Memories of My Melancholy Whores

By: Gabriel García Márquez

Narrated by: Thom Rivera

On the eve of his 90th birthday, a bachelor decides to give himself a wild night of love with a virgin. As is his habit - he has purchased hundreds of women - he asks a madam for her assistance. The 14-year-old girl who is procured for him is enchanting, but exhausted as she is from caring for siblings and her job sewing buttons, she can do little but sleep. Yet with this sleeping beauty at his side, it is he who awakens to a romance he has never known.

Tender, knowing, and slyly comic, Memories of My Melancholy Whores is an exquisite addition to a master's work.

©2005 Gabriel García Márquez (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Alright but to Melodramatic and Self Centered

As a Cuban it's PC for me to say that Spanish writers tend to be way to melodramatic and with too big an air of self-importance. What saves the story is that it is leveled off with the honesty of some of the characters imperfections and insecurities. Not really my kind of story but had to try because of the "legend" of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. But legend or not the story about a "dirty" old man is more pitiful than great.

Genius

It is a bit presumptuous of me, an old man, to 'review' a work of this genius. I've read
'A hunded Years, and all his other novels and except for Faulkner and Tolstoy there is
no body in his class. As an almost 90 year old myself, I loved the old man's statement on
how the gentle instance causes him to get emotional unlike in his youth...year I know, a simple enuf
observation if one is a genius and can put that thought into context. What can I say
he is a genie a gift to mankind . Got bless him.


'

True love

I love the honesty of the main character, it makes the story real. I preferred the Spanish version.

What a weird story

What did you like best about Memories of My Melancholy Whores? What did you like least?

I didn't like the idea that the guy wanted to have sex with a young virgin, but I did like that in the end he didn't do it.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I have no idea. Honestly, I loved the writing, but the subject matter was a little squicky. I don't know if I could change it and still keep anything similar.

What does Thom Rivera bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I liked his rusty voice. It made picturing the character easier.

Was Memories of My Melancholy Whores worth the listening time?

Ultimately, yes. It wasn't a long book, and it was interesting, if not the most favorable material.

Any additional comments?

Not as good as the other Gabriel Garcia Marquez works!

Manual for men turning 90.

What made the experience of listening to Memories of My Melancholy Whores the most enjoyable?

My first book from Senor Marquis was "Chronicles Of A Death Foretold". It was in a Playboy Magazine great books review. That was 25 years ago, and I have not missed a word he has written since. This book is further testimony of his great skill and eloquence with language and the powerful range of events he has lived or seen lived and sculptured in poetic, exotic colors and sounds of a rain forest.

What other book might you compare Memories of My Melancholy Whores to and why?

see above.

What about Thom Rivera’s performance did you like?

He captured well the voice and rhythm of GGM.!

If you could rename Memories of My Melancholy Whores, what would you call it?

Excercise Manual For Men Of 90 Years

Any additional comments?

Read it.

Excellent narration

Wonderful story. Great narration. Believable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it.

Boohoo I'm Old and Ugly and No One Loves Me...

I wish this was a better story :( but essentially it's a story about an ugly old creep who is 90 years old and thinks that its art to talk about how creepy, ugly, and old he is.

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-the consolation you have when you can't have Love

Is this a novella about a ninety-year-old writer who is going to kick open the door to his 90s by sleeping with a 14-year-old pr0stitute*? Yes. But also no. I'm not going to tell you if it happens or not. But it is as much about s3x as Lolita. Perhaps, that is an incomplete or unfinished analogy. Both books do play around with the idea of s3x and the transgressive idea of an older man and a nymph. But, really, the book is about love and getting old. It is about coming to grips with an aging body, surrounded by books, an adopted Angoran cat, classical music, his writing, and yes memories of melancholic wh0res. I liked it enough I'd recommend it to my wife, just not my mother or daughter.

* Sorry, I've noticed the corporate/reactionary satrap's blood-red pencil has been busy censoring some of my reviews.

Good Story but Bad Ending

At the beginning, the story was confusing. As it went on, I began to understand it. It was good. Only thing I disliked was the ending because we never know if they end up together. Read this story because of my college class.