One Hundred Years of Solitude: Book Review

Today, we will be reviewing One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, a classic novel that is considered one of the best works of literature. Keep reading to see what we thought of this novel and if you should add it to your reading list!

One Hundred Years of Solitude Summary

After killing Prudencio Aguilar because of an argument, José Arcadio Buendía and his wife Úrsula Iguarán leave town and search for a new place to start a new life. They are accompanied by friends and one day come across a place near a riverbank and decide to settle there, calling their new home Macondo.

What follows is the story of seven generations of the Buendía family and the rise and fall of Macondo. The stories of the family go from happy to sad and happy again as the town they live in goes through changes, sweeping the family along as a result.

Commentary

Trying to summarize this novel is not easy because there is so much that happens and that the plot is simple. What is fascinating are all the events that take place and how García Márquez tells this beautiful story.

The idea for this novel came to Gabriel García Márquez while driving to vacation with his family. He turned the car around and told his wife to take care of the finances as he spent the next year and a half writing One Hundred Years of Solitude. 

When I started reading this novel, I knew I was hooked after the first page. The writing style is easy to read and entertaining and you can picture the scenes in the novel. I loved the characters and could picture them moving around in the house. You can tell that García Márquez based the novel on personal events and that is why they feel very real.

My one regret is not reading this novel earlier because it surpassed all expectations that I had. Gabriel García Márquez won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982 because of this novel. This novel is not only considered an important work of fiction but also helped Latin American novels get international recognition as a result of the novel’s success.

Conclusion

The idea for this novel came while driving to Acapulco with his family. And now, the novel is a classic novel that has immortalized Gabriel García Márquez and rightfully so. 

I still am frustrated that I waited so long to read this book. But it is also a blessing to be able to still read amazing novels like these. If you haven’t read this book yet, you should do it right away or you’ll also hate yourself for not getting around to it earlier. Happy reading!

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