Book Review – Love in the Time of Cholera – This book should carry a trigger warning

If you prefer written content these are almost (not quite) verbatim notes – If you prefer to watch the You Tube video CLICK HERE

VIDEO NOTES
I’m uncomfortable about reviewing this one, which might surprise people.
Gabriel García Márquez – Love in the Time of Cholera.
Sorry. It’s not a nice book.

I actually stopped reading this book about just over three quarters of the way through it.

Just on principle. I just felt too uncomfortable reading it. And I read the ebook. I’m glad I did because I wouldn’t even want this on my book case, even though it is a ‘classic.’

I’m a firm believer, as you know in books. I love all books.

I believe that we should be allowed to read whatever we choose. You don’t have to agree with that or me. Certain publications, I think maybe shouldn’t be on the shelf, but I believe in freedom of speech. I believe that if you stop things being printed, to a certain degree, it’ll go underground.

You may or may not agree with me, but in a democracy I believe that you should have freedom of time speech, mostly.

But with this, I’m sorry…

I don’t know how this got published. It’s seen as a modern classic, it was a prize winning book. It has some beautiful lyrical prose in it. The writing is stunning, which is presumably why he won awards.

But this particular book is not what I expected at all.
I’d heard loads about it, obviously, I mean, I’m in lots of book communities online, etc.

I’ve heard how wonderful it was.

What a beautiful love story it was.

How classic it was, what gorgeous writing, etc. And I can agree that some of the writing is very skilful, but I don’t consider it a love story.

[bctt tweet=”I consider it a dangerous message to put out there as a love story. I’m surprised that the publishers labelled it in that way in.” username=”@christieadams23″]

I’ll put a trigger warning in here because some of the subjects that I’m going to come on to are a bit uncomfortable.

If you prefer not to read about the dark sexual content, you can skip to the point marked *****

This is a story about a young couple who fell in love, got separated, came back together or not. I’m not doing spoilers. So I won’t tell you what happened in the book.

I didn’t get to the end of the book, even though I know what happens at the end, cause it is a ‘classic’ so I know the story. It’s got a really good sense place, which I’ll come on to, this book condones sexuality and behaviours like promiscuity, which is fair enough.

But the rape and the paedophile references in it, I found just too uncomfortable. I didn’t feel that they had a place in classic literature, which is, I suppose crazy. When you think back to the Greek gods and how they went about things, but it’s how it’s written here. The graphic nature of some of it and the condoning of the behaviours, is the bit that I found uncomfortable.

There are other books that I’ve read, even my own work has sex scenes, which sometimes a bit edgy. It depends how it’s written and if it’s gratuitous or if it’s condoned or even celebrated. And that’s the bit that I found uncomfortable. So you may or may not agree with me.
I do think that people should read the classics. They should read as wide a nature of books as they can, which is why I wanted to read this book.

It’s a globally famous book.

I do believe that you should read as wide a span of literature that you can but I was really uncomfortable with the subject matter and how it was dealt with. How it’s been parcelled up as this classic love story, ‘isn’t it wonderful’ and ‘isn’t everything great.’

Maybe I’ve missed something in the messages. Maybe you’ll put me right on that, but it does seem to have concentrated on the beauty of his prose, rather than the content of what he’s approved by doing it. I don’t see any apologies there or any reviews, there are few references to it, just what a beautiful piece of literature is.

And as a woman reader, I am sorry, but I just don’t agree with that. And I can’t review every book that I like or dislike in a biased way.

You may love this book. I don’t know.

You may have studied it in which case maybe I’m missing hidden messages. I know in literature there are hidden messages, but in some of these, the messages were too blatant. If there are hidden messages, they need to be unhidden because it, to me, it was just not a nice book to read.

It wasn’t a romance and it shouldn’t be parcelled up in that way, and being encouraged to read it as that, as if it portrays true love is a damaging message.
So sorry to be very dark.

*****

*****

You can come back in here.

If you jumped forward after the trigger warning, just to say that the please, please, please try and read as wide a scope of books that you can. There’s always things to learn from books.

Some of the pros in this book, it’s wonderful writing, very lyrical. It has a very, very strong sense of place and the atmosphere in which its written, the time of cholera. Illness and things come into it, and it does have that sense of place to it and a dark nature to it.

The issues that society faced at the time and practicalities of how they dealt with it, that type of thing was really good. I think that’s something that sometimes, people miss out.
I know I have. In books you know and stories I’ve written, where I’ve tried to include place, but maybe not as strongly as I should.

Christie’s Writer Tip:

Try to think of place as another character, how would you build that place up? If you were a stranger, maybe if you’re writing about place as a part of the story, which I know a lot of you do. You don’t have to go there, the Internet’s there, you can Google to your heart’s content and get pictures. You can communicate with people who live there and ask questions and read stories that are set there.

This is a book that’s a historical book as well. So you can’t go back to that timeframe, but you can research it and read it.

Christie’s Writer Tip:

If you have the luxury of going somewhere, take photographs, go off the beaten track and find reference points that you can include in your books. So that people who know the area will know, you don’t have to call it the same thing. You can make it a fantasy world if you like, but place is a really good thing to include in your books.

So I have learned from this book that at the end of the day, don’t believe the hype read the book yourself.

You don’t have to finish it if you’re not comfortable with it and you don’t have to pass it on. I’m glad this was an ebook because like I say, I just am not comfortable with it as a book. I wouldn’t like my grandchildren when they get older to read this unless they’d been forewarned.

And I think to me, the marketing of the book has been wrong, in that way.
It should have more obvious references to the characters in the book because you have to dig for those a little bit.
So that was my thoughts on it.

You may totally disagree and I’d love to hear your thoughts down below.

Always widen your reading though.

[bctt tweet=”And if you haven’t read any classics, whether it be Dickins or Marquez, whoever, pick up the book, give it a read and learn something from it.” username=”@christieadams23″]

Whether it be what you don’t want to include, or what you do want to include, in your own work and what you want to be remembered for.
Okay?
You might not go in for the awards or maybe you will, let me know what you think.
Sorry it’s been a bit dark this one, but like I say, just to recap, it’s Gabriel Garcia Marquez Love in the Time of Cholera no, I will not be picking up any of his other books.

NOTES END

 

Books I recommend and Like, and Other Writer Stuff and Things

I’m keen to hear your thoughts – and find out if you finish it or not. I can’t hand on heart encourage you to read it, my feminist views overtake my literature genes here, however if you do choose to read this book, you will find it HERE

On a much lighter note…

Did you know I run The Independent Freedom Creative FREE Facebook Group? I think it’s right up your street.
It’s packed full with individuals who value their personal freedom, a community for creatives who write, work or travel independently (or want to!)
Kindness is a key element. It’s all FREE and not spammy.
There are weekly threads where you can ask questions, self promote and join in on global networking.

You may also like:
Extract from Damaged…Burned series, Book 2

Book Review & Writer Tips – Dear Ijeawele, A Feminist Manifesto, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 

My Tools Of The Trade (Stuff I use and like!)
(A few of the services I use to bring this free content to you. I earn a small commission on some – it doesn’t affect your price, in fact it could save you money- others I just love anyway so wanted to share with you. You’re supporting my work, enabling me to continue writing and keep this website and content free to you, thank you!)

I hope I’ve inspired you, tweet me from your next coffee stop!