A review by reverie_and_books
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

challenging funny mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.

One Hundred Years of Solitude put South-American Literature on the map and awarded Gabriel García Márquez the Nobel Prize. It revolves around family, the circularity of time and unavoidable outcomes. And solitude.

Because a century of cards and experience had taught her that the history of the family was a machine with unavoidable repetitions, a turning wheel that would have gone on spilling into eternity were it not for the progressive and irremediable wearing of the axle.

Márquez wrote the story like his grandmother used to: weaving the unreal into reality. This Magical Realism feels very natural and enhances the story. There are ghosts; there are butterflies following a man wherever he goes; there are people who die multiple times. There are mysterious parchments which one day will reveal themselves…

The story is absurd and full of situational comedy that made me laugh out loud. The story follows the Buendiá family over approximately one hundred years through the throws of civil wars and social uproars, incest and jealousy, love and solitude. The family founded the little town of Macondo, a place that is almost a character in itself. It will rise, it might fall. It is confronted with changes from the outside world, like post or railroads.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is an adventure one probably shouldn’t dissect too much — and I could go on…. 

Often mentioned is the big family tree containing tons of men called Aureliano or Arcadio. It serves a purpose, promise. And it’s doable with taking a few notes on the go.
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