One Hundred Years Of Solitude Oprah #3

One hundred years of solitude is a great read. The book is written by Gabriel García Márquez. One Hundred Years of Solitude is the story of seven generations of the Buendía Family in the town of Macondo. The founding patriarch of Macondo, José Arcadio Buendía, and Úrsula, his wife, leave Riohacha, Colombia, to find a better life and a new home. The book explores themes such as; The subjectivity of experienced reality, The inseparability of past, present, and future, and The power of reading and of language. I would recommend this book for anyone over the age of 14 because of the violence.

I'm going to start this review by saying this: I absolutely hated One Hundred Years of Solitude and have no idea why it's deemed a "classic."

Shh, quiet down. Let me defend myself.

This was a book I had to read for my very first book club. Since it was already sitting on my shelf, collecting dust in its unread state, I thought it was great that the book club was reading it and I could finally take it off my TBR list.

Well, I read it, but was not happy to do so.

The novel starts off fine, great writing by Marquez, mapping out a magical scene. In fact, the first few pages are amazing to read. I was happy reading them-reading about the gypsies coming to Marcando, bringing normal everyday items that were deemed "magic." It seemed like Marquez was mapping out the beginnings of what would be a fantastic book.

Of course, the more I read it, the more I realized that this was a book that would not be in my "favourite reads" list.

The entire book was confusing-is it to be read as realism? Fantasy? Fantastical-realism? Characters would die, but wouldn't be dead; the word "solitude" is used way too many times; offspring had the same names which made being a reader confusing more than once.

In fact, if I had to relate this book to one most recently released, I would say it's similar to White Teeth, by Zadie Smith, though I liked White Teeth a whole lot more. There's a story going on, people are multiplying, there are things happening, but there's nothing going on that is so huge that makes you keep turning the page. You're introduced to a lot of characters that just go about their days, doing nothing spectacular. It's just one long narrative.

One long narrative that I could barely stay awake reading (likewise for White Teeth, though at least with that one, I enjoyed the reading and wanted to take in every word. This one? Not so much.). If you're like me, you'll require something light and fluffy after reading this one.

If you loved this book, then I commend you for gobbling down the pages like they were nobody else's business but your own. Me personally, I plan to donate the book to the library or used book store. It's not that special to me that I feel the urge to keep it around.

I really wanted to like this book but sadly I didn't. It was long and boring and I had to force myself to continue reading it. I'm an avid reader but this book was just lost on me. I would not recommend it to anyone.

Though this novel effectively communicates the circular nature of time through the similarities of these family members as their line progresses, it was far too long-winded and seemed a bit overdone. Perhaps that's the fault of the translation, however I wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone.

I was captivated by this book for years I just kept coming back to it. This book brings politics and realities of South America to life. It contains some of the most glorious prose ever written. Marquez is truly the greatest writer I have ever had the pleasure to get lost with.

Although there were moments that I felt I was on a bad acid trip soaring on a magic carpet over Incest Island, I relished in this enchanting tale of the beginnings of a civilization infused with wonderous magical realism. Garcia is a truly gifted artist who turns poetry into an intricately woven tale of a blood line of legend.

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This book wasn't so bad after all.. The only thing is that at one point it seems like I had to push myself to read and keep reading.. because the story seems endlessly long and it seems as if never you will never finish the book. Sometimes it is hard to keep track of the events or the characters and it's quite easy to get confused, because their names are almost the same throughout the whole story and you might need to go back and read again in order to understand something.. I personally don't recommend this book, unless you have lots of time to be reading and patience to try to understand things clearly.

Magic, we are told, does not exist. It might seem to exist when we are children, but the belief in magic is discouraged as we navigate adolescence and forgotten in adulthood. Gabriel García Márquez, in his novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (1967,) has presented an opening to that forgotten magic - to that connection with the archetypal myth that is within each of us. The eccentricities and utter vastness of the Buendía family experience has a home in the collective mind of humanity. Their struggles, however exaggerated and bizarre, are somehow common and known. There is a sense of spiritual déja vu as the pages turn and the story moves.

From the opening chapter, Márquez establishes as sense of kinship between the reader and the characters. The boy who would become Colonel Aureliano Buendía, along with his brother, José Arcadio, and father, also José Arcadio, visits the camp of Melquíades, a traveler who presents the scientific discoveries of the outside world to the secluded townsfolk of Macondo. As a chest opens and the Buendías witness, for the first time, what they perceive to be the miracle of ice, there is a sense of wonder in their reaction:

"Little José Arcadio refused to touch it. Aureliano, on the other hand, took a step forward and put his hand on it, withdrawing it immediately. 'It's boiling,' he exclaimed, startled."

Here is a voice for the magic of childhood. Here is the beauty of discovery and of experience. As I read these words I recalled that feeling of the absolute wonder of life, a sensation that we, as adults, too often deny ourselves in our pragmatic and overly-distracted society.

Just as Márquez gives the reader joy and magic, he also gives sorrow. There is a sense of the heaviness of mortality in Macondo, though the characters, at times, seem to live beyond the typical age of humans. Later in his life, following years of war and fighting for what he discovers to be hollow ideals, Colonel Aureliano Buendía faces death. He discovers that he has lost all human connection, and with this comes the realization that he has lived a life devoid of true love. He surrenders, and with that submission the reader is left to feel as empty and lost as the character.

