Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of The Autumn of the Patriarch

The Autumn of the Patriarch
The Autumn of the Patriarch
Author: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Gregory Rabassa (Translator)
ISBN-13: 9780060932671
ISBN-10: 0060932678
Publication Date: 10/1/1999
Pages: 272
Rating:
  • Currently 2.8/5 Stars.
 13

2.8 stars, based on 13 ratings
Publisher: Perennial Classics
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

2 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed The Autumn of the Patriarch on
I thought this novel was incredible. It amazes me how well Gabriel Garcia Marquez can convey such a strong sense of Latin American history through surreal fiction.
eadieburke avatar reviewed The Autumn of the Patriarch on + 1639 more book reviews
Book Description
One of Gabriel García Márquez's most intricate and ambitious works, The Autumn of the Patriarch is a brilliant tale of a Caribbean tyrant and the corruption of power.
From charity to deceit, benevolence to violence, fear of God to extreme cruelty, the dictator of The Autumn of the Patriarch embodies the best and the worst of human nature. Gabriel García Márquez, the renowned master of magical realism, vividly portrays the dying tyrant caught in the prison of his own dictator-ship. Employing an innovative, dreamlike style, and overflowing with symbolic descriptions, the novel transports the reader to a world that is at once fanciful and real.

My Review
This is a very complex novel and a bit hard to understand because of it's unconventional structure. The sentences are formed with thought after thought and run-on sometimes for a page or two switching from first person to third person. It is full of symbolic description which makes the meaning hard to grasp and should be studied instead of read as a normal novel. I recommend this tale of an immortal and despicable Caribbean tyrant If you are a fan of stream-of-conscious writing otherwise be prepared for challenging read.