Love in the Time of Cholera

8/30/08, 11:14 PM

I just finished reading the book Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. And honestly I'm disappointed.

The book came highly recommended. I had seen in on various lists and noted it as worthwhile literature. And Marquez won a Nobel Prize for lit in 1982. He must know what he's doing. And rather coincidentally I heard it recommended by a co-worker. On Sunday I browsed the library's website to decide what books to get given I'd finished what I had on Friday, the books were due on Monday, and I needed to stock up for the weekend. And I put this on the list. So go figure on Monday as we were working on the season ticket mailing the new education director mentioned a book she had unrecommended to her daughter, I don't remember at all how it came up. But I asked her what book and she said 'Love in the Time of Cholera." And said it in such a way that I knew she really had lied it, without her giving a description.

But anyways I was psyched.

So I started it and it seemed quite slow and didn't really get anywhere. I figured it must get better. And admittedly it did start up finally and found a, mostly stuck with, time line and series of actions.

Yet all in all I was not moved by it. It seemed like some of it was trying to be about sex. But t hen it wasn't at all sexy and didn't light upon anything new or different. In fact for all it kept bringing it up it didn't ever feel like much.

and more importantly I'd imagine it was supposed to be about love. (The word being in the title clued me in to that.) Yet I don't think it even made me feel anything at all about love either. There were no new ideas or thoughts at all. More of just relating a take that should have been exciting, but somehow was turned dry.

Plus I really didn't like one of the characters. And could never figure out if he is/was supposed to be a good or bad character. Maybe that indifference is what makes the guy a good author. The necessity of drawing my own conclusions.

I also wonder that the book may have lost some of its potency in the translation from Spanish.

No hablo Espanol.