El amor en los tiempos del cólera
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-09 11:55:05
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Gabriel García Márquez
- ISBN：059308165X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Una edición conmemorativa de El amor en los tiempos del cólera， un gran clásico de Gabriel García Márquez y una novela imprescindible de la literatura contemporánea。 Tras la espectacular edición conmemorativa de Cien años de soledad， la artista chilena Luisa Rivera vuelve a rendir homenaje a García Márquez con una serie de ilustraciones inéditas que recrean el extraordinario universo del autor。
“Era inevitable: el olor de las almendras amargas le recordaba siempre el destino de los amores contrariados。”
Así empieza una de las historias de amor más maravillosas de la literatura universal。 Un amor no correspondido durante medio siglo con un pueblecito portuario del Caribe como escenario。 El Nobel colombiano nos presenta la mágica relación entre Fermina Daza y Florentino Ariza como una mezcla tropical de plantas y arcilla que el maestro moldea y con las que fantasea a su placer entre los territorios del mito y la leyenda。 Los jugos， olores y sabores del trópico alimentan una prosa única y original que se ha ganado el favor de millones de lectores en todo el mundo。
“Era inevitable: el olor de las almendras amargas le recordaba siempre el destino de los amores contrariados。”
Así empieza una de las historias de amor más maravillosas de la literatura universal。 Un amor no correspondido durante medio siglo con un pueblecito portuario del Caribe como escenario。 El Nobel colombiano nos presenta la mágica relación entre Fermina Daza y Florentino Ariza como una mezcla tropical de plantas y arcilla que el maestro moldea y con las que fantasea a su placer entre los territorios del mito y la leyenda。 Los jugos， olores y sabores del trópico alimentan una prosa única y original que se ha ganado el favor de millones de lectores en todo el mundo。
Reviews
steve
，
The story is powerful; I like how it was presented。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Jacqueline Moore
，
Good！ Especially the ending。。。。。
Penny
，
I waded through the first two thirds of this and skipped my way until I got to the last couple of chapters， when I again started wading。 The writing is beautiful。 Lots of description。 Lots， maybe too much， and very little dialogue， and it’s for the writing it got three stars although it is overly flowery for my taste。 For plot， characters etc。 I would have cheerfully given less。 The characters are unlikable。 The spoilt Fermina Daza， who is in love with the idea of love and when it becomes a real I waded through the first two thirds of this and skipped my way until I got to the last couple of chapters， when I again started wading。 The writing is beautiful。 Lots of description。 Lots， maybe too much， and very little dialogue， and it’s for the writing it got three stars although it is overly flowery for my taste。 For plot， characters etc。 I would have cheerfully given less。 The characters are unlikable。 The spoilt Fermina Daza， who is in love with the idea of love and when it becomes a real and distinct possibility rather than a game， backs away。 The despicable Florentino Ariza who kids himself he’s remaining faithful to Fermina （by using the ploy that he never loved any of the other women he screwed） and who he stalks off and on for fifty years。 And her self important husband who persuades Fermina， for the most part， that security is more important than love in a marriage。 And for the most part it is a good marriage。 The plot seems to be on endless repeat as we read about yet another of Florentino’s conquests。 And then another。 Essentially you have two young people who fall in love without having the least idea of what love is。 One gets over it and moves on while the other is stuck in his fantasy world。 I was hoping to get a better feel of Cartagena， a town I have visited and in which the book is possibly set， but it could have been any Caribbean coastal town of the time。 。。。more
Betty
，
