by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
translated by Gregory Rabassa
This is one of the books listed as a possible supplemental reading book for Mater Amabilis™ Level 6 Year 1 Geography on the Americas. For some reason, I thought this would be a good choice to pre-read while sheltering at home during a pandemic.
You can find far better essays and explanations of the book elsewhere. It's lyrical but startling, touching but shocking. There's a great sadness and perplexity throughout, as if no one understands anything and is struggling toward a goal they can't see. The magical elements would jar my complacency as I read, which was difficult for me but rewarding.
I am ambivalent about scheduling this for my eleventh grader next year. I can see how reading it would give him a glimpse into the struggles and culture of Colombia, but I also wonder if it might be too confusing for him. He might dismiss it and never read it again, and that would be a great loss. I definitely think some maturity makes the novel richer. I also think it's the kind of novel that benefits from multiple reads.
Another aspect that concerns me is the wide variety of rather strange and often illicit behavior of the characters in intimate situations. I would not say the actions and events of the novel endorse such behavior, but it would probably be a good idea to mention these things and discuss them with a high schooler reading the book.
I do not think I'm going to assign it, but I think I might leave it on the eleventh grade list as an optional read, knowing I'd want to share a few comments about the behavior of the characters before it's read. In all honesty, I know that means my son will not read it. My second child is a much more voracious and adventurous reader; she may want to read it.
I have received nothing for this post. I requested the book from PaperBackSwap.com. Links to Amazon and PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.
