Book Review: 100 Years of Solitude

Quite surprisingly I had not heard of Gabriel Garcia Marquez until maybe three years ago when I made a study on the greatest works of literature (Top 100 Classic Novels). It was encouraging to see that this Latin American author from my heritage of Colombia had not one but two novels regarded as masterful works. His two most famous novels 100 Years of Solitude and Love in a Time of Cholera demonstrate Colombian culture and history. The publication of 100 Years of Solitude brought world fame to Marquez and even won him the Nobel Prize. He had introduced a new and original style of magical-realism that incorporated the essence of Latin America. 

So I've had both these books on my read-list since I discovered them, but as usual have been deep into my history books or European classics. It wasn't until my past trip to Europe that I was reminded of these books on my list. It was at a bar in Stavanger, Norway that Andres and I had a few drinks with an American. Normally we try to avoid Americans in Europe but this guy was by far one of the most interesting Americans I've met in a while. He was in his late 20s, living a Bohemian lifestyle in Europe bouncing from job to job. He was working as a professor and well versed in classic literature. He reminded me of Ernest Hemingway portrayed in the film Midnight in Paris. For over an hour we discussed classic literature, but he especially went on about the writings of Marquez. I promised myself that night that I would finally take on these classics works of Colombian literature. 

I read a few more books after my Europe trip then went ahead and bought both of Marquez's famous books on Amazon. I can often be seasonal about my books or movies, and since this one was set in the jungles it seemed like a good summertime book. I started the book a couple weeks ago and quickly realized it was very different from most books I read. While the structure was linear, the plot was all over the place focusing on many characters. As the title suggests it takes place over 100 years so deals with various generations of family members. I can say up front it's not quite what I expected and I wasn't as drawn in as I thought I would be. There were times where I just found it difficult to comprehended what was going on. I'll get more into my review later, but first would like to share the premise of the book. 

The Premise

The book takes place in rural Colombia, most likely in the early 1800s. The setting incorporates a unique blend of fantasy and reality, known as magical realism. At the onset there is no mention of Simon Bolivar's ongoing Spanish Wars of Independence. Instead the book primarily focuses on the Buendia family and their surroundings in rural Colombia. The patriarch of the family is Jose Arcadio Buendia and he leaves the coastal town of Riohacha to establish the fictional town of Maconda. This town is the basis of the book, and represents a utopian society disconnected from the real world. Jose is a headstrong adventurer and is married to his first cousin and equally headstrong woman Ursula. As in many Latin families Ursula becomes the backbone matriarch of the family, and long outlasts her husband.

Upon it's establishment the town is very disconnected only visited by traveling gypsies. The leader of these Gypsies is an interesting man named Melquaides who introduces new scientific discoveries to Jose Arcadio Buendia. In turn the patriarch becomes obsessed with inventions and alchemy and further isolates himself from society. Ursual and Jose have three children, Jose Arcadio, Aureliano Buendia, and Amaranta. The eldest son Jose Arcadio runs away from the town, becomes a pirate covered in tattoos, and later returns to marry his adopted sister Rebeca. The second son Aureliano Buendia joins the liberals in the civil war against the conservatives. And the daughter Amaranta never marries but is always bitter towards her adopted sister Rebeca. Much of the early part of the book deals with the Colombian Civil War between liberals and conservatives. While not identifying which particular historical war, Marquez is referencing the various political and violent struggles in the country. 

The city of Maconda is eventually annexed by the Colombian government under the administration of Don Apolinar Moscate. The patriarch Jose Arcadio Buendia allows the government to stay in his town, but demands them to remove their soldiers. Aureliano Buendia first falls for the administrator's young daughter, Remedios but then he later has an affair with the outsider Pilar Ternera. Pilar comes from a different town, is a card-reader, and has love affairs with both brothers Jose Arcadio and Aureliano Buendia.

Aureliano Buendia leaves the town of Maconda to join the liberals in their civil war against the conservatives. He later becomes a well respected colonel and survives many attempts on his life. Throughout his years at war he has 17 children with various women. Meanwhile the son of Jose Arcadio and Pilar, Arcadio becomes a ruthless leader in Maconda as the civil war goes on. He marries the virtuous Santa Sofia de la Piedad and they have three children; Remedios the Beauty, and twins Jose Arcadio II, and Aureliano II. Arcadio is eventually confronted by Ursula for his tyrannical methods, and he is later executed by the Conservative army. Col Aureliano returns to sign a peace treaty in Maconda where he faces execution but is saved by his pirate brother Jose Arcadio. Days later Jose Arcadio is mysteriously murdered, maybe by Rebecca or maybe by the conservatives. Col Aureliano spends the remainder of his days in isolated solitude just as his father did. 

