Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... Of Love and Other Demons (translated from the Spanish by Edith Grossman) (1993)by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Work InformationOf Love and Other Demons by Gabriel García Márquez (1993)
Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. A beautiful book that fits into its short length perfectly, much like Thornton Wilder's 'The Bridge of San Luis Rey'. I love how Garcia Marquez takes one idea - that it is impossible to escape a verdict, whether right or wrong (in this case of contracting rabies in a time when medical tests were nigh-on impossible, and then, of being suspected of demonic possession in a time where the Catholic church ruled supreme), and then unwrapping the lives of those affected by the verdict. Brilliant stuff. I so wanted to love this book. Touted as a captivating, enchanting and even "edgy" work of storytelling hinged with elements of magical realism, "Of Love and Other Demons" seemed like a promising novel that would haunt me psychologically and emotionally. Instead, I ended up dreading everything about it. Quick plot review (spoilers contained): Young girl gets bit by a supposed rabid dog. Said girl is subsequently believed to be possessed by a demon. Girl is sent off to a convent to be "healed"? exorcised? Many strange occurrences seem to follow in the wake of the girls arrival at the convent. There is an overarching theme of assigning evil to that which is not clearly or scientifically understood. Some adult priest becomes enraptured by the young girl and their relationship hints at pedophilia. Eventually, everyone dies. Maybe I missed the deeper meaning of the story because I got so impatient with the long-windedness and near overwhelming number of characters thrown into the mix (which was rather difficult to keep straight). Or maybe I've just become shallow in my old age and need a little more gratuitous action in my novels to hold my attention. In any case, I found myself constantly distracted by the never-ending introduction of the newest Marquis, Bishop, Dominga or person-from-some-Holy-Office. I felt like I needed a character guidebook to accompany the reading of this novel because after a while, I couldn't remember who was who and what their relevance to the story was supposed to be. The prose in which Marquez writes is admittedly gorgeous, but that wasn't enough to save this piece from the depths of the infernal flames in which I felt like I was burning during the entire read. "Of Love and Other Demons" is a short book, (less than 150 pages in my edition), yet it took me an entire month to get through it. I just didn't find myself caring much about the characters and never felt swept away by the plot (*was* there one?). It is highly likely that the essence of the story was lost in the English translation from its original Spanish text; I will allow the benefit of the doubt for that. Nonetheless, I found this novel a painful read that left me unmoved. My rating may change as this short novel dealt with themes that I don't gravitate towards (religion & faith) but contain much matter to mull over. This story is about a girl of ~12 years old who may be suffering from rabies or might be possessed by the devil or might just be poorly socialized, depending on whose point of view you take. Marquez set this sometime during the 1700s in some coastal city (presumably Cartagena). I found the lack of specific setting and time irritating as it distracted me -- I was constantly looking for some clue to anchor the story in time and space. I hoped to use the arrival of the new viceroy Don Rodrigo de Buen Lozano to set the time but unfortunately this is not a true historical figure. Therefore, all I could tell was it was after 1717 when Colombia as part of New Granada got its own viceroy based in Bogota and before 1810 when Colombia gained its independence from Spain.
What is body and what survives? What is flesh and what is spirit and what is demonic? Mr. Garcia Marquez's answer is an almost didactic, yet brilliantly moving, tour de force. Belongs to Publisher SeriesMeulenhoff editie (1395) Is contained inGabriel Garcia Marquez Collection: Love in the Time of Cholera, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, of Love and Other Demons, the Story of a Shipwrecked Sai by Gabriel García Márquez Has the adaptationHas as a student's study guide
In colonial South America, the doomed love of a 12-year-old girl and a priest thrice her age sent to exorcise her. She is a nobleman's daughter who has been bitten by a rabid dog. The authorities decide she is possessed by the devil and lock her up in a convent. By the author of Love in the Time of Cholera. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)863Literature Spanish and Portuguese Spanish fictionLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. Penguin AustraliaAn edition of this book was published by Penguin Australia. |
Although I can see that GGM is a talented writer, I have never warmed up to any of his books. This one was no different. The novel is about a dysfunctional quasi-aristocratic family that damages their daughter to the point of her behavior appearing demonic. In come the bishops and nuns to "help", ending up in an exorcism. During all this, one of the churchmen falls in love with the daughter (who is TWELVE YEARS OLD). Gross.
The style was allegorical; characters seemed to be flat and symbolic rather than authentic humans. And of course GGM's love of the gastrointestinal system and other bodily functions permeates the novel. Also gross. I am honestly not sure what the message or point of the novel is. I am looking forward to book club discussion to help me comprehend.