BOOK REVIEW: LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA

Love in the Time of Cholera

I once teased Kat about the title of the book, people would still be horny in times of crisis.

Despite the title being somewhat cacat, nevertheless, attention grabbing, Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a master of story teller, skilled player of words which emphasizes its meanings accurately, with generous doses of sarcasm, humor and wit.

It has awhile since I last complete an entire book – I took a month to finish this. I have developed a very bad habit of reading a few pages of many books all at a time. (Please refer to the Currently Nibbling… column on the right).

A good friend, Sing is right. When I told Sing about Florentino Ariza (the main male cast in this story) who waited 51 years, nine months and four days for the woman that he loved, this friend of mine brushed it aside as absurd and commented that, no matter how much you loved a woman, you would still sleep around prior to getting hold of the affection of the woman of his dreams.

He was right.

Welcome to the real world. A man, no matter how devoted they claimed they are to you, they would still sleep around like animals.

I do not know what Fermina Daza has done to intoxicate Florentino Ariza, other than her almond shaped eyes, walking with haughtiness, etc... probably her pheromones appealed to him. (Remember Poison Ivy in Batman?)

Florentino Ariza is a victim of forlorn love. All these years, he subconsciously seeks the substitute for Fermina in every woman that he entered, yet he couldn’t erase Fermina from his body, mind and soul. What befuddled me was, they were not even real lovers in the very beginning. Dejavu?

They were merely penfriends, professing love for each other in written form; letters, telegrams (Florentino worked there), occasional exchange of gifts of dried leaves, petals, and the most precious would be Fermina’s hairlocks. This way of communication went on for some time before Fermina was caught red handed writing to Florentino in her classroom and was later, expelled from school. This is the 1900s. What do you expect?

This proves that the power of the pen is sharper than any two-edged swords.

Some witty sexual# remarks found in this book (almost every page is peppered with wit):

The only regret I will have in dying is if it is not for love. – Florentino’s dad. Like father like son. Hopeless romantic. Page 169

“The world is divided into those who screw and those who do not.” – Florentino, when he has difficulties coping with his bowel problems. Page 183

“No,” she said to him. “I would feel as if I were going to bed with the son I never had.” – Leona Cassiani, Florentino’s able assistant and good friend. Florentino has a thing for older women. Page 188

“But when a woman decides to sleep with a man, there is no wall she will not scale, no fortress she will not destroy, no moral consideration she will not ignore at its very root: there is no God worth worrying about.” – Dr Urbino, Fermina’s dead husband over a parrot. Page 329

“I’ve remained a virgin for you” – Florentino, the liar. Page 339

Simple story yet, exquisite description of the ambience/ smells/ touch*/ feelings, etc would transport the reader exactly to the very scene as the story unfolds. The earnest yearning. The unfulfilled love. The agonizing years of tormenting wait. Simply mesmerizing. I am inspired.

Two Thumbs Up!

# Men think of sex every 2 minutes.
*(without tasteless lurid details of sex ala Sidney Sheldon – those wham-bang-thank-you-maam type)

Related Post: Love in the Time of Cholera, Perhentian Trip: Post Mortem II - The First Night

Book review by Robert Couteau