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Book Review of Love in the Time of Cholera (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)

Love in the Time of Cholera (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)
alleigh avatar reviewed on + 15 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


Love in the Time of Cholera reads like literature's version of a sex book or a romance novel, except without the exciting steamy scenes. It glorifies the fact that Florentino Ariza spends his life stalking Fermina Daza, who decided to marry another man when she and Ariza were still young adults. The book outlines both Daza's and Azira's sexual lives, including Azira's disturbing relationship with the 15-year old girl when he is well past middle age. The re-telling of these sexual adventures moves the plot along, seemingly to make the reader feel sympathetic toward Ariza for his devotion to the unknowing Daza. Instead, though, his obsession with her feels more creepy than romantic.

The writing itself was beautiful. The long, descriptive sentences can be wonderful to read, although the confusing use of pronouns sometimes makes it necessary to re-read a sentence to determine which âheâ is being referenced in different places during the sentence.