From the innocent awe of childhood through the romance of youth and early adulthood to the melancholy remembrances of the aged, Márquez presents an act of fiction kindles a sense of common humanity within the reader. "One Hundred Years of Solitude" demonstrates, unequivocally, that we are not alone.

One of my favorite books ever!

I must confess, the first time I tried to read this book I couldn't finish, I got lost in the characters' names which prevented me from really enjoying it, maybe I was too young or not so smart. Seven years later I tried again and was amazed.

This is, so far, Gabriel García Marquez masterpiece and the most important book of its genre: magical realism, where mundane circumstances are mixed with supernatural occurrences and the characters involved tend to see the events as an annoyance, a setback.

One hundred years of solitude is the story of the Buendía family and the village they found: Macondo. The story is full of absurd events which occur without explanations, in fact, nobody really tries to explain anything. They just go on.

Many events are so farfetched that it is impossible not to laugh at the end. While reading the book, sometimes I would catch myself laughing like a madman.

Filled with romance, tragedy, supernatural events and lovely characters this is a wonderful book which will left you amazed for a long time and, if you decide to go further, read "Living to Tell the Tale" the first volume of Gabriel's autobiography. You'll notice how a wonderful writer twists the reality and create a delightful story.

Note: don't let the names' repetition worry you, they are part of the fun. In case you need help there is a Family Tree at the Wikipedia website.

The book is supposed to implement magical realism, where magical activities are accepted as a part of normal life. Therefore, if someone is levitating, it's viewed as normal as if they were walking into the room. This is a recurring theme in many Latin American novels.

Also, the reason that multiple characters have the same name is to show continuity within the generations and to show how all these characters are linked over the chasm of time. You can also see this in Salman Rushdie's writing.

I agree with the other reviews that it is a hard book to get into. The names are very confusing , so thank God for the family tree at the begining of the book. Once you give in to and accept the unrealistic aspects of the story you will be able to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of this book.
It's a book that reads like someone telling you a tall tale that you want to believe is true! It is one of the most challenging but most rewarding books I have read in long time and I read quite a few books.

Although I have read quite a few books recomended by Oprah, I have to wonder if she really read this book. It was completely unrealistic, everyone had the same name, and it took wayyyyy to long to finish. The fact was I had to force myself to finish it. I do have to say it was beautifly written, and some interesting things happen. It just wasn't what I was expecting, and not the type of book I generally enjoy reading. It was almost sci -fi because such unrealistic things happen.

Well maybe I need help to read this book... I tried to, many times, just could not get through it. Up to this date am convinced the man must have been on drugs... if someone can tell me what is the big hype all about I would appreciate it...it gets thumbs down from me.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a rollercoaster ride. His characters don't just speak to you, they stand up and scream to you. You, despite yourself, care about the Buendias, the marriages, the deaths and the births. I think one of the most beautiful places in the book is when the Orginal Buendia is tended to by the same man he murdered such a long time ago. Marquez uses magical realism to create a family you can almost remember gossiping about. It's not an easy book to read. It doesn't have any one story, any one direction, any one protaganist. The only way I can explain it - it's a journey and a description of the towns and places visited during it. And what a journey it is. Thrilling, bold and satisfying.

Garcia Marquez' One hundred years of solitude is a fabulous book. At the beginning, one may find it somewhat difficult to remember all the characters (as most are all similarly named) yet once one gets into the book, one feels like part of the family. The book is full of magic and has one of the best, if not the, best ending ever.

One Hundred Years of Solitude follows a family and a town through several generations of life, death and upheaval. The overwhealming strength of the novel is Marquez' seductive writing, drawing the reader closer and closer. I could not escape the sensation that I was a child sitting at the foot of a wise and wizened elder who was telling the story of our past. It was important to me, crucial, that I listen carefully and trust everything that was said. A myth in the fullest sense of the word, One Hundred Years of Solitude reads as an astonishingly adept personal myth-history and avoids the pitfalls of traditional narrative choices. Stunning in its originality and creativity, Marquez will no doubt have you buying his complete works.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of those very rare novels that is written with such skill that you forget you are reading fiction, and start believing it is a history. The Buendia family that is the heart of this novel weaves its way throughout countless ages of humanity; magic makes way for science, before turning back again, as the history of the human species, replete with its loves and wars, the rebellions in both, and the truth of the human condition is explored with a poet's skill with words. Beautifully melancholy -- maybe the most perfect novel I've ever experienced.

I started this book a half a dozen times and could never get past the first 50 pages. I couldn't have continued without Oprah's help! Oprah's website offers a synopsys that explains how to read the book. I never, in one hundred years, thought I would need directions on how to read a book! But finally I was able to put myself in the frame of mind required and now I may just read the book a second time! I loved the weirdness of the entire story and recommend it to anyone that's looking for something different.

By far, one of the most beautifully written literary works I've ever read. The story unfolds like poetry, with magic, tradition, art and love all spun into a fantastic blend of myth and historical accounts of the lives of a single family living in South America. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to read what I am sure is one of the greatest books of this century.