3.15.2012

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Gracia Marquez


Love in the Time of Cholera was my first Marquez novel. Prior to it I've read one of his short stories, "Eyes of the Blue Dog," and one novella, Memories of My Melancholy Whores. I enjoyed both and decided to jump into one of his novels. I chose this one based on the recommendation from Book Riot's Reading Pathways, which I talked about last week. I'm not going to lie, this novel is no cake walk. I really had to focus on every page. The plot is tedious and the story meandering. But honestly, the novel is definitely worth the effort. This love story follows Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza from their youth into their old age. After quickly falling in love as teenagers, Florentino and Fermina take two very seperate paths; she weds a doctor at the age of twenty-one, he goes on to have 622 affairs, in attempts to heal his broken heart. Fifty-one years, nine months and four days after they had seen each other last, Florentino finds her again to express his never ending love to her. (Not a spoiler I promise - this happens in the first fifty pages.)
To him she seemed so beautiful, so seductive, so different from ordinary people, that he could not understand why no one was as disturbed as he by the clicking of her heels on the paving stones, why no one else's heart was wild with the breeze stirred by the sighs of her veils, why everyone did not go mad with the movements of her braid, the flight of her hands, the gold of her laughter. He had not missed a single one of her gestures, not one of the indications of her character, but he did not dare approach her for fear of destroying the spell.
There is so much to examine throughout this novel. It explores a myriad of human emotions. It's a novel about love, loss, sex, passion, hope, and obsession. Although the chapters go on forever, there is careful attention to detail that I really enjoyed. This isn't your mushy-gushy love story, not even close. Though there are a large handful of steamy sex descriptions. When I say steamy I am talking hot, you guys, sizzling hot. But they aren't overdone, nor are they crude. Sex is depicted as a natural human desire, almost a necessity of life. It's just as beautiful as it is gratifying. Of course cholera is used as a metaphor for love throughout; the idea of love as a sickness and it's ability to distroy your body, inside and out, changing you forever. But it's more than just a love story between Fermina and Florentino. It's about the imperfectness of human nature, the complicated nature of human emotions, and the emotion of love itself.

As I mentioned earlier, this novel takes patience. Near the last third of the novel I found myself craving a resolution, some kind of end to this story of unrequited love. It seemed to go on and on and on. Then I realized maybe this is the beauty of the novel. Just like Florentino Ariza I wanted something to happen. Like Florentino, my patience began to wain. Once I thought about the idea that the emotions I experienced while reading this book mirrored the same emotions of the characters within the book, I realized the magnificence of it. It also turns out that through this tedium I really got a chance to get to know the characters and the places as they quietly unfolded.

I know that Marquez is known for his magical realism, but there were only a few instances in this novel where I noticed it. There was a scene involving a parrot in the beginning (one of my favorite scenes in the whole novel), and a scene on a boat near the end, but asides from that there weren't other instances that really stood out. Or maybe Marquez is so good at weaving the magical with the real, that I didn't even think twice about it. I believe magical realism is more prevalent in One Hundred Years of Solitude, which will be my next Marquez.

Publisher: Penguin Books, 1985

22 comments:

  1. Magical realism doesn't factor in so much in Love in the Time of Cholera, but you're right that it's much more prevalent in One Hundred Years of Solitude. The latter is also by far the better book. The plodding pace of Love in the Time of Cholera disappointed me, as did the overall storytelling form. I didn't much feel anything towards the characters (with the exception of occasional interest in the scenes recalling the distant past).

    On the other hand, One Hundred Years of Solitude is both wonderfully written (and translated) and excellently characterized. Storytelling is top-notch and everything fits together. If you enjoyed Cholera, I'm sure you'll appreciate the brilliance of Garcia Marquez's masterpiece.

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    1. I didn't mind the plodding pace so much after I realized the majority of the novel was going to be that way. Well, until the last 50 pages when I desperately wanted something to happen. Which did you read first? Cholera or 100 Years?

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    2. I first read One Hundred Years of Solitude. That probably colored my opinion of Love in the Time of Cholera a bit, to be fair... I suppose I was expecting the same wondrous scope of the previous novel, and couldn't get used to the slow, meandering, often pointless storytelling of Cholera.