spoiler alert:This is one of those books that is extremely hard to review。 I gave it 4 stars for the lyricism and beauty of the writing。 His evocative prose， describing simple things， such as the beauty of the city， the original state of the physical locations， and the innocent and blossoming love of the young teenagers。 His vivid descriptions of the physical decline of the body and spirit are in-depth and touching。 However， he also evokes the fetid stench of the city， the layering of society， t spoiler alert:This is one of those books that is extremely hard to review。 I gave it 4 stars for the lyricism and beauty of the writing。 His evocative prose， describing simple things， such as the beauty of the city， the original state of the physical locations， and the innocent and blossoming love of the young teenagers。 His vivid descriptions of the physical decline of the body and spirit are in-depth and touching。 However， he also evokes the fetid stench of the city， the layering of society， the ugly ongoing civil strife， the racial stratification， and the seamier side of society。 As stated before， much of this is almost poetic in its description。 Finally， there is the actual plot of the novel。 Reading the synopsis， one would begin by expecting this to be a story about love。 However， it is honestly about obsession and a culture of rape。 These are no star-crossed lovers reuniting after 60 years of living。 This is the story of a man， who declares that he has remained a ‘virgin’ while waiting and obsessing about the love of his life。 He forgets the 600 plus women he has slept with， including his 14 year old niece。 He sees in his niece， the beauty she will become， cannot wait that long， so he grooms and takes her， while describing her braces and skinned playground knees。 He even maintains a journal of these encounters。 One of his lovers describes to him a previous event of being thrown down， brutally raped， and yet wishes she could find him， as this is a man she could love。 I read this book and often thought about not finishing it; however， I wanted to see how events played out。 While beautifully described， much of this book is extremely ugly。 I read it while constantly reminding myself of when it was written， the harsh realities of that time， and the culture in Columbia， and much of the world， during that time period。 Putting events， social mores， and actions， in this time frame， helped to support much of the storyline。Sorry for the long review， but as you can probably tell， I am extremely conflicted by this book。 It is also interesting to be reading this novel now， during all the strife currently happening in our society。 。。。more
El Estante Literario
，
Reseña en proceso。。。 mientras tanto， miren esto:Estas son las 3 obras que Gabo tuvo que leer para escribir El amor en los tiempos del cólera- https://elestanteliterario。com/listas。。。Estas son 52 canciones que TIENES que escuchar si leíste， estás leyendo o leerás este libro:- https://elestanteliterario。com/listas。。。Con todo， digo que este libro para mí fue un sólido 4。3。。。 delicioso， fluido， lleno de música y de grandes pasajes。 Reseña en proceso。。。 mientras tanto， miren esto:Estas son las 3 obras que Gabo tuvo que leer para escribir El amor en los tiempos del cólera- https://elestanteliterario。com/listas。。。Estas son 52 canciones que TIENES que escuchar si leíste， estás leyendo o leerás este libro:- https://elestanteliterario。com/listas。。。Con todo， digo que este libro para mí fue un sólido 4。3。。。 delicioso， fluido， lleno de música y de grandes pasajes。 。。。more
Shade Wilson
，
A masterpiece， my favorite García Márquez book I’ve read so far。 I don’t really know what to think about it though and I have no one to talk to about it so I’m writing this。By no means is this a book about love。 Well， it is and it isn’t。 But it’s certainly not love as we like to idealize it。 The characters are so well formed and the descriptions so vivid that it feels like you’re right there in the scorching heat of the Caribbean。 I wonder if I would’ve had the same experience reading this in En A masterpiece， my favorite García Márquez book I’ve read so far。 I don’t really know what to think about it though and I have no one to talk to about it so I’m writing this。By no means is this a book about love。 Well， it is and it isn’t。 But it’s certainly not love as we like to idealize it。 The characters are so well formed and the descriptions so vivid that it feels like you’re right there in the scorching heat of the Caribbean。 I wonder if I would’ve had the same experience reading this in English。 I imagine I might’ve found all the fancy vocab pretentious in a way that I didn’t in Spanish， whether that has to do with the writing being more “novel” in a second language or that flowery language feels more natural in Spanish。And Spanish fun fact: cólera had a second meaning in Spanish; it’s a synonym for anger。 I wonder how intentional that link is。There’s a few themes that stick out to me: the devastating affects of blinding obsession， reputation and redemption， complete disregard of other people’s pain and misfortune， the repressed lives women led。