SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

A few questions to get us started:


1. What did you think of the world?
2. What did you think of the characters?
3. What worked or didn't for you?
4. Overall thoughts?

I think the characters seem to repeat their parents’ and their grandparents’ mistakes over and over. The same names which are passed down to children by parents are I think a hidden comment by the author at how apples do not fall far from the tree despite that parents are hoping, I suppose, a new person carrying a family member’s name will be better than the person they have been named for. The families hope for the best, the kids think they will be wildly different from their parents and instead readers can’t hardly tell the difference between the characters except for the first generation.

Well, repeating patters was definitely at the forefront in terms of themes. I remember one of the characters dreaming of the city of mirrors and each generation just seemed like a mirror image of the previous one, failing to break out of the ugly patterns and improve (I might be off course with my interpretation).

Understanding themes doesn't equal enjoyment, though. I only pushed myself to finish the novel, because I don't DNF classics. I believe it's important to be familiar with works that are widely known and had strong cultural impact. I wonder if I would appreciate it more, if I came from the region and had better understanding of the historical context. (I'm 99% sure the answer is "yes".)

The first time I pushed through this novel I skimmed parts only to realize later incidents and pages, while mirroring what went before, left me a bit confused because of having thought getting the gist of it would suffice. To my sadness, I felt I needed to pay more attention. Like you, I felt I had to really read this because of its status in the literary world. However, I found myself becoming genuinely interested with a number of the same-name-but-different-relative characters in later generations. The second time I read this years later, I found it quite funny instead of deadly dull. Getting old put me in the right mood for it that I didn't have when I was a young adult.

What a masterful piece of storytelling!

I read this probably 15 years ago and it didn’t leave much of an impression. I read The House of the Spirits a few years ago and it vaguely reminded me of this book, which makes sense now after a re-read, House of the Spirits was very much in the same vein and I think was heavily influenced by this book.

I think maturity as a person and as a reader, as well as more familiarity with magical realism as well as a little of the history of central and south america, allowed me to appreciate what’s going on here much more than I did in the past. There is so much social and historical commentary and satire while focusing on the foibles of the family line. I loved the magical/supernatural elements, I loved the repetition of names and qualities of the successive generations. The strong-willed and tough women that held it all together, the theme of solitude and the solitary habits of the different characters who were all so like each other yet unique in their own ways. I was fascinated by which of the familial memories survived to the end and how so many of them became hollow myths, nearly forgotten, yet the same patterns played out each generation. How in the end Ursula’s fears of the baby with the tail of a pig was heartbreakingly realized.

And the style of storytelling was wonderful. I loved how he started out by saying ‘many years later, as he faced the firing squad’ - over and over again he gave the end result at the beginning of a story, before diving into what actually happened. The nested stories of each of the characters, not told linearly but telling this story and that story and then telling how the timing lined up. Little, Big did something similar to this and I loved it in that book as well, there’s something captivating about it. It pulled me along, wanting to know how the characters would finally end up there.

The first time I read this book I had no idea why it was considered so great, but I see it now. It started a whole new sub-genre, and displayed such masterful techniques of craft.

And yes so there was a lot of humor, I think I totally missed out the first time around. Those Jose Arcadios and Aurelianos were naughty naughty boys…

I liked the ending and the overall flow of history but the writing seemed really disconnected. It had eloquence and creativity but it didn't flow together the way a lot of good books do. For example, Lord of the Rings is more of a linear story. Reminded me a little of Faulkner stream of consciousness. I don't really like giving star ratings for creative works, but I bumped it up to a 4 because I liked the ending.

1. What did you think of the world?
It was a troubled society, struggling with poverty, ignorance, and dictatorial power-hungry leaders who abused the people they were supposed to serve. Even the environment was harsh, untamed. Fear was a constant.

The family saga flowed in a cyclical pattern through time, repeating the same types of trials from past to present and into the future. Even the family names repeated through the generations. Progress was gradual, slow, and depended on personal hard work and commitment. Magical aspects often involved superstition and even curses. There were some good omens though.

2. What did you think of the characters?
There was a strong religious theme for certain characters who lived, to me, in what Thoreau called "quiet desperation." Hope existed, but these characters' approach to faith reminded me of the bible verse that says, "If in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most miserable." That was my granny's favorite verse to quote. 😔

Other characters seemed more about changing society by sheer willpower, determination, even rebellion. Their faith was placed in a vision for a better world for themselves and their families. It was a fight against established regimes by civil war. These characters sacrificed in different ways than those who were more resigned. 😫

And there were those who lived for love, passion, or self-indulgence.

Questions, continued ...

3. What worked or didn't for you?

What worked: I thought the book was well-written and complex. Definitely a serious literary work that explores the "human condition." At times, the tone felt mystical, the language lyrical. I wanted to understand what the author had to say.

What didn't: Though I thought the characters were interesting and diverse, there were so many of them. And a lot of the names were the same. I had to find a character list online to help me keep track. I was mostly listening to the audiobook, only at times reading the eBook.

4. Overall thoughts?
The story did have moments of joy, humor, and entertainment. But my lasting impression was one of intensity and suffering. Maybe it was my mood while reading during stressful RL events. I came away with a sense of fatalism. Which is why I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5.

Quotes giving a bit of hope:
“Human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mother gives birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.”

“The secret of a good old age is simply an honorable pact with solitude.”

“Things have a life of their own ... It's simply a matter of waking up their souls.”

Yes! I saw that first quote lanlynk!

I will have to reread so I can discover more quotes. Here are some quotes that enchanted me:

The world must be all ----ed up when men travel first class and literature goes as freight.

They lost their sense of reality, the notion of time, the rhythm of daily habits.