At this point the book shifts to it's third act, where a railroad has arrived in Maconda bringing in new technologies and foreign settlers. Some of these settlers include American businessmen who seek to establish a banana plantation near the town. The business booms for a while and brings new wealth to Maconda, however eventually a strike ensues. This leads to a massacre of the plantation workers, a reference to the historical Banana Massacre of 1928 that killed hundreds. The only survivor of the massacre is Jose Arcadio II, and the town of Maconda is forever scarred. Jose Arcadio II later dies at the exact same moment his twin brother does. 

Aureliano II marries the beautiful Fernanda del Carpio and they have three children; Amaranta Ursula, Jose Arcadio, and Renata Remedios. However Aureliano later has an affair with Petra Cortes, and their lovemaking mysteriously causes the livestock to reproduce at an excelled rate. At this point a major deluge of rainfall comes upon the town of Maconda for four years. The matriarch Ursula, who is now over 100 years old, survives the rainstorm but dies shortly after. Her great-great-grand daughter Amaranta Usula travels to Europe and marries a Belgian aviator Gaston. 

However once again their is an incestious affair in the family when Amaranta Ursula falls for her nephew Aureliano Babilonia (the son of Renata Remedios and Marucios Babilonia). They have a child, named Aureliano, but Amaranta Ursula dies during the birth. Their son Aureliano is born with a pigtail due to the incest and dies shortly after devoured by ants. The death of his lover and his son send Aureliano Babilonia into a grief stricken solitude. He spends the remainder of his days studying the texts of Melquaides , which metaphorically details the rise and fall of the Buendia family. Aureliano Babilonia later dies as the last of the Buendia line that also brings an end to the town of Maconda. 

Book Review

As I alluded to in my introduction I have rather mixed feelings about this book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I applaud the book for it's original use of magical-realism that creates a very subtle bit of fantasy in a very real world. I also think there are some deep underlying themes which I want to elaborate on. However I ultimately feel there is just too much going on in a 400 page book. There are too many characters and the time of 100 years is rushed and crammed into this overloaded soap opera. I think the book would have been much better suited as a series, or even a dramatic epic in the likes of Les Miserables or War and Peace (that have over 1000 pages). 

Another problem I have with the book is the similar names which make it difficult to associate whose who. Upon studying the family tree that spans 7 generations it appears all the characters are either named Jose, Ursula, Aureliano, or Amaranta. I found this very hard and confusing to follow and would often have to revert back to the family tree. While I understand it might be a vital element of a family lineage, a think a simple suffix would have been a lot easier to follow. Also I don't understand why Marquez found it necessary to include so much incest in his book. I don't think this is at all a characteristic that reflects on the devout religious society of Latin America. 

Now I'll try to point on the positives of this book, which was it's underlying themes and representations of Colombian history and culture. For starters, Marquez creates a beautiful fantasy setting in the town of Maconda. I pictured this as a village deep in the jungle secluded from the rest of society. I think this idea of Maconda represents a greater theme Marquez alludes to which is solitude. While the town is isolated from the real world, the characters also go thru their own personal times of loneliness. Examples include the patriarch Jose Arcadio Buendia who separates himself from the family to study his scientific curiosities. Then there is the Colonel Buendia who isolates himself to write poetry and craft golden fish. Even Remedios the Beauty who is desired by many men chooses a life of freedom and wisdom. I believe it's not quite clear whether Marquez is encouraging solitude or not, but his use of love and the destruction of Maconda could support the latter. 

Gabriel Garcia Marquez makes many references to Colombian history throughout this book. While he doesn't outright label them, it is unmistakable that he is using Colombia history as a backdrop of the somewhat fantasy setting. For example there are the Roma gypsies often voyaging thru Maconda in the book, including Melquiades. This is a real reference to the thousands of Romani people who escaped slavery from Europe and settled in Colombia. Another major historical reference in the book's plot is to the Thousand Days War which occurred in Colombia from 1899-1902. Many of the characters in the book partake in the rebellious war of liberals against conservatives. There is also the historical Banana Massacre of 1928 which makes up a good portion of the book. These are all real events of Colombia's history in which Marquez implements in his fantasy setting. 

I think the ultimate appeal of the book is Marquez's original creation of magical-realism. It's not a fantasy book like Lord of the Rings, however it's also not a real life drama like War and Peace. The magical element is actually a subtle part of the plot and especially adds to the poetry of Marquez's writing. Such examples include Remedios the Beauty ascending into heaven or the boom of livestock reproduction amidst the love of Petra and Aureliano II. Marquez really does drop some poetic elements to this book such as Santa Sofia, "who had the rare virtue of never existing until the opportune moment". Or the twins being exchanged at birth and at death. Or Ursula's out of body experience upon her death. It's ultimately a very unique book and although I wasn't blown away with it I did enjoy the originality of it all. I can see why it is considered such a masterpiece of world literature, and maybe some day I'll give it a 2nd run.