I felt similarly after reading crónica de una muerte anunciada， these books feel like a strong criticism of machismo。 Women have no choice in these societies。 They live under the shadow of their possessive fathers until they get married off to live under the shadow of their negligent spouses。 They toil in silence to support the men they care for without recognition。 They’re not free to live their own lives until their husbands die and still they’re expected to mourn them for years or even for the rest of their own lives。 All of this is painted by García Marquez in full color， so it’s hard not to imagine it in some ways as a feminist critique。I don’t think everyone would like this book， but it’s worth giving it a try。 。。。more
Ernie
，
The skill and ability of the author is very obvious。 A beautifully written book and I love narratives that dance through time。If read as a treatise on the pitfalls of love and the way it sweeps people through their lives for bad or worse， I think it is very powerful。 No one is meant to be an endearing character and instead is just meant to illustrate what a powerful feeling love is and how it can shape the entirety of one's life。 The child grooming towards the end， however， was just a little muc The skill and ability of the author is very obvious。 A beautifully written book and I love narratives that dance through time。If read as a treatise on the pitfalls of love and the way it sweeps people through their lives for bad or worse， I think it is very powerful。 No one is meant to be an endearing character and instead is just meant to illustrate what a powerful feeling love is and how it can shape the entirety of one's life。 The child grooming towards the end， however， was just a little much for me。 I don't think Florentino was supposed to be a sympathetic character or anything， but by the end the author had turned him from an obsessive loser who couldn't take a hint into an actual sex criminal。 It lessened my enjoyment quite a bit。 。。。more
Renis Hyka
，
Pesë fjali për Marquez dhe Dashuria në kohërat e kolerës。Gabriel Garcia Marquez nuk është thjesht një shkrimtar por ai është edhe kronikan i ngjarjeve të realizmin magjik， botë që e krijoi vetë edhe pse ne e marrim të mirëqenë se ka qenë përherë aty， e ku ai si një perëndi e lapsit mban shënim çdo ngjarje njerëzore， apo si Homeri dokumenton， por jo botën e heronjve me famë dhe luftëtarë yshtur nga perënditë， por fatin i njerëzve të zakonshëm që kjo botë ka me tepricë。 Edhe në Dashuria në kohërat Pesë fjali për Marquez dhe Dashuria në kohërat e kolerës。Gabriel Garcia Marquez nuk është thjesht një shkrimtar por ai është edhe kronikan i ngjarjeve të realizmin magjik， botë që e krijoi vetë edhe pse ne e marrim të mirëqenë se ka qenë përherë aty， e ku ai si një perëndi e lapsit mban shënim çdo ngjarje njerëzore， apo si Homeri dokumenton， por jo botën e heronjve me famë dhe luftëtarë yshtur nga perënditë， por fatin i njerëzve të zakonshëm që kjo botë ka me tepricë。 Edhe në Dashuria në kohërat e kolerës Marquez i mbetet krejtësisht besnik religjionit të tij artistik duke skalitur personazhe emblematik në mënyrën më njerëzore të mundshme duke qenë i kujdesshëm që çdo virtyti mos ti kursejë dhe një ves， e ku mungojnë heronjtë apo antiheronjtë arketipë në favor personazheve me ndjenja universale të frymëzuar dashuria në formën e saj tragjikomike。 Ligjet që iu nënshtrohet letërsia e Marquez gjenden po aty brenda librave të tij shkruar në çdo faqe， qartësisht e kuptueshëm， një lloj ligjësie shpeshherë utopike， por krejtësisht e pranueshme dhe e besueshme ku dhe më absurdi i ngjarjes justifikohet duke thënë: “jemi në botën e Marquez"。 Dashuria në kohërat e kolerës është një libër që flet edhe për dashurinë， por më tepër flet për gjithçka tjetër që ka lidhje me të， ku edhe nëse do kërkonim me kujdes për ndonjë tezë në lidhje me këtë ndjenjë në gojën e ndonjë personazhi， sigurisht do gjenim disa antiteza të tjera që e hedhin poshtë， sepse Marquez nuk bie asnjëherë në batakun moralizues por ai nxjerr nga goja e çdo personazhi që ka krijuar atë që binjaku i tij në botën reale do thoshte në të vërtetë po të kishte një të tillë。 Një tjetër gjë që e bën të jashtëzakonshëm veprën e Marquez është mënyra e thjeshtë dhe gati e pabesueshme sesi ai i lidh ngjarjet me njëra-tjetrën， lehtësi kjo që e bën rrëfimin të duket krejt natyral dhe gërshetimi i linjave na mban përherë në tonin e historisë， dhe ai nuk përton asnjëherë ta nisë të treguarin nga larg duke na bërë pjesëmarrës me të drejta të plota në një botë që në fund do e quajmë me të drejtë tonën。 。。。more
Amanda Robson
，
