- Paperback: 464 pages
- Publisher: Harper Perennial (20 Jan 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060740450
- ISBN-13: 978-0060740450
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.5 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 242,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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First Sentence
Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
My decision to read this book was based on its "Nobel Prize" winning status and a desire to expand my knowledge of world literature. I was not disappointed. The fluid writing style of the author seems a bit tricky at first, but as the story unfolds, one recognizes a natural cadence and rhythm which is like the flow of a river through time. Perhaps, the translation from Spanish into English omits some of the cultural milieu, however, the more one reads the more admiration one has for the writing skill and creativity of the author. This story is a fascinating account of the Buendia family who helped found the town of Macondo, somewhere out in the jungle of South America. This family dynasty includes the founding patriarch Jose Arcadio Buendia and thematriarch, Ursula, as well as more modern adventurers, revolutionaries, rebels, and eccentrics both male and female, who express their physical and spiritual natures as they build complex lives and produce the future generations. The family rises to a position of prominence in the region, each generation is tied to the previous one through legends and stories, making the ancestors seem mythical and magical. The extraordinairy cast of characters also includes vagabond gypies who come from the other side of the ocean, describing another world, even Macedonia is mentioned. They bear gifts, such as magnets, and one charismatic figure, Melquiades, carries with him experimental chemicals and alchemy books. He gives demonstrations of his talents. He captures the imagination of Jose Arcadio Buendia, the family patriarch who becomes an amature scientist. In an unusual creative twist, the book of secrets also becomes a book of knowledge, a book foretelling the future. In a symbolic manner it provides cohesion to the book. At the end, reading about the author's life, one learns how he was influenced by his grandmother who was a master storyteller. She wove fact, fiction and superstition into a magical mythical realm that felt very real to the author when he was a child. This story telling spirit became the impetus, the driving force to write this historical family chronicle. It is filled with love, humor, sadness, rebellion, naivite, adventure, glory, revolution, entrepenurial success, implusive acts with unexpected consequences and the magnetic appeal of bigger than life characters, both men and women. There is a free verse poetic flow to the writing which is totally captivating and infectious. Most highly recommended reading. Erika Borsos (bakonyvilla)
6 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If I had had to rate this book the first time I read it I would have given it no stars at all. Mainly because I did not have a clue what it was about. But the addition of years to my fevered brain allowed me to approach this book again and look at it with new eyes. It is a fantastic as in unbelievable story with elements of reality sewn in. On a second reading I was able to grasp more readily what was going on and therefore was able to get so much more out of it. I would recommend this book to people looking for a challenge rather than those who read for entertainment. It can be hard going at times but I quite enjoyed it in the end.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
262 reviews
317 of 353 people found the following review helpful
More who read it hate it than love it, but I loved it.
23 Jan 2004
Format:Paperback
I first read this book about 10 years ago in a neighborhood book club I belonged to. Of the group of about 10 people, 8 hated it and only 2 loved it. No one was indifferent.
Just because I gave this book a 5-star rating doesn't mean I think everyone will like it. In my experience most will not. That's because the book is hazy and doesn't make sense. I often found myself flipping back 100 pages to figure out how the current character was related to the other previous characters. Sometimes I would find that the current character was the same character that had died or disappeared 100 pages previously.
If you don't know already this book is the fictionalized story of generations of a family and the latin-american town in which they live. It was one of the first books to be written in a style that is called "magic-realism". That means that the book doesn't have to make sense.
This book is one of the top books I have ever read because it is the history of the world and everyone in it. I found myself over and over identifying with a character or recognizing someone I knew in a character. And as far as the "magic-realism", I find that that is exactly the way life really is. I found that this book applies to everyone and its themes and characters are universal. Don't make the mistake of thinking this is just a latin-american genre book. Nor should you think it is a dense, philosophical novel. The stories and sub-plots are captivating and interesting.
In short, this book is weird and wonderful. Give it a shot and you might be surprised as I was.
129 of 147 people found the following review helpful
CONFUSING AND ENCHANTING, DIFFICULT TO READ CLASSIC
26 Jan 2004
Format:Paperback
This is not an easy to read book; if you are looking for light reading, this is not it. Also, this is not a book to read quickly; it takes a lot of reflection to try to grasp the meaning (and often times you don't) of the wonderous stories.
Having said that, this is a wonderful book. Garcia Marquez tells the story of a family and a town, Macondo. The things that happen there are surreal; strange murders, sleeping disorders, scientists, soldiers, all revolve around the mansion of the Buendia family in Macondo. The tales introduce the reader to 20th century Latin American literature, with tales of love, sadness, desperation, hurt, and loss.
This is Garcia Marquez's most famous work, and arguably his best. It is a book to be savored slowly, page by page, contemplated and reflected upon. If you are looking for a page turner or light reading, feel free to skip this book. It is made for a very specific type of reader, one that will take the time to decypher the meaning of the stories and uncover the artistic content hidden just below the surface of the page.
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Great writing, difficult to follow
3 Jan 2006
Format:Paperback
I agree with others that this is a difficult read. I was honestly enjoying the book after the first couple of chapters, however. The writing is excellent, the story and its many twists intriguing. It all fell apart for me about halfway through when I realized I was no longer able to distinguish the characters and keep up with who was child of whom and who had died and how, etc. -- all critical to the continuing understanding of the story line. The author's choice to give the vast cast of characters very similar names was mind boggling. After a point, I simply could not -- without a fair amount of note-taking and diagramming I was not willing to do --keep up with all of the Aurelianos and Arcadios. Hats off to those who could finish it. I, unfortunately, could not.
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