Gabriel García Márquez

   In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry a wealthy, well-born doctor, Florentino is heartbroken, but he is a romantic. As he rises in his business career he whiles away the years in 622 affairs—yet he reserves his heart for Fermina. Her husband dies at last, and Florentino purposefully attends the funeral. Fifty years, nine months, and four days after he first declared his love for Fermina, he will do so again.

Love in the Time of Cholera

bella <3

they were people whose lives were slow, who did not see themselves growing old, or falling sick, or dying, but who disappeared little by little in their own time, turning into memories, mists from other days, until they were absorbed into oblivion. 

This was his world, he said to himself, the sad, oppressive world that God had provided for him, and he was responsible to it.

in any case, the german was correct in regard to what he had thought about least, which was that Florentino Ariza wrote everything with so much passion that even official documents seemed to be about love.

the drama of Florentino Ariza while he was a clerk for the River Company of the Carribbean was that he could not avoid lyricism because he was always thinking about Fermina Daza, and he had never learned to write without thinking about her.

she was married forever after at the main altar of the Cathedral, with a Mass at which three bishops officiated, and without a single charitable thought for Florentino Ariza, who at that hour was delirious with fever, dying because of her, lying without shelter on a boat that was not to carry him to forgetting. 

he was still too young to know that the heart’s memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good, and that thanks to this artifice we manage to endure the burden of the past. 

"take advantage of it now, while you are young, and suffer all you can," she said to him, "because these things don't last your whole life." 

Jim Hagan

In many ways this is really excellent, and deals profoundly with realities such as obsession and human folly. There is some beautiful prose, and impressive symbolic threads which surprise, but mostly I would say the value in this book lies in its (maybe indirect?) insight into the human condition. Much like Wuthering Heights (which I saw another reviewer here compare it to as a negative - I love both) it can be startling, haunting, and alien. In my opinion that quality of alienness allows access to oftentimes hidden areas of experience & thought.

Cody Degen

** spoiler alert **
           Absolute banger but this is absolutely not a love story, Florentino is a monster

Winona 

(I accidentally deleted the book from my shelf, so my original review got deleted.)

Stalking for love? Check.
Rape apologia? Check.
Paedophilia? Check.
Happy ending for a stalker-cum-rapist-cum-paedophile? Check.
All of this wrapped up in a bow of pretty prose which makes people think this awful book is a compelling and powerful story of eternal love? Check.
Hotel? Trivago.

Dimitris Papastergiou

I liked it. It's a well written novel with an interesting story that's about a deeply disturbed man obsessed with a girl who lives her own life while he waits for her to give in in his lust for her.

The book's title is what I didn't like, because it's misleading, it should have been "Sex in the Time of Cholera", or "Obsession in the Time of Cholera".

It's a story about a problematic nymphomaniac psycho rapist who stalks a woman for a lifetime, until finally she gives in because she's too old and apparently she tried everything to get rid of him but he's just not gonna go away so she finally says yes in the end.

Warning: Spoiler from now on:

Here's a summary for ya: 

Boy likes girl.
Girl says no.
Boy says no means yes.
Girl says a thousand times no for 50 years.
Boy fucks everything that moves for 50 years.
Boy continues to stalk and want girl as they grow up.
Man becomes a creepy stalker with issues.
Woman still says no.
Man becomes a peeping Tom.
Woman gets married with kids.
Man still wants woman and doesn't move on.
Woman's husband dies and man goes to funeral to tell her he still loves her.
Woman says you're fucked up, go away, no.
Man still fucks everything that moves.
Man becomes a guardian of a 14 year old girl which he basically then rapes when he's like 60 and she commits suicide.
Man goes back to his obsession with woman .
Woman says no.
Man continues to be a creep with women and we read his sex diary basically while he fucks 622 women or somewhere along those numbers.
Woman still says no.
Man pushes harder and acts like a child since he was 15 and woman finally says YES.
Man and woman have sex and he can't get it up on the first night and he blames her.
Man says his whole life she was the only thing that he ever wanted and loved.
Woman asks if he did anything with other women all these years.
Man says no I'm a virgin.
*Cue laughter*

That's All Folks!

Love In The Time Of Cholera

Michael Springer

The well respected doctor Juvenal Urbino has died in an unfortunate accident involving a ladder and a parrot. His widowed wife, Fermina Daza, is past the age of eighty. On the day of her husband's funeral, Florentino Ariza renews his offer of marriage that was last made when the two of them were very young. She rejects him outright. 
 
Florentino hasn't been in love with another woman throughout all of this time, despite 600-some women he has made love to since that first proposal: he has been waiting for Fermina to be his; he's been waiting and waiting for Fermina's husband to die. Now, following this new rejection, Florentino dedicates himself to finally winning the woman who he has loved all his life.
 
