One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I must, as with all my book reviews, preface this one with my standard caveat. This is not a real book review. This is just Kate's pedestrian and provincial view . If you're looking for a real book review, please exit now.

(Sigh!)

Let me start by saying that I was an English major. I have read some weighty tomes. I have waded though some complex prose. And enjoyed it, even.

I also want to say that I love a lot of Latin American writers, and magical realism is a device that works for me.

So WHY, WHY, WHY did I dislike this book so much?? It's not fair. It's not right. We're talking about a Nobel laureate, here. Lots of people GOT IT, obviously. I tried, but could not finish the book.

On my "Damn Good Read" scale, this rates a 5 out of 10.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is a sweeping epic of one family through love, through war, through flood, imperialism and insomnia epidemics. Does that make you think you'll care? I thought I would, too, at first. But the epic is so sweeping that minor details like... follow-though, rationale or character development are simply swept away. Generation after generation of characters is named the the same: Arcadio and Aureliano. Jose Arcadio, Aureliano Jose, Jose Aureliano Segundo, Arcadio Jose. It's true that in many cultures, names are used and reused; but here it's merely confusing, because Marquez doesn't give you enough insight into any one character's nature to actually differentiate between them. I needed to check the family tree at the front of the book over and over, until I stopped caring.


Quality writing: Well, for heaven's sake! It's Gabriel Garcia Marquez! How can I fault the quality of the writing? It's beautiful. I had a good translation, and read bits aloud to myself in order to really experience the language. Rating: 9

Interesting characters: Yeah, sure. And just as I started to get to know one, s/he would suddenly ascend to heaven on a freshly washed basket of laundry or be sent to a convent in Brussels, never to return. WTF?! Rating: 5

Plot structure: If only I hadn't cared about such a minor matter as a coherent story... Unfortunately though, I did. Silly me. Rating: 4

Addictiveness: I always try to finish books. For me not to finish means it was a real drag. Rating: 2

Now, maybe someone out there has some insight into this book. If you have the key, and would like to enlighten me, please do so. I feel guilty for not loving this book. Save me from myself.