Sometimes I tend to find Garcia Marquez’s prose a bit too flowery for my liking. Yes there are moments of beauty but now and then it can be a bit off-putting. However I must make an exception for Love in the Time of Cholera because it is a rare breed of love story, that is there’s tons of romance but it’s never overly sentimental.
The novel focuses on a complicated love triangle between Florentino Ariza , Fermina Daza and Juvenal Urbino. The thing is that this triangle spans over 50 years so the reader gets to know the personal histories of each character. Eventually Urbino dies (it’s not a spoiler) so Ariza tries his hardest to woo Daza’s heart for good. The question is if he manages to succeed.
Love …. is a beautifully written novel. There are lots of flourishes and linguistic somersaults, not to mention the depth of the characters. Out of all the Garcia Marquez books I have read, this one was the most satisfying and bereft of his use of magical realism. If you want to start with Garcia Marquez then do begin with this.
I am quite amazed at the length of time it took me to read this novel. The thing is I’ve got a lot of work at the mo so I can only squeeze in some reading early in the morning. I thought I’d finish the 80’s section by Christmas but I think I’ll be finished with it by summer 2012.
We’ll see!
The Bobsphere 