This is a vast simplification, leaving out most of the details that make this more than just some mushy love story. What it ends up being -- and this will also be a gross simplification -- is a meditation on love and the myriad ways it is expressed; death and the ways death is entwined with life; and old age, especially the ways old age alters our perceptions of love and death. If I attempt to take these vague themes and mold them into a solid interpretation of what I believe Marquez means by them, I'm sure some Goodreads Marquezians will then pick up these solid interpretations and drub me about the head and neck with them for misunderstanding everything. So, I'm probably better off just mentioning these broad themes, leaving them in a liquid form, and moving on. 
 
This was my first Marquez, and I've had the book on my shelf for several years. Since buying it, the book has grown larger and more intimidating, pushing smaller paperbacks from the shelf. Whenever I took the book out to attempt reading it, the letters would move closer together until the entire novel was one tremendous, unconquerable word. This time around, I refused to be intimidated by the magnitude of Marquez's stature in fiction, or the reviews from friends who told me 100 Years of Solitude was impossible to read and they'd given up. I refused to let my copy continue to thwart my attempts. I stared at that goddamned word until it shattered into a million fragments, and then I read them each. In order. 
 
Despite the magnitude of my struggles to BEGIN the book, it was a lot of fun, and was as rewarding as a real classic ought to be. In some ways, this book reminded me of my favorite aspects of John Irving's novels: It's full of hilarious, strange and seemingly unnecessary details that eventually weave themselves into a rich tapestry where almost everything is integral. Through these details, the world takes on a level of depth that is hard to achieve in any kind of writing. And, this book has a larger number of "perfect scenes" than just about any book I can think of: scenes that are burned into your memory because of how genuinely they surprised your expectations, and how memorable the imagery of the scenes were. 
 
Honestly, I was surprised by how subtle the elements of magical realism are. I was expecting a sense of non-reality -- or maybe something that felt like mythic reality -- to be an integral part of this book. Instead, the few "magical" events seem more like the embellishments of an enthousiastic narrator who thinks he can pull a fast one on his listener. 
 
If only I could do half-stars. This is a 4.5. I can't give it five stars because the ending isn't quite perfect, and some sections drag. Minor complaints like these wouldn't bring down a book that had genuinely altered the face of fiction, or that did something totally unique. But this was just an exceedingly well-written novel; it's not tied for the bestest thing ever. Go ahead, Marquezians, bring it.

Lyn 

3.5
Lo había abandonado pero ahora mismo (ya habiendolo terminado) no sé porque lo hice.

And this is why I am wary of reading books written by men. Why is this book glorified and Lolita condemned?? Perverts, all of them. Next time, more cholera and less love. 

Jovana Gjekanovikj 

'One of the greatest love stories I have ever read. It is so beautifully written.' - Oprah Winfrey Fifty-one years, nine months and four days ago, Florentino's adoring love was rejected by the beautiful Fermina. While she became the model wife to a wealthy doctor, poor Florentino pined for her, and has done so ever since, never finding love or peace as he yearns for the day he can woo her again. When Fermina's husband is killed falling from a mango tree, Florentino seizes his chance to declare his enduring love. But can young love find new life in the twiglight of their lives? Now a major film - in cinemas March 2008

Gavin

Less soppy than I expected. Ending is great.

O Amor Nos Tempos Do Colera

Joana da Silva

Livro de Junho para o #UmaDúziaDeLivros. 
Não sei porque demorei tanto tempo a pegar neste livro, foi uma viagem fantástica.

Andrew Louis

(Chose to read it expecting more more cholera than love)

Gisela Ayala 

One: it took me forever to finish this book so it’s not as captivating as I thought it would be.
Two: while the writing may be beautiful and there are truly beautiful quotes scattered through out the book, I did not like the plot of this book. Perhaps yes, it was a different time, perhaps I have to read it in that context but no. I’m sorry no. 
The main guy is creepy and basically stalks the girl through y the first part of the book. They don’t know each other except by letters. Then when she finally meets him she’s doesn’t like him and he’s devastated and doesn’t want to leave her alone. CREEPY. 

There’s a bunch of other creepy stuff that happens in this book that the main guy does. I’ll say it. He’s toxic and not my favorite.

Lilian M

I was unable to finish the book.
But its a good book.

Jaymie Lemke

As I was making my way through this book, I decided to remove all of this author's books from my "To Be Read" shelf. I had a really difficult time reading this book. Perhaps I'm just dim-witted enough to not want to work that hard at getting through a book. Hasta Luego.

Amy Bley

This book was saved by the last 20-30 pages. Good god he took a long time getting there.

Anabel

Kwan Ann Tan

Move over, Romeo and Juliet, this is officially the best love story of all time. Perhaps because it was more modern (to an extent), I felt that this was so much more relatable than the usual love story, and written in a way that you could feel was jarring and yet so startlingly real.

Jeff Brown 

I wish I could put two ratings on this book — 5 stars for beautiful, eloquent writing, and 3 stars for frustrating page-long paragraphs, the lack of almost any dialogue (I like a balance), and the annoying constant use of the characters’ full names EVERY TIME. I realize that this form of addressing characters is common in the Latino culture, so I am not trashing the culture, just to be clear.

So I reluctantly bumped it up to 4 stars (after having 3 to begin with). I had given the book a lot of thought upon completion.

