Love in the Time of Cholera (Oprah's Book Club) Paperback – October 5, 2007

Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera is a wonderful book on love, time, and the endurance of the human heart. Set in a lush Caribbean city during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the novel follows the lifelong connection between Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza. What begins as an intense youthful romance is abruptly severed, sending their lives in separate directions—yet Florentino remains steadfast in his devotion, waiting for decades in the hope that fate will bring them together once more.Marquez’s prose is nothing short of mesmerizing. His ability to blend lyrical storytelling with profound philosophical reflections makes the novel a deeply immersive experience. Love, in his vision, is not just an emotion but a force that evolves, perseveres, and sometimes even deceives. The novel doesn’t romanticize love in the traditional sense; instead, it explores its complexities—obsession, passion, companionship, etc. And the ways in which time reshapes our understanding of it.Beyond its central love story, the novel paints a vivid portrait of an era marked by social change, medical advancements, and the passage of generations. Marquez’s characters are flawed yet unforgettable, their desires and disappointments rendered with striking honesty. The narrative moves at a deliberate, almost meditative pace, which may not appeal to those looking for fast-moving plot twists. For readers willing to work with its rhythms, the reward is a fantastic story.Ultimately, Love in the Time of Cholera is a novel that lingers in the mind long after the final page. It challenges conventional notions of love and destiny, offering a deeply human exploration of what it means to love someone across a lifetime.

It was highly regarded as The Top 100 Best Novels of the BBC. Funnily enough, people recognized "One Hundreds Years of Solitude" as his best. Even the former US president like Barack Obama admired that novel. But after I read both novels, I must say that I love this novel more than the admired ones. Since after reading this novel, I have bought two more versions of this book. Maybe it because I waited to read this novel for three years and known this novel for more than 4 years. The reason for my patience, it might be because I know that every book has an answer, something to guide and strive for. Maybe it wasn't a good timing for this book, until now...Timeless novel, as we might not travelled by carriages & ships, might not send a love letter or even an emerald tiaras to our affairs. But some of the stories and terms are up-to-date and related. Even the novel title is related, since Cholera is a plague that needs to be quarantined and vanished by itself with no vaccines in the of the book, same as the infamous Corona Virus- The perfectly lovable characters. The jealousy, envy, and betrayal. The passionate love affair ended in a private catastrophe. His words are dreamy, enchanted, and fabulous like the eyes of an angel waiting for me to arrive. At first, before reading this book, I always thought of myself as Florentino Ariza, but after getting to know both characters I think I'm the perfect combination of Dr. Juvenal Urbino & Florentino Ariza. But after half the book, I know deep down that I'm more Dr. Urbino than Mr. Ariza, which I fell the sense of relief and calm till this day. After a great deal of breakups, my heart is still broken, but my soul is at peace.Let the time pass, and we will see what it brings, by the time she unburdened herself, someone had turn off the moon.

This is great book and really deserves the tag of "classic" that is associated with it. Marquez creates memorable characters that are demand emotion from the readers as thier life unfolds. Florentino is the unliked the who at first emits nievity turned into annoyance turned into pathos and completed with acceptance. Flamina is portrayed in a delicate manner as loving woman and we come to like her even though she rejects the protagonist. Marquez jumps around these characters lives flawlessly and the book spans their whole life but does not overstay its welcome.Marquez' imagery goes well with eternal love theme and the reader will finish this book feeling complete and content. For anyone who has viewed a loved one from the outside this book offers eventual hope although some might determine it depressing. Is it better to have loved and lost or to never have loved at all?Bottom Line: success in a time of cholera!