Love in the Time of Cholera

De: Gabriel García Márquez

Narrado por: Armando Durán

Audie Award Finalist, Classic, 2014

From the Nobel Prize-winning author of One Hundred Years of Solitude comes a masterly evocation of an unrequited passion so strong that it binds two people's lives together for more than half a century.

In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry a wealthy, well-born doctor, Florentino is devastated, but he is a romantic. As he rises in his business career, he whiles away the years in 622 affairs - yet he reserves his heart for Fermina. Her husband dies at last, and Florentino purposefully attends the funeral. Fifty years, nine months, and four days after he first declared his love for Fermina, he does so again.

With humorous sagacity and consummate craft, Gabriel García Márquez traces an exceptional half-century of unrequited love. Though it seems never to be conveniently contained, love flows through the novel in many wonderful guises - joyful, melancholy, enriching, and ever surprising.

©1988 Gabriel García Márquez (P)2013 Blackstone Audio

Timeless Romance, brought to life by Armando Duràn

This story is one of the classic romances that will live on forever. I have read it more than once, but it had been a while and I needed some romance in my life, so I went in search of it again. I was so pleased to find it had finally been made into an audiobook, my life is busier than it used to be, so I was able to listen to it wherever I went. The narrator, Armando Duràn, was a perfect fit for this story. I mean perfect. The animation in his voice captures the passion of their love, the excitement and the sorrow. Every emotion was conveyed with such conviction, you would believe he wrote the story himself and was recounting from his own memory. His performance was impeccable and the story was lovely as ever. I would recommend this audiobook to everyone who wants the experience of a masterpiece novel, played out by an exceptional narrator.

Wildly entertaining but vaguely troubling

I pestered Audible so long about this book, having heard nothing but glowing things about it for so many years (and no time to read the paper version). So I rushed to put it in my queue as soon as it came out. Garcia Marquez has said that you have to be very careful not to fall into his trap. I wish I knew what he thought his trap was. Is it about love in old age? Is it about immorality disguised as faithfulness? Is it about the unreliability of the characters' appraisal of people and events? Is it about something else entirely? I will probably never know.

First of all, the prose is beautiful. Even in translation, you get the sense of an author with a gift for finding the right word and the felicitous phrase. The book is simply littered with insightful observations about life and humanity. Second, the characters are solidly created. We are interested in them, even as we sense that they may not be people we personally would like to know. And therein lies my uneasiness with this book. The more we get to know these characters, the more ordinary they seem, and--especially with Florentino--the more troubling their moral outlook on life becomes. Garcia Marquez leads us step by step down the proverbial primrose path, and I can follow as long as I suspend disbelief. I have more of a problem with it in the cold light of day.

Perfection! Sad that it ended!

The only bad thing I can say about this audio book is that it ended!
Gabriel Garcia Marquez brings a masterful work in this one, and I was hooked from the first words.
The narrator does a superb job on this and that is a credit as well to the translation into English. It is not too hard to follow, which was my initial concern.
The characters are deep and the story line is fabulous.

Pick this one up if you are looking for a wonderful listen!

What a sad story

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not really- I did not enjoy the story and found a lot of it to be quite sad and at times disturbing. I know this book takes place in a different time, but the yuck factor was there for me on several occassions.

Would you be willing to try another book from Gabriel García Márquez? Why or why not?

Several friends have suggested I try 100 Years of Solitude. I might give it a try but will definitely read a lot of reviews first.

A classic to be read

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would not change anything. The book is beautifully written. Shows cholera and the affects it has over generations in society and loving relationships.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Love in the Time of Cholera?

The last chapters were heartfelt and beautiful, showing aging and its remarkable qualities concerning love and its timelessness.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

There was a sing-song quality about his voice that was most annoying. High pitched to low pitched in most sentences throughout the whole book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

Please do have the book re-read by a different narrator. This book deserves to be read well. ( a suggestion would be the narrator that read the audible One Hundred Years of Solitude, by the same author. It was read beautifully)

A fascinating meditation on love and aging

This book is a meandering slice-of-life style story of a slow love triangle over three long lives. So it takes a bit of patience. But it's melodious and witty, and narrated with a lovely musicality. Thoughtful, meditative, and vivid. Good stuff if you can get into its rhythm.

This Story Sucks

These characters make bad decisions and are wishy washy. They are not admirable people. I just plain didn’t care who ended up with whom, and I sure got tired of hearing the sordid details of the Numerous sexual liaisons. bleh

One of my favorive books of all time.

Very nice performance of a classic book that I personally think is one of the best books ever written.

Too Impressive a Writer for Me to Review

What can I say about a novel that addresses the meaning of life and then, lays it out? The reason I’m writing is too mention that Marquez’s language is so rich and evocative that when you listen to the next book, the words sound pedestrian at first! Worth the balancing act though. Also, this book is not about an epidemic of cholera. The book dances with the meaning of life but also what is love? What more can you ask?

Delightful

Insight into history, culture and gender behaviors. Very entertaining! Glad for the details not apparent in the movie.