This book ignited a life-long love of Hispanic literature. The vivid language, the imagery, the flights of fancy juxtaposed against the backdrop of historical era and compelling characters.
this book got off to a slow start and I almost put it down...good thing I perservered because by the middle I was totally wrapped up in the characters....a good reminder of the power of passion and what romance (not the cheesy kind) can be like....
I should state in the first line that Gabriel Garcia Marquez is my favourite author. There are many layers to this book - the poignant story of love, both - gained and lost; the wonderfully foreign setting that is sometimes exotic and sometimes bleak; the rich and textured characterisations of all the novel's players both - major and minor. But above all, it is Marquez's prose that wins the day (at least for me). To write with such wit and charm, with such grace and style... only Marquez can! I found myself rereading sentences just for the pure pleasure of their construction. While this is not, as some have said, a 'page turner', actually that is its strength for me because this is a novel to be savoured, to be devoured by sipping not gulping. A wonderful and beautiful reading experience. Shall read again!!