Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera: A Reader's Guide

Continuum Contemporaries

by Thomas Fahy

This is part of a new series of guides to contemporary novels. The aim of the series is to give readers accessible and informative introductions to some of the most popular, most acclaimed and most influential novels of recent years from The Remains of the Day to White Teeth . A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question. This is an excellent guide to 'Love in the Time of Cholera'. It features a biography of the author, a full-length analysis of the novel, and a great deal more. If you re studying this novel, reading it for your book club, or if you simply want to know more about it, you ll find this guide informative, intelligent, and helpful.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literature, Novels, Book Club, Magical Realism

188 pages, Paperback

First published May 10, 2003

About the author

Thomas Fahy is a nonfiction writer, novelist, and professor of literature and creative writing. His most recent book, The Life of the Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald, is being released in the fall of 2025. He has also published essays on everything from Paris Hilton and 1980s vampire films to contemporary television and theater. His works have been translated into several languages, and he has been interviewed by the Associated Press, Salon, and other publications, as well as radio hosts in the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and Malaysia. He was recently featured in a documentary about Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood for Arte Television and on the BBC radio program “Literary Pursuits.”

When he is not writing, Dr. Fahy performs regularly as a classical pianist with the New York Piano Society and has appeared in recent concerts at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Concert Hall, and other venues in New York City.

Reviews

[Joyce]

I don't understand all the hype about this book. I had to force myself to read it and it took several months, but I read every word. Don't understand how he could have written so many words about one infatuation. I'm glad I read it. But again, don't understand the attraction.

[C R]

The male writer voice is very apparent. His ability to paint word pictures of the social and historical times takes you to another place and time.

[Molly]

I am not actually reading the guide. This book doesn't come up!

It took a few pages of concentration to get into this book. Once I did, I was hooked. I have never read any Latin American literature and I found this to be a good introduction. There is a magical element that keeps the reader focused on every paragraph in the expectation of an important twist. Another interesting aspect to style is the very long chapters that are not organized by character perspective, time or event. Garcia Marquez would switch perspectives with only a sentence or two of transition. Keeps you on your toes!

The novel itself was very touching. From the interesting perspective on the evolution of Latin American culture to the torment of an undying love, the themes of age (or agelessness) and virility overpowered much of the plot. Another interesting theme was mail. It was important to the plot for our main characters and the entire society, and also as a constant historical backdrop. Hand delivered letters, telegraph operators, mail boats, hot air balloons and trains... modernization of mail helped show the passage of time and provided a way for Florentino Ariza to maintain a presence in Fermina's life through career ie.social advancement.

It's short, powerful and an overall great read!

[Mailmanr5]

This is for the novel, not the "reader's guide" as listed.
This was the finest love story I have ever read. There is no substitute for Maequez's prose. It flows beautifully from word to word. He accomplishes the feat of describing a man maddeningly in love with a woman he cannot approach by taking us inside his mind to see the torture. It's been many years since I read it but I intend to read it again soon.

[Taralyn]

The author's writing is enormous. I was set for a book a la English Patient and was excited to see that Cholera really is not the focus of this novel. It is about suffering, the kind that takes a lifetime to perfect. I haven't read a book this smart in a long time.

[Amanda]

I really struggled with this book. It had hints of pedophilia, rape, and toxic, one-sided relationships that I just could not get past. Was it beautifully written? Of course, but the themes don't seem to up to the test of time.

[Nabiha Meher Shaikh]

Read it 5 times and still can't get enough.

[Windsor Grace]

I couldn't finish it fast enough. Marquez just drones on for ever and ever. And the men in the book are all despicable. Yet, somehow they are still considered heroes. I'm SO glad I finished it.

[B Mo]

This book is over hyped and bad. I really enjoyed the first 50 pages or so, when I thought the story line more loosely followed different people connected through threads of fate and explaining the love in their lives; that would have been a cool book. But instead it continues in a way that ends up just focusing on a creepy older man who’s obsessed with a younger woman his entire life while also having his own sex with other people and being creepy about that too.

I got 70-80% done with the book before I stopped altogether. I didn’t want to see an ending where the creepy man got the girl, and I was feeling like that was the direction it was going in. Who knows, could be wrong since I didn’t finish it. But it wasn’t for me

[Carol Dunn]

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!!

[Shyanne Pasha]

Easier to read than I expected and an intense love story between Fermina and Florentino that spans their whole lives. I loved the character of her husband and their relationship and I thought Flortentino was quite creepy, especially his relationship with the young girl towards the end. The end of the book for me was an unexpected turn with Fermina and Florentino relighting their romance but I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

[Fatima Soto]

Es una historia de amor, pero si lo que buscas es una historia chiché, aquí no la vas a encontrar, esta sin duda es una historia muy apegada a como es la cruda y dura realidad, y como aunque el amor es fuerte, no siempre rompe todas las barreras. Te enseña como por mas que ames a una persona o por mas que se amen, el momento no es el indicado, tal vez nunca lo sea, pero no hay que perder las esperanzas.

[Wil]

The story was written by Garcia Marquez, one of the most famous Colombian writers, The novel was based on true love that can last and overcome adversity for a lifetime, despite the class, war, and suffering due to the cholera this love could not only survive but also grow up and become to a true love.

[Sardor Islomov]

This book haven't translated into my native language. When I started reading it I thought why, but as I dive in it became clear that this book do not much our social norms. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Love in Time of Cholera"

[Ann Dake]

What a pleasure this book is! I had no idea what it was about but I knew it was a classic. It it definitely a classic love story, not a romance but a true love story. It is quite long, very wordy and not for everyone but large parts of this book are true poetry.

[Joan McGaffigan]

I really wanted to like this book and it seemed like my type of book, but I just couldn’t grasp the attraction of how so many people loved it. 2 friends told me it was one of their very fav books of all time. Not mine.

[Jamaica]

Beautifully passionately written. Insight into an era and place I know nothing about so felt like I learnt a lot. Enduring love. Incredibly flawed characters and society. Some hectic themes, uncomfortable at times, which made me not really care for the characters. Fermina you are a stubborn baddie.

[Issney]

🤨

[Kathy Happle]

Wonderful descriptive writing like Isabelle Allende. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Lesley]

I remember when Oprah raved about this book and it being "one of the greatest love stories...It's a captivating story about a passionate but troubled love affair that takes place over the course of 50 years."

I absolutely disagree with this opinion 100%. This book was a struggle to get through and was not the greatest love story I've ever read. An absolute bore. There were moments where it was disturbing and gross (i.e.Florentina Ariza and some of his sexual escapades). I thought it would be a good read considering the current times we're in with the pandemic. Honestly, any other book would have been better.

[Tabatha]

Morally gray characters that we watch/read progress and progress.

[Nataly Spencer]

"El que no tiene memoria se hace una de papel."

[Dea Avila]

a master piece

[Domini Bomini]

This book hasn't ages well

[Elmarie]

Definitely in my top three favorite reads.

[Charles Low]

Fabulous story-telling, if ultimately a bit disappointedly contrived. But definitely worth reading, decide for yourself.

[M]

Una de las mejores novelas de Gabriel, es demasiado romántico y tierno, cada parte es una nueva esperanza de un amor real. Es muy hermoso, tiene una redacción impresionante y muy bonita historia

[Carole Moody]

Hard to get into but worth the persistence

[Suzie Sparling]

Meandering writing and boring. There is no point, it is just a series of happenings. I had to force myself to finish for bookclub. My whole bookclub felt the same way.

[Evil Shelley]

3.5 stars. The writing is great. The musings on love, life and death are great. But Florentino is deeply unlikeable and I was glad to be done with him.