Friday, March 26, 2021

Review of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

This review was written by Eugene Kernes

Book can be found in:
Genre = Novel

Short Description

Elaborate Description

Told in a reminiscent manner, in the solitude of remembrance, sprinkled with magical realism.  A fictional reflection on historical events.  Portrays the cycles of war and love and the different ways and reasons that each person contributes to those events.  The different ways people react to technology and other aspects of life.  The way the community reacts to various situations.  Set primarily in a small town of Macondo which was very difficult to find until a government official placed in on a map.  Follows a family through the generations to see how each contributes to their society.  Change is risky as sometimes it can help, sometimes it can hurt.  Each handles change differently.

The book is sometimes really eloquent and other times a bit difficult to decipher.  Hard to follow the flow of events and too many characters going across various times prevents appropriate transitions.  Each era is a reflection of its own.  The diversity of responses highlights differences, but the way it is written, prevents an immersive experience.  


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book
•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?
•Do people search for solitude? 
•How do the people of Macondo react to foreigners?
•What are the reasons for war?
•Why do people fall in love?
•How do the various people respond to foreign ideas? 

Book Details
Edition ISBN:  9780060883287
Pages to read:   417
Publication:     2006
1st Edition:      1967
Format:           Paperback

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    3
Content          2
Overall           2