Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Probably the second most well-known book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, at least in English, Love in the Time of Cholera is a vast, beautifully written, and meticulous novel, but it fails to reach the level of One Hundred Years of Solitude, a book of incredible scope, originality, and insight. This novel taps into the same desire for the fairy-tale resiliency of love that allowed for the recent popularity of the film Slumdog Millionaire (See our review). But despite its magical flourishes, Garcia Marquez's book is probably more realistic than the comparable film, if only because he allows his characters more hedonistic diversions and greater depth. His protagonist, the romantic and stubborn Florentino Ariza, is made to wait so long for the object of his childhood lust that his is driven towards countless affairs and other fanciful endeavors, and what begins as a youthful infatuation gradually becomes perverted obsession as he ages, and by the end the qualities which were acceptable in his youth have failed to mature. In that regard it is honest, as Garcia Marquez did not deny the inevitable developments, however unusual, of his premise. Still, people seem willing to abandon disbelief for the sake of a positive outcome these days, and this novel is certainly pleasurable to read.

WORTH READING
3.5 out of 5
Buy this book: Love in the Time of Cholera