Well I told you that I was not trying to make a snap judgment on the this book but it came true. I am not a fan of
Love in the Time of Cholera. The premise of the story sounded really interesting. Two young people meet and fall in "love" (in my head it was lust, they were both really pretty) but then as time goes on she falls out of love and marries a man for his money and good name. He spends 59 years yearning after her, which should be romantic but I found myself thinking, "dude, she said no. No, what could she mean by no? I don't know she is being so unclear." He does not marry, he has numerous affairs, one with a 15 year old when he was in his 60's but this was supposed to be "saving himself for her." If a guy told me that he had saved himself for me but had numerous affairs and one night stands with random women, I would.... well let me just start with the idea of the story then I will get into my thoughts about it.
So the story. Two young people meet in a country that is being torn apart by civil war and cholera is threatening the general population. They fall in love even though neither had "good" names, she was higher than he was. Her father was not a fan and took her away for a few years in order to make her forget. Before she leaves, she agrees to marry him but by the time she returns, she realizes that she really doesn't love him and breaks it off. Then he gets sad, writes a lot of poetry, and sleeps with many women. She gets married to a rich doctor and does well, she is a "good wife" a little outspoken, but a good wife. They have kids and he gets popular and the family is well known around the town. Meanwhile (back in the cave of darkness) the lost lover sleeps with women older, younger, crazy (no really she escaped from an asylum), he even gets a woman killed by her husband by writing on her with a marker (genius). Then when Fermina's husband dies (falling off a ladder while trying to catch his parrot) the lost lover makes another attempt. After her husband's funeral, he still tells her that he is in love. I will make you read the rest.
First of all. He tries to get with Fermina one day after her husband has died, saying that I still love you even if I haven't spoken to you in 59 years. You have no idea who she is. Being a stalker and following her through her life does not mean that you know her. Plus, really? At her husband's funeral? Classy.
The story starts from the viewpoint of Fermina's husband, which I really liked. Yes, something that I liked. It would be really easy to hate the husband and root for the lost lover. However the tale of his death was almost the most moving part of the novel. As he is dying, he looks up to his wife and says, "you have no idea how much I have loved you." The two of them spent a lifetime together, through thick and thin. She did what she wanted and he cheated but they stayed, fighting. They lived a lifetime together, taking care of each other.
Last, every event in the story is told and retold by both the main characters so the reader got the entire story from each of their points of view. However... there was no warning when the point of view would change so there were times when so much was going on that your eyes crossed and the book was put down.
Bah! Happy that the book is finished. Had some interesting parts and the writing was interesting, I just didn't really like the story... or at all.
Next, I need a break. Ellen DeGeneres...
Seriously...I am Kidding