Beautifully written but I hated reading it。 The characters were pretty much all awful， there were some extremely uncomfortable moments of rape and paedophilia described as though they were completely normal and acceptable。 Yeah， pretty much hated every minute of it。
Ona
，
així és com volia escriure l'ona de 15 anys lmaomolt fàcil de llegir i m'ha motivat molt veure que anava tant ràpid però els ramalazos de señoro colonial de vegades em treien de la lecturade tota manera té frases increïbles i m'ha agradat bastant la veritat :） així és com volia escriure l'ona de 15 anys lmaomolt fàcil de llegir i m'ha motivat molt veure que anava tant ràpid però els ramalazos de señoro colonial de vegades em treien de la lecturade tota manera té frases increïbles i m'ha agradat bastant la veritat :） 。。。more
Wan Wan
，
Great work！ You can broaden your audience by publishing your piece on Novel Star Mobile App。
Emma Amorin
，
Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！ https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC） http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors; hardy@novelstar。top joye@novelstar。top lena@novelstar。top app。novelstar。top Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！ https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC） http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors; hardy@novelstar。top joye@novelstar。top lena@novelstar。top app。novelstar。top 。。。more
Thijs Hoekstra
，
Een huisgenoot bracht corona mee van zijn roeiboot， dus moest het gezin in quarantaine。 Dagen van verveling lagen op de loer。 Gelukkig had ik in maart al een rantsoen aangelegd voor het geval dat dit zou gebeuren。 Ik pakte een hamer， liep naar de muur en sloeg de glasplaat van het noodkastje stuk。 De inhoud: een fles Los Gansos， een fluwelen badjas en liefde in tijden van cholera， het boek wat op vele leeslijstjes stond tijdsens de pandemie， samen met de pest van Camus en – God vergeef me - coro Een huisgenoot bracht corona mee van zijn roeiboot， dus moest het gezin in quarantaine。 Dagen van verveling lagen op de loer。 Gelukkig had ik in maart al een rantsoen aangelegd voor het geval dat dit zou gebeuren。 Ik pakte een hamer， liep naar de muur en sloeg de glasplaat van het noodkastje stuk。 De inhoud: een fles Los Gansos， een fluwelen badjas en liefde in tijden van cholera， het boek wat op vele leeslijstjes stond tijdsens de pandemie， samen met de pest van Camus en – God vergeef me - coronakronieken van Daan Heerma van Vos （van wie al zijn werk op de brandstapel mag wat mij betreft）。 In liefde in tijden van cholera wordt Florentino Ariza voor eeuwig verliefd als hij een toevallige blik wisselt met het dertienjarige meisje Fermina Diza。 Zij wijst hem af na een kortstondige affaire， gedwarsboomd door haar autoritaire vader。 Later trouwt ze met de felbegeerde doktor Juvenal Urbino， meer uit zakelijke overwegingen dan verliefdheid， en Florentino besluit simpelweg te wachten tot zijn concurrent overlijdt。 Ondertussen wordt hij president van een scheepvaartmaatschappij en heeft zeshonderdtweeëntwintig affaires， waarbij hij desondanks trouw blijft aan de liefde van zijn leven。 Ook heerst er een voortdurende cholera-epidemie。 Na eenenvijftig jaar， negen maanden en vier dagen sterft Urbino， en begint Florentino – 70 inmiddels – Fermina opnieuw het hof te maken。Het duurde vrij lang voordat ik er doorheen kwam。 Het verhaal is geschreven als een 19e-eeuwse feuilletonroman en leest daarom erg traag。 Vooral door de vele en bloemrijke beschrijvingen van de natuur en de stad， die gedurende de roman verschraalt en kapotgaat。 Dit （lichamelijke） verval is hierdoor tijdens het lezen erg invoelbaar， maar je verveelt je soms kapot。 Qua vertelstem is Marquez de demente opa die ik nooit heb gehad。 In de zin dat hij rokend in zijn leren sofa begint te oreren over “vroeger”。 Je probeert hem af en toe een vraag te stellen， maar hij is hardhorend， of doet alsof hij doof is。 Waar Marquez tekortschiet in langdradigheid， floreert hij echter met zijn diepe kennis over menselijke relaties。 Ik denk dat het concept ‘huwelijk’ nog nooit zo mooi beschreven is。 Ook zijn er gewoon hele toffe details als: “In ieder geval leek hij op de foto’s niet op hem （…） toch ontdekte Florentino Ariza die gelijkenis vele jaren later， terwijl hij zijn haar stond te kammen voor de spiegel， en toen pas had hij begrepen dat een man weet dat hij oud begint te worden， wanneer hij op zijn vader begint te lijken。”Ouderdom is het grote thema， en het boek wordt daarom ook veel beter als de personages en hun omgeving de sporen van de tijd ondergaan。 Het laatste hoofdstuk， waar Marquez alle thema’s fantastisch samenbrengt， trok de roman voor mij naar de 4 sterren。 Jammer dat het zo lang duurde。 。。。more