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    3. That makes sense. If I had went into reading Cholera with big expectations, like you probably had after you read One Hundred Years, I probably would have been let down as well. I'm happy to know ever more Marquez greatness awaits me :)

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  2. Brenna,
    I love that you noted the book was affecting you on level deeper than a typical reader-removed-from-storyline situation. I don't know if that makes sense...I'm finding it difficult to express myself here. I'm not a fan of magical realism and have never been drawn to Marquez. It's one of the reasons I disliked One Hundred Years as much as I did. This story seems quite beautiful, but I'll likely skip it. Once again, lovely review!

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    1. Thanks Beth! I'm looking forward to reading One Hundred Years of Solitude but I really am worried about the fact that, from what I hear, for every name in the book, there are three characters who have that name. It might get a bit confusing. But I'm ready to give it a try! Though likely not for a month or two.

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  3. One Hundred Years of Solitude is on my top 5 books, but this one is close. What did you think of the ending?

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    1. Well the entire novel I was waiting for this moment when everything fell together and Fermina and Florentino would figure their sh*t out. I think the ending allowed them to do that... they finally figured out a way to be together forever.

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  4. The novel that turned so many people to Marquez is ONE HUNDRED YEARS. Me thinks you should jump to it right away.

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    1. I know that is my next Marquez. I've actually owned the book for years and every time I pick it up, I never settle on it and end up reading something else instead. This time I'm going to do it!

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  5. Oh, this is such a gorgeous book. I'm so glad you read and liked it and are planning to read more Marquez! Just reading the passage you quoted has me dying to tear through my boxes of books so I can find and reread this one. (Just five more months and I will be able to do just that.)

    I read One Hundred Years first, for a class I was taking, and was totally lost for most of the book. It was so gorgeously written, though, and the magical realism is just so...I don't know, so striking and captivating and (I am totally failing to come up with the right words here)...that I read some more of Marquez's work, and eventually returned to One Hundred Years a couple times. Cholera is such a great place to start with his work, a less baffling place to begin I think. I loved reading your review - reminded me so much of my first time through the novel.

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    1. I'm glad my review brought you back to your first experiences with Marquez! I have to say I am still intimidated by One Hundred Years but as I mentioned above, I feel ready to jump in!

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  6. Oh man, in the end I think Love in the time of Cholera was just too much of a slog for me... I didn't *hate* it, but I don't really want to read it ever again either, you know? I've got 100 Years of Solitude, and I just can't read it because I'm now really scared of Marquez! I'm glad you liked him though :)

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  7. This is a wonderful review! It reminds me of how much I enjoyed Love in the Time of Cholera, which I read recently. I wish I'd read it before 100 Years, which I read for a class in college & didn't have enough time to properly digest. It's been on my to-be-re-read list ever since. From what I remember, if you enjoyed the language of this, you'll enjoy 100 Years. Like Love, 100 Years is more about the journey than the destination when it comes to plot. Even in my vague memories though, images from 100 Years stand out for me more than from any other Marquez work (and I've read 5). Thanks for your review! It was a pleasure to read. :)

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  8. You constantly review books that I have on my shelf waiting to be read! This is another one... we must have good taste.

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  9. This is a great review, and thanks for the tip - I'll go straight to 100 Years rather than Cholera-ing, given the opportunity!

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  10. Great review! I'm a little nervous to pick this up myself because of how slow and tedious you said it is, although I LOVE the idea that your emotions with the reading mimic Florentino's.

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  11. I didn't read the whole review, because I haven't read this one yet. For some reason he is an incredibly intimidating to me. I want to read this one too and hopefully I'll get over my fear of him.

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  12. It was a long time ago but I seem to remember I found this a very slow read by my normal standards but worth it.

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  13. Oh, so glad you enjoyed this! Such a lovely, lovely book. I like your points about the patience required to read it, just as the characters must fight to find that same patience. Fantastic. I can't wait to hear what you think of One Hundred Years of Solitude; you're right that the magical realism that Marquez is so known for factors in much, much more prominently in that book.

    As a side note, Love in the Time of Cholera was the first book my then-friend, now-husband ever loaned to me... clearly it was a good choice.

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  14. This is one my to read list, and your review makes me excited to start reading it. I feel like I have a better idea of what to expect (in terms of the focus this book requires), and I think that it will make for a much better reading experience. I'm hoping to actually get to it soon!

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    1. I meant to say this is ON my to read list. I hate when I type something wrong!

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