A friend had to read this in college and she hated it, so I had always kept my distance. Eventually, I read what it was about and was surprised that it sounded really good! So I gave it a try, and I really enjoyed it. It is long, and it does drag on a bit, but I still really liked the way it unfolded. I've liked nearly all the Latin writers I've read, and they've all been very similar: very detailed sagas with a touch of the fantastical. ( )

The story of the town of Macondo told through several generations of the Buendia family. I loved it. It was magical, funny and tragic. The beauty of Marquez’s writing is in the poetic and surreal way he presents the world. Marquez quickly wraps you up and takes you on an imaginative and delightful journey.

The history of Macondo is a metaphor to the history of Columbia. I'm not well versed with Latin American history but the events in this book like the struggle with modernisation, the civil wars and the exploitation by foreign imperialists are something that any third world person can relate to.

The themes of solitude and the cyclical nature of history is dealt with throughout the book through the generations of Buendia’s all bearing the same names and the same personalities and so doomed to repeat the same mistakes.

And almost in the end this line blew me away..

“…..that the past was a lie, that memory has no return, that every spring gone by could never be recovered, and that the wildest and most tenacious love was an ephemeral truth in the end.”

On the whole for me, i can only describe this book as beautiful. ( )

I almost rated it higher because I feel like I'm "supposed" to love this book. The writing is beautiful, but honestly I struggled with finishing it. It was hard to keep the characters straight (since they all have the same name!) and I'm just not sure I cared that much about the characters. So I gave it 3 stars instead of 4. I understand why people love it, but I can't rate something more than 3 stars if I have to struggle to finish it. ( )

Heard this as an audiobook. Wasn't enthralled. Not sure how much it was the delivery, or the endless parade of Aurelianos and José Arcadios. I did like the magical realism touches, but it wasn't enough to make me excited about getting in the car. ( )