Vikranth Mirle
，
Some weird vibes
Mike Mason
，
My second Garcia Marquez and just as good as the first。 A story built on rich layers of characters。 Fascinating to read how the characters aged。 The final riverboat ride sequence cheered me up from some of the books sadness。 My favourite quote:‘Always remember that the most important thing in a good marriage is not happiness， but stability。’ 😁
8Shiiima8
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 خیلی با ذوق و شوق سراغش نمیرفتم ولی خب خوب بود طول کشید تموم کردنش🙂ولی خدایی این آقا با ادعای عشق آتشینش به یه خانم نه نگفت عجب وفاداری در عشقی😁
Narges
，
عشق در زمان وبا، کتابی شور انگیز از عشق و وهم انگیز از واقعیت زندگی
Zoe Ford
，
The books are totally deserving。 I loved them， and I think they are must read。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
LK
，
The disappointment this book turned out to be。。。 It had so much potential in the beginning but the ending was such a giant let-down。 I'd recommend it if you have time for character develompent that will leave you thinking "wow， these people could not have made worse decisions"。 Also， if you find the casualness of paedophilia and 2 （two！） rape scene that ended in victims trying to find and reconnect with their rapists， a deal-breaker be warned that this book isn't for you。 Unfortunately the writi The disappointment this book turned out to be。。。 It had so much potential in the beginning but the ending was such a giant let-down。 I'd recommend it if you have time for character develompent that will leave you thinking "wow， these people could not have made worse decisions"。 Also， if you find the casualness of paedophilia and 2 （two！） rape scene that ended in victims trying to find and reconnect with their rapists， a deal-breaker be warned that this book isn't for you。 Unfortunately the writing style is of really high quality， so a begrudging 3 stars is fitting I think。 。。。more
Aaria Alves
，
Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！ https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC） http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors; hardy@novelstar。top joye@novelstar。top lena@novelstar。top app。novelstar。top Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！ https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC） http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors; hardy@novelstar。top joye@novelstar。top lena@novelstar。top app。novelstar。top 。。。more
Ariana Alves
，
Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！ https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC） http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors; hardy@novelstar。top joye@novelstar。top lena@novelstar。top app。novelstar。top Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！ https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC） http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors; hardy@novelstar。top joye@novelstar。top lena@novelstar。top app。novelstar。top 。。。more
Christina Yorke
，
I struggled to get through this and the final 20 pages I skimmed。 I disliked all the characters and the relationship between young America and her guardian was disgusting。 So glad I'm finished。 I struggled to get through this and the final 20 pages I skimmed。 I disliked all the characters and the relationship between young America and her guardian was disgusting。 So glad I'm finished。 。。。more
Casey Ford
，
It’s like a nightmare。 I do not question it’s validity as a great work of fiction。 But it is not the romance I wanted or expected。 It’s so passionate， it’s sterile。 It’s so adoring， it’s obsessive and predatory。 It’s so mercilessly complete， it’s meandering。It is like if Romeo and Juliet were separated and lived their whole lives。 And， if you think that story is still of undying and true love， you do not read deeply or completely enough。By all means， we should read it but should still be aware o It’s like a nightmare。 I do not question it’s validity as a great work of fiction。 But it is not the romance I wanted or expected。 It’s so passionate， it’s sterile。 It’s so adoring， it’s obsessive and predatory。 It’s so mercilessly complete， it’s meandering。It is like if Romeo and Juliet were separated and lived their whole lives。 And， if you think that story is still of undying and true love， you do not read deeply or completely enough。By all means， we should read it but should still be aware of what it is; a book written in and about an incredibly misguided time in feminism， abuse， & mental health。 。。。more
Alia
，
