Delilah Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Love In The Time Of Cholera. - Gabriel Garciá Márquez. Synopsis: 'It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.' Fifty-one years, nine months and four days have passed since Fermina Daza rebuffed hopeless romantic Florentino Arizo's impassioned advances and married Dr. Juvenal Urbino instead. During that half century, Florentino has fallen into the arms of many delighted women, but has loved none but Fermina. Having sworn his eternal love to her, he lives for the day when he can court her again. When Fermina's husband is killed trying to retrieve his pet parrot from a mango tree, Florentino seizes his chance to declare his enduring love. But can young love find new life in the twilight of their lives? I started this wonderfully charming book last night, somewhat fittingly by candlelight, as the electric in my house was off for around five hours. In any case, I'm a mere fifty or so pages in but this fantastic novel has already piqued my attention with its ambiguous story-line, coupled with moments which make you chuckle aloud. Has anyone else read this? I'm quite sure I'm going to enjoy it. /quote] I read Gabriel Garcia Marquez not sure if it was this one though! But the movie version is also quite good! Javier Bardem is excellent as Florentino! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delilah Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 As to Oscar Wilde just discovered his fairy tales for adults! I thought this one was beautiful! http://www.artpassions.net/wilde/nightingale.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 I read Gabriel Garcia Marquez not sure if it was this one though! But the movie version is also quite good! Javier Bardem is excellent as Florentino! Well I'm really enjoying it so far, I think it's fantastic. Oooh, that's interesting, I think I might check that out. As to Oscar Wilde just discovered his fairy tales for adults! I thought this one was beautiful! http://www.artpassio...ightingale.html I'll have a look at this, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 As to Oscar Wilde just discovered his fairy tales for adults! I thought this one was beautiful! http://www.artpassions.net/wilde/nightingale.html Oh, this was a lovely story. It was in the book I mentioned. It made me cry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delilah Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Oh, this was a lovely story. It was in the book I mentioned. It made me cry. Ah Pixie you seem as sentimental as I. I almost cried as well. That's why I thought it was so beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share Posted July 2, 2011 Ah Pixie you seem as sentimental as I. I almost cried as well. That's why I thought it was so beautiful. I too thought it was lovely; Oscar Wilde really does write with such beauty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Ah Pixie you seem as sentimental as I. I almost cried as well. That's why I thought it was so beautiful. I'm very sentimental sometimes. Beautifully written literature will always do me in. It doesn't even have to be something sad. If an author has a way with words, where he or she places an image in my head, something I never thought of before, I can find it exquisitely painful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 I'm very sentimental sometimes. Beautifully written literature will always do me in. It doesn't even have to be something sad. If an author has a way with words, where he or she places an image in my head, something I never thought of before, I can find it exquisitely painful. You should read A Case Of Knives by Candia McWilliam Pixie. The words in there are like poetry, little phrases encapsulate so much meaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 You should read A Case Of Knives by Candia McWilliam Pixie. The words in there are like poetry, little phrases encapsulate so much meaning. Thank you, vodkafan. It's added to my wishlist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share Posted July 2, 2011 I'm very sentimental sometimes. Beautifully written literature will always do me in. It doesn't even have to be something sad. If an author has a way with words, where he or she places an image in my head, something I never thought of before, I can find it exquisitely painful. I'm similar, a novel can certainly hit me for six sometimes. Even if it's not in the actual crying sense, if I read something that really connects, that I can resonate with, I often find myself feeling strong emotional responses, like I'm sure many people on here will as well. You should read A Case Of Knives by Candia McWilliam Pixie. The words in there are like poetry, little phrases encapsulate so much meaning. That sounds brilliant vodkafan, think I may add it to my wishlist also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share Posted July 2, 2011 (edited) Almost forgot to do this, and it's only the second day.. Day 02 – A book that you’ve read more than 3 times I will have to say The Great Gatsby as I know I have read this many, many times because it was one of my A Level texts, meaning it was somewhat required. I do enjoy the book though, and re-readings are certainly rewarding in a book that encourages the questioning of the narrator, his motives, and the rest of the characters in the book. For such a relatively short novel it is packed with intricate layering, detailed prose, and I didn't mind ever re-reading at all. Edited July 2, 2011 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 I would have read The Great Gatsby at least three times too Ben. There is an undercurrent of impending ruin about the whole book which makes it very poignant. Have you seen the movie with Mia Farrow and Robert Redford in it? I think you would enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 3, 2011 Author Share Posted July 3, 2011 (edited) I would have read The Great Gatsby at least three times too Ben. There is an undercurrent of impending ruin about the whole book which makes it very poignant. Have you seen the movie with Mia Farrow and Robert Redford in it? I think you would enjoy it. I understand what you mean there, it's the sense of desperate longing that we feel from Gatsby, even though at heart you know Daisy can never be what he envisages. As for the film, I saw bits of it as a useful addition to the novel when studying it, and from what I watched it was good; I'll probably watch it all at some point I'm sure. Edited July 3, 2011 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 3, 2011 Author Share Posted July 3, 2011 Day 03 – Your favourite series Not a difficult decision for me this time, as His Dark Materials from Phillip Pullman is the best trilogy I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It has been a while since I last read them, so perhaps due for a re-read, but they're wonderfully pacey, intelligently written, and the diverse range of characters and personalities are just fantastic. Pullman managed to read open up a whole new world for me whilst I was reading these books, and they've held a place in my heart ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 4, 2011 Author Share Posted July 4, 2011 (edited) Forgot to pop on here yesterday, but on Saturday night, rather in the early hours of Sunday morning, I finished Love In The Time Of Cholera. This is definitely a tribute to how much I wanted to finish it, because I hardly noticed the hours flying by. My