Yes, Bowdoin Reads, but students swamped with schoolwork won’t make time to read just any book. Here is one that is well worth your while…
For anyone out there feeling even a modicum of disillusionment with the success of the Twilight Series, Love in the time of Cholera is the book for you. Written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, what struck me about this novel is that it feels so shockingly real. Instead of excluding details that may seem to some less elegant, Marquez includes the minutiae that collectively make life so deliciously pungent and memorable, yet not to the point of redundancy. The physical ailments of the characters resonate in one’s own flesh, the visceral pain and discomfort, as well as the soaring sensations of ecstasy—throughout my reading of this I felt bonded to each character because they felt so real. The main characters all see love in different ways, and reading this opened my eyes to be more accepting of all the types and forms of attachment and affection. Funny, surprising, and perfect in its conveyance of human imperfection, Love in the time of Cholera is ecstasy-inducing creation.
I read this book a long, long time ago and was very struck with it. It builds slowly but inexorably to the point where it takes over your non working world. These comments by Tori Guen brought the book back to me. It is a very thoughtful, elegant and insightful review, and although every book is not for every taste, I would recommend that folks consider looking into this novel. I think many of you will find that Ms. Guen’s words will resonate with you. This is a great novel by a very interesting writer, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who always manages to blend the mystical with an everyday, painfully detailed depiction of reality.