رغم المدح الذي لقاه الكتاب إلا انني لم استطع الاستمتاع فيه اثناء قراتة بل لم يعجبني ابداً ، شعرت بخيبه امل اثناء قراته الاحداث ممله يحكى فيها قصه تعلق فلورنتينو اريثابحب وهمي ومغامراته الجنسيه وتنقله بين عشيقاته وكل ذلك مع تمسكه وإصراره بالزواج من فرمينا داثا، في الحقيقه لم ارى في ذلك حباً عند تنقله بين العشيقات وتركهن واحده تلو الأخرى خلفه بل انتقام خفي من فرمينا داثا لزواجها وشعور بالاهميه عند التنقل بين النساء، لم تعجبني شخصيه كلا البطلين كما ان الأحداث ممل وبطيئه وايحائات جنسيه ليست لطيفه عل رغم المدح الذي لقاه الكتاب إلا انني لم استطع الاستمتاع فيه اثناء قراتة بل لم يعجبني ابداً ، شعرت بخيبه امل اثناء قراته الاحداث ممله يحكى فيها قصه تعلق فلورنتينو اريثابحب وهمي ومغامراته الجنسيه وتنقله بين عشيقاته وكل ذلك مع تمسكه وإصراره بالزواج من فرمينا داثا، في الحقيقه لم ارى في ذلك حباً عند تنقله بين العشيقات وتركهن واحده تلو الأخرى خلفه بل انتقام خفي من فرمينا داثا لزواجها وشعور بالاهميه عند التنقل بين النساء، لم تعجبني شخصيه كلا البطلين كما ان الأحداث ممل وبطيئه وايحائات جنسيه ليست لطيفه على الإطلاق。 。。。more
Jenny Lynne
，
I FINALLY finished this book。 I wanted to read this book。 I was excited to read this book。 But when it came down to it， I hated reading this book。 The story isn't bad， but the writing was physically painful to me。 The best I can figure， is that this book was written to make you feel like you are suffering from cholera。 It's behind me now though。 I never have to read it again。 I FINALLY finished this book。 I wanted to read this book。 I was excited to read this book。 But when it came down to it， I hated reading this book。 The story isn't bad， but the writing was physically painful to me。 The best I can figure， is that this book was written to make you feel like you are suffering from cholera。 It's behind me now though。 I never have to read it again。 。。。more
Ehsan
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To much of church and Pedophilia。 Neither this nor that is of my interest。
Mike Futcher
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"… could not bear the pestilential stink of its glories， the arrogance of its bulwarks…" （pg。 346）I knew a guy once – I am reluctant to call him a 'man' – who proved himself one of the most contemptible people I've ever met。 Venal， cowardly and physically repellent， he would often act like everyone's best friend and stroll around with a loud voice and a huge grin， providing you no opening to challenge him on his behaviour。 He would brag about fucking women and then kicking them out of bed， and a "… could not bear the pestilential stink of its glories， the arrogance of its bulwarks…" （pg。 346）I knew a guy once – I am reluctant to call him a 'man' – who proved himself one of the most contemptible people I've ever met。 Venal， cowardly and physically repellent， he would often act like everyone's best friend and stroll around with a loud voice and a huge grin， providing you no opening to challenge him on his behaviour。 He would brag about fucking women and then kicking them out of bed， and about his great ambition to 'try' different races。 The natural conclusion to make， you would think， would be that this was crude， baseless braggadocio。 However， events soon transpired which proved it was not only true but undersold。 It turned out he liked to get wasted on drink and drugs and use it as an excuse to smack women around， the younger the better。 When it finally seemed like he would face some consequences， he developed a penchant for crocodile tears and facile squirming， bemoaning his 'addictions' and claiming he only needed to find the right woman to love him。 I regret to report that it worked – not only did his latest female punching-bag （all of 18 years old， and of the race that he'd expressed a particular keenness on 'trying'） fall for the line that she was the right woman， but the vast majority of the people around him also began to feel sorry for him and his 'trials'。 He emerged from the whole scenario not only intact but raised up， and pretty soon he was back to the loud voice and the huge grin， with the drugs he'd ostentatiously thrown away quietly returned to pride of place。 The fists too， presumably。 It was a lesson in dissembling and self-pity that I hope never to forget。I mention this unpleasant story only because I did not expect to find a similar lesson when picking up Gabriel García Márquez's lauded novel Love in the Time of Cholera， which was his first after winning the Nobel Prize。 Márquez was a writer I respected， even if I struggled to develop a real love for his writing when I read One Hundred Years of Solitude and Chronicle of a Death Foretold。 I found some worth in those books， and had heard that Cholera was a good book for those who did not like Solitude （and vice versa）。 