Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

This thread is open to discuss Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez



Synopsis:
In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry a wealthy, well-born doctor, Florentino is heartbroken, but he is a romantic. As he rises in his business career he whiles away the years in 622 affairs—yet he reserves his heart for Fermina. Her husband dies at last, and Florentino purposefully attends the funeral. Fifty years, nine months, and four days after he first declared his love for Fermina, he will do so again.

Woohoo!

Re-read for me, but it's my favourite Marquez so far, so really looking forward to it.

This is one of those books I have always meant to read since high school, but never have... so... it's high time. ;)

I will be reading the Hungarian translation

I might join you ladies... I've been meaning to read this for ages and why not now?

My library copy just came in, too, plus I think my mom has it in German somewhere... we'll see which format I'll vibe with better!

Great, the more the merrier. :))

And hopefully we will persist and can brag about it afterwards in the TBR thread. 🤭

I didn't make it to the bookstore this weekend, but I just got the audio, so I am good to go as well.
But, I kind of want to wait until tomorrow to start.

That was the plan Jenny. I just started a different book, which I won't finish until tonight/tomorrow morning.

Same here. Will only start tomorrow. :)

Yay!

Turns out I can't find my mom's copy... reading it in German would have the significant advantage of the inflated page count 🙃

Ready to go to start tomorrow regardless!

Just started reading and meeting a U-character on page 1. And my reaction: oh no... this should have worked for Wheels. LOL

LOL! I've had that problem before too. Most vexing!

I'm contemplating getting the EN version on audio, it'll go faster that way.

I have one of the audio versions , which I really enjoyed last time, and will be starting again as soon as I finish my current shortie 😁

Yes, this is the one I have my eyes on. 😊

Just finished my other one, so will be diving into this after lunch 😁

Parrot keeping... (view spoiler)[ more dangerous than you think! 😆 (hide spoiler)]

Switched to audio. I really like the narrator and the amospheric writing

This is my first book by GGM, actually. :)

I had to look up the time (apparently bw 1880-1930) and setting (a fictional city, possible combo of Cartagena and Barranquilla).

Of course I'll need to do sone further digging about history, etc.

It's one of those writing styles you either love or hate. I personally love. I fully intend to read all of his books sooner or later, although I've been reading most in print format, this is the only one I've listened to so far.

I think One Hundred Years of Solitude would NOT be fun as an audio. Even in print with a family tree to hand it was confusing enough (there are many, many characters and they all have very similar names), I hate to try that one in audio, especially as a first time reading it!

Well that answers my question about 100 years and audio. I was considering it, but I will just get the book instead. I am going to start this one on audio in a couple of hours.

Melindam wrote: "I had to look up the time (apparently bw 1880-1930) and setting (a fictional city, possible combo of Cartagena and Barranquilla).

Of course I'll need to do sone further digging about history, etc."

Yes, most of the places he writes about are fictional, but tend to be set in Colombia. I suppose it adds to the whimsy of his writing to not have a real, concrete place to pin it all on. Magic (even the slight hints of it he tends to employ) is far more likely in a place that doesn't exist.

Jenny wrote: "Well that answers my question about 100 years and audio. I was considering it, but I will just get the book instead. I am going to start this one on audio in a couple of hours."

Yes, get a physical copy, and make sure you print out the family tree! 😆

I find the voice really captivating, though I can understand that it isn't everyone's cuppa.

And yes, there is a kind of magical timelessnes about it all. :)

"I'm not rich. I'm a poor man with money, which is not the same thing."

How very true.

Except, it is possible for said man to become a rich man if he has that money for a long time and forgets what it is to go without it, I think.

Just started. Loving the narrator, and the writing so far.
One question. Isn't camphor the active ingredient in Mentholatum? I am spelling that wrong. The stuff moms used to rub on our chests when we had a cold? I am curious why sniffing it deeply would counteract the worry over taking too many meds. just saying.

I ended up opting for the audiobook too (for now) and I'm some 8% or so in. I'm still very much trying to find my bearings in the story and just paused to actually look at the blurb - and realized I'm not sure I've ever read it? Or if I have, it must've been 10+ years ago...

I'm not sure if the writing style would be for me if I was reading it physically, but as an audiobook it's working really well for me so far.

Jenny wrote: "Just started. Loving the narrator, and the writing so far.
One question. Isn't camphor the active ingredient in Mentholatum? I am spelling that wrong. The stuff moms used to rub on our chests when ..."

Camphor is supposed to reduce stress and anxiety, so I guess that may be why?

3 cheers for the audio. :)

Judy wrote: "I ended up opting for the audiobook too (for now) and I'm some 8% or so in. I'm still very much trying to find my bearings in the story and just paused to actually look at the blurb - and realized ..."

Yes, I think this book in particular lends itself to the audio format. It's very much like someone is telling the story, rather than it being a written one, if that makes sense?

I'm a little over halfway, and as hubby is due home any minute, I doubt I'll finish it today, but I'm certainly enjoying it as much as I did last time.

Sammy wrote: "Yes, I think this book in particular lends itself to the audio format. It's very much like someone is telling the story, rather than it being a written one, if that makes sense?"

Yeah that makes sense! A little meandering, too...

I am at chapter 3 and seems like there's a lot more meandering to come... giggles

My audiobook isn't chaptered and it's scaring me...

Odd. Mine is. Maybe it's a different version.

Getting serious stalker vibes from Florentino.

I love the parrot and the mango tree. And the writing is delicious. The story is odd, in a good way.

The chapters are not numbered in my print edition, but Audible gave them numbers.

The love story starts to freak me out a bit, despite the atmospheric narration. :)

Yup. I don't really want to meet any of these characters. Except maybe to sit them down and tell them to behave a bit better.

:D

Yes, wouldn't be keen on any meeting either.

I guess it's the place: all that oppressive heat, humidity, the marshes, a place that feels alien - but it feels morbid. Fascinating, but morbid nevertheless.

I feel like a literary tourist (the despicable kind) who's glad she came, but kind of looking foward to going home? :D

Yes, he's creepy, and he gets worse, lol.

Marquez has a habit of writing about people you wouldn't want to meet, but is really interesting anyway.

I think that the thing to remember is, that despite the title, this isn't a lovely story. It's a people story...

Sammy wrote: "I think that the thing to remember is, that despite the title, this isn't a lovely story. It's a people story..."

👍

sorry, phone did weird autocorrect. I meant love story, not lovely story, lol.

Didn't they turn this one into a movie? Can you imagine the poor screenwriter? "Now, Jim, I know it is a daunting task, but distill this beautiful prose about some somewhat icky people into something the average moviegoer will want to see. Maybe leave out some of the more intimate descriptions of bodily functions. And leave out a few of Florentino's more, um, "problematic" lovers. And don't forget the parrot."

🤣

LMAO! Yeah, I'm not sure how well it would translate 😆

At chapter 4.... spying and secret courtship via telegrams.... those were the days :)