brief thoughts are below, but if you want a more detailed review, you can find it here. Love In The Time Of Cholera. - Gabriel García Márquez. Thoughts: I would like to begin by saying that this is such a wonderfully charming novel, and it was somewhat fitting that when I began reading this, I did so by candlelight. From the very first page I was gripped by the imagery; Márquez writes with such simple but beautiful elegance, and this style continues throughout. For some, the story of a love-stricken man waiting over half a century just to tell his teenage love that his feelings have never changed, could be considered desperate; for others, like me, it is a heart-breaking story of love, and I sympathised with the character of Florentino throughout. When he finally gets the opportunity to declare his love once more, the reader holds its breath in wait for what she will say. It it to be in vain, as although we have an initial answer, all is not revealed, as the story backtracks; we are left waiting another couple of hundred pages before we get some actual answers. All in all, this is a story of monumental proportions: Florentino's love for Fermina is endless; she is the only one he wishes to be with, even after so much time. Will he get the chance, or will he be rebuffed once more and left to suffer in the fact that his wait was for nothing? There's only one way to find out. 5/5. Edited July 7, 2011 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 4, 2011 Author Share Posted July 4, 2011 (edited) Thanks to Kylie for taking the effort to look through a list of about two hundred unread books of mine to offer her suggestions and opinions on one's she'd already read. I was struggling to chose one at all; something I find ridiculous when I'm surrounded by so many good choices, so if it wasn't for Kylie I wouldn't be even starting another yet. I decided upon The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, and it looks like it'll be a great read; the synopsis sounds interesting indeed. Synopsis: Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles. To this library, a man brings his ten-year-old son, Daniel, one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to chose one book and from the dusty shelves pulls The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. But as Daniel grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth between the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind. Edited July 6, 2011 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 5, 2011 Author Share Posted July 5, 2011 Forgot to do this one yesterday, will do day five later today so I'm caught up. Day 04 – Favourite book of your favourite series Tough choice for me, as I love all three books in the His Dark Materials trilogy, but I'm going to go with the first one: The Northern Lights. This is where it all started for me, and I feel what makes the series so good is its characters. As such, as this is where we meet most of them for the first time, I'm going to say the first book as my answer. Despite this though, I really enjoyed them all, and I don't think I've given a good explanation of why I prefer the first one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 Thanks to Kylie for taking the effort to look through a list of about two hundred unread books of mine to offer her suggestions and opinions on one's she'd already read. I was struggling to chose one at all; something I find ridiculous when I'm surrounded by so many good choices, so if it wasn't for Kylie I wouldn't be even starting another yet. I decided upon The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafrón, and it looks like it'll be a great read; the synopsis sounds interesting indeed. Crazy, isn't it? I literally have hundreds of choices as well, yet when it's time to start another, I stand there dumbfounded as what to choose *shakes head* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 5, 2011 Author Share Posted July 5, 2011 Crazy, isn't it? I literally have hundreds of choices as well, yet when it's time to start another, I stand there dumbfounded as what to choose *shakes head* It has to be the fact that there's so many, because if we only had a few choices then we wouldn't really have much choice but to pick one up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 5, 2011 Author Share Posted July 5, 2011 Day 05 – A book that makes you happy Oh gee, not sure about this one; I tend to never really stumble across a book that has a happy ending, really. Thinking back, perhaps maybe not because of the ending or anything like that, and maybe it's not even a book that makes me happy as such, I think I should mention Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, as it is a book that definitely couldn't fail to make me smile. Not a very good answer, but maybe I'll find a book that actually makes me 'happy' in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Thanks to Kylie for taking the effort to look through a list of about two hundred unread books of mine to offer her suggestions and opinions on one's she'd already read. I was struggling to chose one at all; something I find ridiculous when I'm surrounded by so many good choices, so if it wasn't for Kylie I wouldn't be even starting another yet. Aww, I'm glad to be of service, Ben! I'm even happier to see that you're enjoying it so far. My reputation remains intact. It has to be the fact that there's so many, because if we only had a few choices then we wouldn't really have much choice but to pick one up. I tend to have the opposite problem. I always want to start at least half a dozen books at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 Aww, I'm glad to be of service, Ben! I'm even happier to see that you're enjoying it so far. My reputation remains intact. I don't think it was ever in doubt. As for always wanting to start numerous books at once, I do get that, but only when I'm already reading one. When it comes to picking one to start when I'm not reading any, I think I just get overwhelmed by the fact there's far too many choices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Day 05 – A book that makes you happy Oh gee, not sure about this one; I tend to never really stumble across a book that has a happy ending, really. Thinking back, perhaps maybe not because of the ending or anything like that, and maybe it's not even a book that makes me happy as such, I think I should mention Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, as it is a book that definitely couldn't fail to make me smile. Not a very good answer, but maybe I'll find a book that actually makes me 'happy' in the future. Great choice Ben, I have never read 'Good Omens', my husband loves it though, one of his favourite reads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 Great choice Ben, I have never read 'Good Omens', my husband loves it though, one of his favourite reads Was struggling because reading in general makes me happy, so was hard to find a specific book that does it; this seemed to fit the bill though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delilah Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Was struggling because reading in general makes me happy, so was hard to find a specific book that does it; this seemed to fit the bill though. I know exactly what you mean Ben! Hard to find the right book that does that to me as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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