed by his love for Fermina Daza that he ignores the potential consequences of his actions and does not hold himself accountable for them once they come to fruition.
This book is very heavy-handed with symbolism (cholera, the river, taking journeys) and has an interesting narrative structure. It's portioned into larger sections, rather than individual chapters, which in my opinion was very immersive, and it made me feel the time passing as each character went through their lives. The majority of this story is also told in a flashback with past-within-the-past references, which adds to its narrative uniqueness. As I said, Márquez uses very beautiful, immersive imagery that makes each setting distinctive, but my dislike of the main character is my biggest reason for the low rating.
This book aims to represent love in many different forms, but the incarnation that is meant to be its centerpiece is instead very toxic, unsettling, and hard to ignore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape and Suicide
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Dementia, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape and Suicide
allimoose37's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book essentially 350 pages of "redemption arc" of a dude who harbors a love for a woman (who marries/is married to someone else) for 50 plus years and chronicles all the sexual escapades (including grooming a minor), so that they can ride off on a riverboat into the sunset together in old age after she's a widow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, and Stalking
Moderate: Homophobia
juliette_dunn's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Pedophilia, and Toxic relationship