Title: Love in the
Time of Cholera
Other
Titles: Amor en los tiempos del cólera.
Genre:
Romance-Literary Fiction
Publication
Date: 1989 for this edition. First
edition was published in 1987 (233 editions since)
Number of Pages:
348
Geographical
Setting: Colombia, South America
Time Period:
Between 1880 and 1930
Plot
Summary: Set in an unnamed city in Colombia that extends over a 50 year time
period. While still in their youth, protagonist Florentino Ariza falls in love
with Fermina Daza. Florentino tries to win over Fermina with a letter, but she
ends up rejecting him and ends up marrying someone more socially upward-.Dr.
Juvenal Urbino. Florentino continues to
carry a torch for Fermina. The bulk of the book takes you through both of their
relationships with other people, and is a good example of all of the romantic
and sexual relationships people can find themselves in throughout their
lives. Florentino never gives up on
getting Fermina, and finally in their old age, the come together. It is a heartbreaking,
yet magnificent unfolding story of love.
Subject Headings:
Colombia, Love, Unrequited Love
Author: Gabriel García MárquezAbout the Author
Gabriel García Márquez was born in Aracataca, Colombia, in 1927. He attended the University of Bogotá and went on to become a reporter for the Colombian newspaper El Espectador. He later served as a foreign correspondent in Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Caracas, and New York. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982, he is the author of several novels and collections, including No One Writes to the Colonel and Other Stories, The Autumn of the Patriarch, Innocent Erendira and Other Stories, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, The General in His Labyrinth, Strange Pilgrims, Love and Other Demons, and most recently, Memories of My Melancholy Whores, as well as the autobiography Living to Tell the Tale. *
*Amazon.com Publisher's Reviews at http://www.amazon.com/Cholera-Penguin-Great-Books-Century/dp/product-description/0140119906/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books
Appeal
Something about being able to take the words
"scent of bitter almonds" and apply it to emotion reeled me in to
this first sentence of this book. I realized this was not going to be reading a
typical romance. In fact, I didn't even know this book was in the romance
genre.
A good friend had suggested the 348-page book because of the prolific writing style of this Colombian author. I did not know anything about Colombian authors, but I respected the suggestion of my friend, and so I went about reading the book. I thought at first I was reading a Historical Fiction book, as so much of the book talks about Spanish colonization of Colombia.
A good friend had suggested the 348-page book because of the prolific writing style of this Colombian author. I did not know anything about Colombian authors, but I respected the suggestion of my friend, and so I went about reading the book. I thought at first I was reading a Historical Fiction book, as so much of the book talks about Spanish colonization of Colombia.
On most Readers' Advisory lists I checked, it was classified as a Romance. However, I think it is more of a Literary Fiction work, with a sub-genre of Romance. Even though the book IS predominantly a romance, I think it could also be classified in Literary Fiction as it is written by a Nobel Prize winning author. I did not know much about the geographical area of which Gabriel wrote about, but ended up learning a lot about how the Spanish colonized the country and wanting to learn more about how South America was settled-how the people on a personal level lived their lives. This book had me questioning and wanting to learn on so many levels. Most Romance Genre books are lighter fare, and do not have one questioning on a deeper level. The style and vocabulary of the author are very detailed, poetic at times, and intense. This is why I think the book belongs in the Literary Fiction category.
Tone/Mood
According to Sariks, Romance genre appeals first to our emotions. From the first sentence, this book does that. In this book, one can escape for days. Some of the details are dense about characters, place and time. But once in the author's world, one will live and experience the love and emotion by the main and supporting characters. One can see a full spectrum of human emotion through the characters. For me, I never wanted to leave the world that the author created.
This is probably one of my favorite books. Even many years after I read the book, I would find myself thinking about some of the emotions that were brought up through the characters. For instance, I had a problem with my hearing going out suddenly a few months ago, and I immediately thought about the love interest of the protagonist Florenzo. He finally wins the girl-Fermina decades after he initially wanted to-but in their in old age. I remember a very distinct description by Fermina of how during their final time together, part of the experience included the sensation of feeling her hearing go. IT was not part of the story, but these are the types of things that the author inserts into the story line to surprise the reader. When I started having trouble with my own hearing, I found myself going back to his description of what it was like to lose one's hearing. This is just but one example of how the writer included his insights on love, life, health, and aging. This is not just a love story.
According to Sariks, Romance genre appeals first to our emotions. From the first sentence, this book does that. In this book, one can escape for days. Some of the details are dense about characters, place and time. But once in the author's world, one will live and experience the love and emotion by the main and supporting characters. One can see a full spectrum of human emotion through the characters. For me, I never wanted to leave the world that the author created.
This is probably one of my favorite books. Even many years after I read the book, I would find myself thinking about some of the emotions that were brought up through the characters. For instance, I had a problem with my hearing going out suddenly a few months ago, and I immediately thought about the love interest of the protagonist Florenzo. He finally wins the girl-Fermina decades after he initially wanted to-but in their in old age. I remember a very distinct description by Fermina of how during their final time together, part of the experience included the sensation of feeling her hearing go. IT was not part of the story, but these are the types of things that the author inserts into the story line to surprise the reader. When I started having trouble with my own hearing, I found myself going back to his description of what it was like to lose one's hearing. This is just but one example of how the writer included his insights on love, life, health, and aging. This is not just a love story.
Characterization
According to Sariks, characters rather than plot twists drive romances. They must come to understand themselves and their relationships.
Love in the Time of Cholera, which by the way takes place during a time period when people had to be mindful of Cholera, although Cholera is interwoven throughout the story, it is not really important. Cholera sets the background for a story that is interwoven with many character stories that come together over a fifty-year time period.
PacingAccording to Sariks, characters rather than plot twists drive romances. They must come to understand themselves and their relationships.
Love in the Time of Cholera, which by the way takes place during a time period when people had to be mindful of Cholera, although Cholera is interwoven throughout the story, it is not really important. Cholera sets the background for a story that is interwoven with many character stories that come together over a fifty-year time period.
Usually, Romance is fast reading. In this respect, this book does not fit into the Romance category. It took me a long time to get through this book. It is detailed and deep.
Style/Language
Romances are descriptive and the writers rely on adjectives to descripe characters and places to set the mood according to Saricks. In this respect, Garcia fits the description. However, the depth of his writing style lends itself more to the Literary Fiction Genre.
Romances are descriptive and the writers rely on adjectives to descripe characters and places to set the mood according to Saricks. In this respect, Garcia fits the description. However, the depth of his writing style lends itself more to the Literary Fiction Genre.
I cried, laughed and learned so much from this book.
But most of all, I was intrigued by every single sentence and the way that the
author described things. It made me want to read all of his books. One Hundred Years of Solitude is the book the author won the Nobel Prize for. This book led me to that one. Highly recommended, too!
Read a like
authors as suggested by Good Reads
2. Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands by Jorge Amado, Harriet de Oni
3. The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa and Edith Grossman
3. The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa and Edith Grossman
* Photo book cover and author taken from Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50421.Love_in_the_Time_of_Cholera
I have heard this title tossed around but have never been able to fit it into my reading list, but based on your annotation it is definitely going near the top! I haven't read anything set in South America, and I think it would be interesting to get a fictionalized look at the legacies of Spanish colonization. Thank you for such thorough and enlightening insights!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
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