It is not a love story at all, but a love horror story with a male lead that is thoroughly despicable. The final scene was very fitting.

But tremendous writing! I just wish it was more enjoyable for me. I stopped reading about 70% in and read 16 other books before picking it up again. And I am glad I finished it.

Lindsay Hollmann

** spoiler alert **
           Well I'll admit it. I did not like this book until about the last... quarter of it. But I made it there, and I'm happy I did. I love old people love that feels and sounds like this. I love things that happen on boats. I love insufferably sweltering climates and the fact that, through the whole thing I wondered, okay, cholera, but why is it so relevant as to be in the title, finally it made sense. Wonderful.

Also.. Whoever said this book was supposed to be about "true love"? Love is literally a choleric disease, that's kind of the point, guys.

Max Bodach

Elegy to a bygone era, perhaps better understood as a story of obsession and vice than of love. Marquez paints his characters well, and the setting is alluring. But it is in his complex understanding of sin and forgiveness that his talents really shine, and the book is filled with memorable observations that function as sidebars to the stories of the broken people who still pursue what they think is love. 

Viral pandemic read also, and the putrefaction of cholera mirrors the moral putrefaction of both yesterday and today...

O Amor em Tempos de Cólera

Inês Alegria Ferreira

The third book by Gabriel García Márquez and I already have another one on hold. He is probably one of my top-tier writers (wow what a shock) and I just can't get enough. 

I first read the famous One Hundred Years of Solitude and I mean... do I really need to say anything about it? Because I truly don't possess the necessary amount of vocabulary to describe his books. All I can say to you is: go read them. 

Then I read the novella Chronicle of a Death Foretold for school and I utterly enjoyed it. Even today I remember perfectly the plot of that book and making an assignment about it was pure joy. 

Love in the Time of Cholera was again unable to disappoint me. This masterpiece blew me away. His books have all this wonderful writing, characters, and plots that only Garcia Márquez can create, and at the same time they are all completely distinct from each other. I thought here the magical realism was much more subtle than the other two books. Plus I was really surprised to have such a small set of characters. Nonetheless, it still was a great and enjoyable read that although is a bit extensive I read in a couple of days because I just couldn't put it down! If you are like me Gabriel Gárcia Márquez will make you laugh, cry, feel discomfort, joy, and embarrassment and I love him for it!!!

Maria

закрыла гештальт - прочитала "любовь во время чумы", расстроилась

конечно, сама виновата - не нужно было ждать "другие сто лет одиночества". маркес все сказал в этой книге, что хотел, именно поэтому я ее так люблю, а если у него есть еще истории, надо думать о них, как о "еще историях", и не пытаться войти в одну реку дважды (это я так рационализирую)

если же по сути, то "любовь во время чумы" - анти-"сто лет одиночества". вместо огромного числа главных героев - двое, вместо бесчисленного количества историй - одна, вместо многих поколений - всего две жизни, вместо быстрой смены событий - текучее, подробное повествование. много рефлексии, мало действия. мало магии, много реализма. наверное, это и называется "жизненно", но для тех, кто привык искать "другое" в искусстве вообще и в литературе в частности, это неправильная книга, там всё слишком настоящее. герой - романтик и мудак. героиня - непоследовательна и прагматична. переживаешь за них, но в глубине души они тебя вообще-то раздражают

хорошо, что прочитала, на самом деле
лишний раз укрепилась в пристрастиях

El amor en los tiempos del cólera

Lucía RG

"Era un fantasma en una casa ajena que de un día para otro se había vuelto inmensa y solitaria, y en la cual vagaba a la deriva, preguntándose angustiada quién estaba más muerto: el que había muerto o la que se había quedado".

Jeni Enjaian

A review from my old blog...

I first became acquainted with Marquez in my Spanish Literature class in college. Of course, the piece I read in that class was in Spanish but this book was not. I read the English translation of one of his most famous works. Someday in the future when I bone up on my Spanish I will read the book in the native Spanish.

To be honest, I felt extremely sorry for the main character Florentino Ariza. He waited, although not that patiently, for fifty-one years, nine months and four days for the love of his life Fermina Daza. I never really understood the love story between Florentino and Fermina.

The two, although Florentino much more than Fermina, fell deeply in love when in their late teen years but Fermina rejected Florentino for Dr. Juvenal Urbino, a man with wealth and power... power that he used to to manipulate Fermina. Instead of maintaining his vow of celibacy until he can have Fermina, Florentino satisfies his basest desires for sexual pleasure with many different women who mean nothing to him. At the end when Urbino dies leaving Florentino free to pursue Fermina his current flame, a young school girl, commits suicide. Her family does not know why but Florentino does.

In the end to Florentino and Fermina marry? No. They continue in another reality of sorts, a relationship hidden on a boat coming and going to various locations. They never get off the boat to admit their relationship to the public and to Fermina's children with Urbino.

At the end I did not want Fermina to settle for Florentino. But... she did.

This was a very interesting book. I don't know that I would recommend this book to everyone but it is a thought provoking book and a worthy read of discerning readers.

Love in the Time of Cholera

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