Challenge Corner discussion

The brilliant, bestselling, landmark novel that tells the story of the Buendia family, and chronicles the irreconcilable conflict between the desire for solitude and the need for love—in rich, imaginative prose that has come to define an entire genre known as "magical realism."

Yayyy thank you Alaina

15% (view spoiler)[I have been having insomnia lately, so the idea of insomnia being contagious really freaked me out. And once you got it you could never sleep again! I think horror is missing from the MPGs! I was so relieved when Melquíades showed up and cured everyone. (hide spoiler)]

30% (view spoiler)[This damn family. They all sleep around with all the same people, name their children the same names over and over, they all keep dying, and then adopting each other’s children. I don’t know how I am supposed to keep track of it all! I do think it’s interesting that the men in the family keep having children out of wedlock, but then the children are raised as Buendías rather than in their mothers’ families. Usually it would be the other way. (hide spoiler)]

Page 100 (view spoiler)[test <\spoiler> (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[ is it just me or am I the only one struggling here.

The names. The incest. Pigs tails. The time jumps. My husband tells me to keep going, but this is a tough one to get through.

I will say. I love how the beginning is a beginning in the sense of their being things that didn’t even have names yet. I keep trying to look each page with fresh eyes just like I would for items I didn’t know the names to. As I said. Struggling! <\spoiler> (hide spoiler)]

Kelsey wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I am struggling too. I feel like each character doesn’t really have a distinct personality, not to mention all having the same names. I feel like I am just reading an endless stream of events with no logic or plot development. I am wondering why this book is so popular. Does your husband say to keep going because it gets better? Or just to say you finished? Lol. (hide spoiler)]

39% (view spoiler)[Okay I was just complaining that they keep reusing the same name. Now Aureliano has 17 kids and they name every single one Aureliano?! That is just insane. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[ He loved it - but I am STRUGGLE CITY! I am glad I am not alone. The 17 kids is throwing me for a loop. LIKE HOW?! The cousin thing is also so bizarre and the obsession with incest. Are we missing something? lol (hide spoiler)]

Kelsey it is interesting that your husband loved the book! I am looking forward to reading some reviews when I am finished to see what everyone else liked about the book. I know it was very popular, but so far I don’t see why.

54% (view spoiler)[I don’t like Fernanda. Trying to control when and how other people eat rubs me the wrong way. I am also wondering why Aureliano Segundo married her, since he seems to like Petra Cotes better. Maybe I missed it, but I feel like the marriage wasn’t explained very well. (hide spoiler)]

I feel the same way! If this was big a BR I would probably DNF this. Is that bad?!

If you want to DNF I don’t mind! It was nice to hear your thoughts on the beginning. :)

I will finish because I’m such a completionist. But I think DNFing when you don’t like a book is smarter.

No way! I am finishing with you! I’m almost done too 🥳

Kelsey wrote: "No way! I am finishing with you! I’m almost done too 🥳"

Oh, nice! I still have a ways to go, lol. But I will get there!

75% (view spoiler)[So many people have died that I’m having trouble keeping track of who is still alive. Especially because some of the really old people seem to live forever, like Ursula, and some of the dead people come back as ghosts.

Also yeah, this family only knows three names. Jose Arcadia, Aureliano, and Remedios. Which is kind of weird, because Remedios was just the wife of the first Aureliano, and they don’t usually start using the names of women who marry into the family. Like why not name all the girls Pilar Ternera, lol. (hide spoiler)]

Finished! (view spoiler)[After all the close calls, there was some actual incest in the end. I laughed when the baby was born with the tail of a pig, like Ursula always feared. And then wtf, the ants got the baby?! It also doesn’t really make sense to me that the whole town would just blow away in the wind or something? Like how is that an ending? It makes no sense.

I read some positive reviews, but I just don’t get why people live this book. Thumbs down. (hide spoiler)]