# Anyone read ''Love in the Time of Cholera?'' **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 25, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913 "2003-07-25T16:45:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/1 "2003-07-25T16:45:12Z")
I just picked this book up a few days ago, and started devouring it. I’m an avid reader, and I’m always looking for great books. I got this on the recommendation of a friend of mine. I haven’t delved into it too far (i’m still in double-digit pages), but I’m growing more and more interested. Anyone else read it? Does it keep the same interest throughout the entire book? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/2 "2003-07-25T16:50:21Z")
You mean it’s a real book? I thought they just made that up for a _Simpsons_ episode. ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/3 "2003-07-25T16:55:25Z")
Yarrr, that Simpsons book be “Love in the Time of Scurvy.” ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/4 "2003-07-25T17:00:15Z")
Yeah - it’s a great book. I find with many magical realism books and/or books by Marquez, they are more about the journey than the destination - in other words, it doesn’t have a whiz-bang ending, but I loved the characters and how it flowed so much that it didn’t matter. I strongly recommend his book _Chronicle of a Death Foretold_, obviously _100 Years of Solitude_ (although I find it to be more trouble that I thought it was worth) and also try Llosa’s _Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter_ for other wonderful Latin American books. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/5 "2003-07-25T17:00:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Superdude \* > \*\*Anyone else read it? Does it keep the same interest throughout the entire book? \*\* Yes and yes. It’s fantastic, isn’t it? It’s like the literary equivalent of eating a ripe mango. You might also want to read Garcia Marquez’s **Of Love and Other Demons** , which has a similar feel. A little girl is bit by a rabid dog and (after some tanglements) is brought to an abbey to be exorcised, and the priest who is appointed her exorcist falls in love with her. The back of the book described their relationship as “chaste [and] ill-fated,” and this is what made me read it. I loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/6 "2003-07-25T17:03:05Z")
I haven’t (yet) read _Love in the Time of Cholera_, but I have read _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ by the same author and I really liked it. _One Hundred Years_ kind of slowed down a lot in the last third or so, but the imagery and interweaving of mythology and reality were wonderful throughout. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/7 "2003-07-25T17:03:21Z")
I haven’t read it in ten years but I enjoyed it a lot. If you enjoy that book, you’ll probably enjoy _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ as well. It is a similar sort of epic story. ---
**Author:** ![SUPERKARLENE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/22d042/32.png) [@SUPERKARLENE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SUPERKARLENE)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/8 "2003-07-25T17:07:28Z")
If you like those, check out _House of the Spirits_ by Isabel Allende. It’s freakishly similar to _One Hundred Years of Solitude_, which is another fantastic read. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/9 "2003-07-25T17:58:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > \*\*You mean it’s a real book? \*\* Even more suprising is that there is a book called [Life and Loves of Mr. Jiveass Nigger](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0880015179/qid=1059156323/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-3916302-3207002?v=glance&s=books). Hey, **fiddlesticks** , the second link in your signature ain’t working. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/10 "2003-07-25T20:24:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SUPERKARLENE \* > \*\*If you like those, check out _House of the Spirits_ by Isabel Allende. It’s freakishly similar to _One Hundred Years of Solitude_, which is another fantastic read. \*\* I may have to do that. Next up is _The Unbearable Lightness of Being_. Our own **JoeyHemlock** has raved about it. And, for the record, **Bryan Ekars** , _Love in the Time of Cholera_ was mentioned by John Cusack in _High Fidelity_. Could also be a reference you’re thinking of? ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/11 "2003-07-26T02:18:18Z")
Having studied Latin American literature, I remember being surprised by _Love in the Time of Cholera_, because it’s not as heavy on magical realism as his other works. It has a very different style than _One Hundred Years of Solitude_. I preferred Love in the Time of Cholera - One Hundred Years is such a pain to follow. _Unbearable Lightness of Being_ is one of my favorite all-time books, so if there’s any consistency to my tastes, you should like both. (As for Kundera, you should also try _The Book of Laughter and Forgetting_, but unfortunately not all his books are enjoyable.) Personally, I can’t stand Isabel Allende. She’s just copying a style developed by Garcia Marquez and others. IMO she contributes nothing to the genre. Why have so few gringos discovered Carlos Fuentes? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/12 "2003-07-26T05:21:27Z")
Wonderful book, reminds me an awful lot like one of the relationships I was in years ago. (Hell, it describes a good portion of my life, I’d say.) Strange that I just happened to be thinking of this book totally out of the blue tonight and then when I log in on the Dope, I find a thread about it. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/13 "2003-07-26T07:34:42Z")
I loved _Love in the Time of Cholera_, _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ and _Chronicle of a Death Foretold_ by GGM. Didn’t care for _Love and Other Demons_. Liked _No One Writes to the Colonel_ also. ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/14 "2003-07-26T19:59:28Z")
I enjoyed _Love in the Time of Cholera_ immensely (preferred it slightly to _One Hundred Years of Solitude_), and I loved _Unbearable Lightness of Being_. I must read some Carlos Fuentes. Could you recommend me a title, **chula** , otherwise I’ll dip in at random (which may not be a bad thing). ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/15 "2003-07-26T20:16:14Z")
I’ve read most of GGM’s tales. I like LITTOC better than OHYOS. Strange Pilgrims, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, etc. are not quite as good but have a similar feel. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/16 "2003-07-26T23:09:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tansu \* > \*\*I must read some Carlos Fuentes. Could you recommend me a title, **chula** , otherwise I’ll dip in at random (which may not be a bad thing). \*\* Personally, I’ve read **The Death of Artemio Cruz** and **The Old Gringo** , so I’d recommend those. Neither truly set my interest afire, though Cruz picked up in intensity as the novel progressed. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2003, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-read-love-in-the-time-of-cholera/190913/17 "2003-07-27T14:28:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Superdude \* > \*\*And, for the record, **Bryan Ekars** , _Love in the Time of Cholera_ was mentioned by John Cusack in _High Fidelity_. Could also be a reference you’re thinking of? \*\* It was also used as a plot device in the John Cusack movie _Serendipity_. A girl he meets writes her phone number in a copy of that book and says she’ll leave it at a used book store, and if he finds it, then they were meant to be together. Events conspire to keep them apart right then, and he can’t find the book. Then, Years later, his fiance gives him a copy of ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’ as a wedding gift, since he was always looking for it in used-book stores, and when he opens it, it’s the one the other girl wrote her number in.