Book Review-100 Years of Solitude

[Luna Ravenlong]

Title:100 Years of Solitude
Author: Gabriel García Márquez
Genre: Magical Realism, Historical Fiction

Summary from Goodreads:
The novel tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. It is a rich and brilliant chronicle of life and death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the noble, ridiculous, beautiful, and tawdry story of the Buendía family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo, one sees all of Latin America.

Love and lust, war and revolution, riches and poverty, youth and senility -- the variety of life, the endlessness of death, the search for peace and truth -- these universal themes dominate the novel. Whether he is describing an affair of passion or the voracity of capitalism and the corruption of government, Gabriel García Márquez always writes with the simplicity, ease, and purity that are the mark of a master.


My Thoughts:
I really struggled with this book, which is a shame as I was really looking forward to it. It is incredibly well written and I completely understand why it is so highly regarded. But for me there were too many characters that all seemed to meld together and I found it difficult to follow where I was in the stories timeline. Especially as all the characters have similar names (though I thinks this links to the incest that runs through the novel)
I do enjoy historical function, and liked reading about how Macondo changed over time,which I think links to what was happening in South America at the time. Though I may have gotten more out of it if I’d known more about the history before reading the book.

I will probably give it a second look, as it does seem like a fascinating novel and I would like to give it another go.