A review by taylormoore6
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

I was delighted by the beautiful, descriptive prose when I first began reading. It reminded me of House of the Spirits and I resolved to keep reading, hoping for a similar payoff as House of the Spirits even though nothing was really happening in the story. I regret that decision. Yes the writing is beautiful, but what’s the point of this book? Nearly every character is a horrible person. The casual and rampant anti-blackness, misogyny, sexual assault and pedophilia really soured the reading experience and took me out of the story at multiple points. I know the story begins in the 1800s (it was written in 1985 though, so I don’t get it), but none of the above furthered the plot or made any wider point. It almost felt like glorifying these aspects of the story. This is the kind of classic that make me feel like a lot of classics are outdated and not worth the time spent reading them. Honestly one of the worst books I’ve read this year. 
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