Wow. I mean, wow. I received this novel as a gift from a friend. From the first sentence to its closing lines, it is an absolutely breathtaking work of fantastical realism. I have to read it again later this year, because I think a second read will honestly be more magical than the first. ( )

These people are crazy. This book is strange. But somehow, at the end it was all worth it. (If you can just make it to the end, it might make a little bit of sense... only just a little.) ( )

Made it, I don’t know, maybe 1/3 the way through. I would say I was at the part with all the gratuitous sex (mostly bordering on incest) and the fighting (mostly pointless battles & reprisals), but that wouldn’t really narrow it down at all, would it? ( )

This was a weird book. I can certainly say that I've liked the vibe of the book, but at times it was confusing and tricky to follow. So, it's not no plot, just vibes. It's confusing plot, great vibes. Some characters keep sharing the same names and personalities, which I guess it there to show that the time is passing, but some things/people/generations will stay unchanged, maybe even repeating the same things are their ancestors.


The last thing I was expecting was a mention of Belgium, Brussels and Liege in a book set in Columbia. ( )

(3.5 stars) The issue is that the writing style really worked for me but the overall story did not. I loved how poetic and nonlinear the narrative was and how the emotionless tone matched the family. This book is ripe with fantastic symbolism (especially with the banana company strike) and complex characters (ex. Colonel Aureliano Buendias). Marquez’s portrayal of the themes of memory, fate, and time as a cycle were very compelling as well. However, this was not an enjoyable book to read. It is very dense and pessimistic and there is so much incest or weird sex stuff that every chapter I would just be on the edge waiting for what messed up thing someone would do next. ( )