Review - Love in the Time of Cholera

[wilderthan]

The first time I tried to read Love in the Time of Cholera, I didn't get very far. This time, I gave it more time, and after fifty pages actually found myself very interested. The narrative is hard to get into, and I thought it wandered a little, but the descriptions are good and I can picture a lot of the scenes very vividly. It's interesting that despite Florentino's flaws -- stalking his ex-girlfriend, and sleeping with everyone, including fourteen year old girls! -- I ended up kind of rooting for him. But Fermina Daza is the best character, I think. I enjoyed Urbino Daza a lot as well, and the fact that his married life with Fermina was described as stable and happy, instead of making it unhappy and giving Florenino a place to come in early.

It's romantic despite the creepiness of Florentino's obsession, and the last few lines are perfect. I don't know what I originally expected from this book, really, but in the end I quite enjoyed it.