Instead it proved to be one of the very， very few books I wanted to throw at the wall， an uncritical and self-pitying indulgence of the same behaviours I mentioned above， all argued shamelessly in the name of la pasión。 I could only finish it because of my firm rule to finish every book I start。The book starts off with the melodramatic simping of the young Florentino Ariza， mooning monomaniacally over Fermina Daza， who herself responds with haughty self-regard。 I hope those two characters sound appealing， because if you want to finish Love in the Time of Cholera you will have to follow them through the next 50+ years of their lives as they behave like spoilt children， having everything given to them but with so little self-awareness that Fermina， after a long and prosperous life with another man （a rich doctor husband）， a mansion and social prestige and maids to wait on her hand and foot， can sigh and say with a straight face that her life had had "more difficulties than pleasures" （pg。 329）。 The two end up living happily ever after， and I shall come onto Florentino Ariza presently， but the vanity is not confined to just them （as it might be if Márquez was competently framing them in a literary juxtaposition）。 Fermina's husband Juvenal， at one point， commends his own "heroic resolve" for overcoming the "private catastrophe" of being unable to continue a fetishized affair with a black woman （pg。 248）。 "Just think what it mean for poor black woman like me to have such a famous man notice her，" she had told him just a few pages earlier （pg。 243）。Before turning to Florentino Ariza， it is worth mentioning that the litany of appalling and narcissistic behaviour chronicled throughout Love in the Time of Cholera is told in a sympathetic， indulgent monologue that is almost entirely plotless。 The prose， which can at first be charitably described as 'ornate'， quickly becomes overbearing as we lose faith in the fetid characters。 I was crying out for some dialogue， of which there is little in the book and even less that is good。 The bulk of the prose is tedious melodrama， with women being described as the "lionlady of my soul" （pg。 187） and men weeping by moonlight and describing the opportunity to talk to the woman they are infatuated with as "the greatest moment of my life" （pg。 61）。 When the afore-mentioned rich doctor husband with the beautiful wife can't go to his 'poor black woman'， "the world became a hell for him" （pg。 245）。 The conceit is palpable on every page。This brings us， finally， to Florentino Ariza。 "My heart has more rooms than a whorehouse，" he cries on page 270， and unfortunately it has the same smell too。 His love for Fermina， which is meant to drive the novel， is baseless， and he then spends the bulk of the novel wallowing in self-pity and notching up 'conquests'。 Women see him on public transport and follow him home because they are desperate to sleep with him （pg。 183）， but if you think that pathetic fantasy is the nadir， you haven't seen anything yet。 An egocentric empty vessel， Ariza sounds like those grubby， clichéd guys out there who talk about how much they love their wife but simply need other women too。 "Deprived of one， he wanted to be with them all at the same time，" even those from his past who now "slept in the cemeteries" （pg。 269）; a callous， narcissistic remark even before you remember that one of his affairs ends with the woman's throat being slit by her husband， after Ariza's casual disregard for keeping it quiet （pg。 217）。 Again， this is not the nadir – a word that soon ceases to have any meaning when assessing this particular book。An anecdote is told of a "very young" black girl being violently raped by a stranger who leaps out at her on a jetty。 She "wanted that man to stay forever so that she could die of love in his arms" and puts the word out in town that she wants to find this "big， strong fellow" again in the hope of re-experiencing his "way of making love" （pg。 258）。 Ariza is not this man， but he seems to take the story to heart， for later on he casually rapes a maid and marries her off to some patsy when she gets pregnant （pg。 316）。 He must be very virile， Márquez's romantic champion， for he later sees it as a point of honour， when he grooms a 14-year-old schoolgirl， that "she was the only one with whom he took drastic precautions against accidental pregnancy" （pp272-3）。 If you think Hollywood films are all the same nowadays， start reading novels; there's enough out there to turn your shit black。If I can use the word one last time， this might very well be the nadir in a book that was already plummeting because of its rape indulgence and racial fetishization。 