Book Review: Love in a Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

A Love Story that Spans a Lifetime

Florentino Ariza's entire life is dedicated to the woman he fell in love with when he was a young man. While Fermina Daza marries a well bred doctor instead of him, he continues to set forth on a path that he believes will reunite them in the end. Fifty years later he finally has a chance to make it right when her husband passes away.

I really enjoyed this story not only for the main storyline but for all the little extras. There was a underlying sarcastic tone that was interwoven in this book as the story developed with humor, even if parts of the sequences were sad. The author really captured the thoughts, dreams and musings of each individual character that they seemed "real" rather than fiction. It seemed brutal and honest. The descriptions and settings were easy to envision due to the descriptive nature of this book that was set in South America.

This book also resonated the theme of "change" in many different ways. Changes to perspectives, changes in environment as the new world emerged with technology and new ideas, and changes as the characters aged and transitioned in their roles throughout their lives. I found that part very interesting as it involved coping by the characters.

I really enjoyed this one and felt that I got to know both Florentino and Fermina in an direct manner, as well as her late husband and a host of other characters. Recommend!