The attention Márquez gives to América Vicuña， a secondary-school student still wearing her uniform and needing Ariza to tie the laces on her school shoes （pg。 275）， is irredeemably repulsive。 Ariza loves her "diaper smell" （pg。 335） – he's 70 years old at this point – and though she "was still a child in every sense of the word， with braces on her teeth and the scrapes of elementary school on her knees… he saw right away the kind of woman she was soon going to be， and he cultivated her during a slow year" （pg。 272）。 She， of course， loves him unconditionally and likes nothing more than to plant "a little kiss on her papa's precious dicky-bird" （pg。 295）。 She also， of course， ends up killing herself （pg。 336）; one more for Ariza's cemeteries。At this point， if you've endured 300+ pages of the novel， you might start to appreciate that there's something more going on in Márquez's writing; that perhaps our dangerous， self-indulgent， life-wrecking protagonists are not meant to be viewed uncritically。 I usually cotton on to this sort of stuff quite easily， and I count Lolita and The Merchant of Venice among my favourite books， both of which use such a mischievous， dexterous indulgence of depravity to great satirical effect （I've written reviews of both on this website）。 If this is the case in Cholera， well， Márquez is not fit to kiss Nabokov's precious dicky-bird。 Even if Márquez is on record as encouraging such an interpretation， he's also on record as saying the Ariza and Fermina relationship is based on his own loving parents， the only difference being that his parents got married。 There's scarce little in the prose itself to encourage such an ironical interpretation， and if the author has to explain the piece， it's a sign that the piece hasn't prompted us to it on its own – in the way art should。 In contrast to Lolita， where Humbert's verbose first-person viewpoint emphasises his contemptibility， and The Merchant of Venice， where the farcical trial of Shylock is deconstructed by the nature of the play itself， Cholera's purported irony and subversion of love might well be nothing more than a vain hope on the reader's part。 I remember thinking it cruelly ironic that the Nazis commissioned performances of The Merchant of Venice， as though it supported their views when it did anything but; I see a possible analogue in the fact that the people who praise Love in the Time of Cholera seem to praise its romance above all。 It is entirely in keeping with our societal substitution of love with self-esteem。 （Perhaps unsurprisingly， Oprah called it "one of the greatest love stories"。） If there is irony， I can't enjoy it， because Márquez as author hasn't done enough to facilitate it。In the end， I could read Love in the Time of Cholera only with great and justified hostility。 There's enough vanity and malicious behaviour indulged in the real world， as I outlined in my opening story， and though I don't want art to shy away from bad things， it's one thing to address them and another to indulge them。 Life's too short to listen to such tedious wank。 There's enough pseudo-philosophical justification of misandry， misogyny and "getting yours" at others' expense， without bringing that indoors and giving it a prize。 There's something to engage with in the book， the equation of 'love' with choleric disease， but the entire book is so dense and smitten with its deplorable characters that even committed readers will lose the desire to extract literary worth from the swamp of indulgence， melodrama and self-congratulatory rape。 Forget Márquez's bastardization of love; I found myself rooting for the cholera。 。。。more
Susan Dahle
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I couldn’t get into this book。 While I admired the writing， the characters failed to engage me and the story was incredibly tedious at times。 There were flashes of brilliance interspersed with lengthy descriptions of odd people with peculiar behaviors。 Just couldn’t love it。
Emily Stannard
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Surprisingly I didn’t hate this book。 I didn’t find any of the characters particularly endearing but essentially it’s a novel about love of many different kinds （some very disturbing as well）。 But it’s well-written and it made me keep reading it。。。 I can’t really put my finger on what it was about it - lyrical and evocative writing perhaps？ Anyway - it was ok as a read。 Would I recommend it to anyone else？ Not sure really。
Fatima Resulbegovic
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