Mucho se ha escrito con respecto al amor -- que es, cual es el verdadero, como sobrevive a traves de los años y como nos transforma como persona. Este libro logra lo que ningun otro en su genero-- nos presenta el amor con un sentimiento de muchas facetas, del cual a veces no se esta completamente seguro y el cual sobrevive cualquier percance en la vida. Cada personaje nos demuestra su lucha interior contra las diferentes experiencias que el amar nos trae. Pero tambien nos demuestra que es realmente posible el amar puramente y con paciencia hasta lograr nuestro ideal. Este libro es una joya. Jamas lo olvidare. Me hizo refleccionar mucho en mi propio matrimonio.

He leido dos veces este libro y sin duda que la emocion y sentimientos que aflora en mi son indescriptibles. Por medio de la excelente narracion de Gabriel Garcia Marquez uno se va envolviendo en el mundo de Fermina Daza y Florentino Ariza, uno sufre el dolor del amor no correspondido y disfruta del reencuentro despues de tantos años. Es una historia maravillosa de paciencia y generosidad, es una historia que nos lleva por los caminos del verdadero amor aquel que espera, aquel que en silencio se va fortaleciendo, aquel que se alimenta de pequeños detalles. Si todos tuviesemos esa capacidad de amar!!!.

Hay historias de amor fugaces, eternas, otras que se acaban para dejar paso a una nueva... Pero ¿puede existir una historia de amor que dure más de cincuenta años sin haber comenzado nunca?. Desde que Florentino Ariza conoció a Fermina Daza, le juró amor y fidelidad eternos. Al cabo de los años, repasa una vida jalonada de amores ocasionales, su empeño por conseguir un puesto de mando y todos los problemas que le causó la determinación de hacer suya a Fermina.
Mientras, ella hace su vida de madre y esposa de un hombre diferente, sin poder evitar que, poco a poco, la imagen de aquel muchacho con el que durante algún tiempo jugó a los noviazgos cuando eran adolescentes, se le cuele por las rendijas del subconsciente. Las vidas de ambos apenas se cruzan a lo largo de medio siglo. No será hasta el final, ya casi en la vejez, cuando Florentino y Fermina se reencuentren o, más bien, se encuentren por primera vez.

I liked this book enough to rush out and buy 3 other Garcia Marquez books. For me that is rare. I found it to be a magical and poetic work, but with so many different characters (many with very similar names)concentration is essential. I am writing this now mainly for those of you who have heard of Garcia Marquez but have not yet read any of his work. My advice is to start with Love in the Time of Cholera. It is also a poetic, mystical, and romantic story but with essentially three major characters it is much easier to follow. Then read Chronicle of a Death Foretold. When those two have sparked you then take on One Hundred Years of Solitude! But expect to be turning back to previous pages, and refering to the family tree printed at the beginning of the book many many times. Either way, read something by Garcia Marquez. He is fantastic.

The best book about South America, the way of living there, the state of terrorism people are living in, the -everyday- civil war. The full history of a nation; all these, given with a super-inspired form of a (mythic?) family biography. I guess people of "Macondo" are all people of Colombia, all people of South America and, finally, all the people of the world, whenever a man cannot be free to live on his own will. Thank you, Gabriel. I believe I am a better person now.

There is not a lot to comment on this book. It is simply extrodinary. Having lived in the general area that Garcia Marquez was raised, and of the which he wrote this book, I find it very true to life. The characters in the book permit the reader to relate to the type of everyday life that goes on. Though the book seems to be several broken events placed together, upon finishing it we are able to witness the great symphony of literature that Garcia Marquez composed.

With this book, I did what I haven't done with any other book before. I read the first story (The Third Resignation) immediately followed by the last story (The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Erendira and Her Heartless Grandmother). The stories are arranged in chronological order and I could see the effect of time on the writer immediately. It was a journey from the completely inscrutable to absolute magic. I don't mean to say that the earlier stories are in any way inferior to the later ones. They take a little getting used to.

True to the Marquez trademark, almost all these stories have one or more magical women--sometimes she's a mute girl, sometimes she's the the quintessential opportunist, sometimes a helpless mother. Sometimes she's at the forefront of the plot, deciding the course of the story. Sometimes she merges with the background, letting things take their own course. Whatever her role, she has this uncanny ability to attract. Marquez is a painter who uses words instead of colors. If the translated pieces evoke such vivid imagery, I wonder what the originals would do. Wish I knew Spanish.

To the reader who is not used to the trademark "inscrutable" Marquez writing, I suggest that he/she read this book back to front. The initiated will enjoy either way, as long as it's cover to cover.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one of the most incredible writers I have ever encountered. He is a profound storyteller. In fact, his work is like a beautiful Magritte painting filled with surreal images. I marvel at the translator. I can't imagine translating "Eyes of a Blue Dog." How on earth was he able to translate such a complicated story? It's incredible! The other stories are amazing as well. My favorites are "Big Mama's Funeral" and "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings." Each story has a special dose of magical realism. I look forward to reading other books from this author. I highly recommend this book.

Marquez is amazing. I've read other writings of his before, including the "One Hundred Years of Solitude," but these stories totally stunned me. Marquez paints a colorful and magical world around you. His stories flow like a river, you go with the flow unable to stop till you get to the end, and at the end he leaves you thirsty for more.

Marquez is an artist, and his stories are colorful, screamingly colorful pieces of art...

"The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor," by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, has an interesting history (which is described in a short introduction by the author). In 1955, 8 crew members of a Colombian naval vessel were washed overboard. One of them, Luis Alejandro Velasco, survived 10 harrowing days on a drifting life raft before reaching land. The sailor collaborated with Garcia Marquez to produce a series of newspaper articles about the ordeal; those articles eventually became this book, which has been translated into a very readable English by Randolph Hogan.

The book is written as the sailor's own first-person narrative. This is truly an amazing tale of endurance under some horrible conditions. Velasco describes his experiences in graphic detail: the harsh weather elements, the disorienting hallucinations, the times of despair. Particularly interesting are his encounters with a variety of marine animals. But it's not all suffering; there are moments of poetic beauty.

I've never experienced anything as harrowing as this. But as a U.S. Navy veteran, I can say that Garcia Marquez skillfully captures the wonder that can only be encountered at sea, far from land. An excellent book.

...I read this book in Spanish as a teenager and loved it. Just ordered it for my teenager son and when it came I started reading it again and couldn't put it down. Excellent translation. Reads as well in English as in Spanish. Great piece of journalism.

This is one of those few books that after reading it has haunted me for years.

Que la mama grande sea la dueña de los colores de la bandera habla de la elocuencia de Garcia Marquez. No se pierdan esta genial historia.

If you like Gabriel Garcia Marquez... you will love this collection of stories. They are a must read for lovers of magical realism. These stories are the type you can smell and taste. This is the original stuff before everyone started doing it (Isabel Allende for example) and nobody has done it better or will do it better. Nobel Price winner GGM is the most important writer alive and arguably the most important writer of the 20th century...

"Ojos de Perro Azul" es una recopilación de cuentos publicados por GGM entre 1947-1952 -antes que apareciera su primera novela. En cada uno de ellos se puede evidenciar con claridad su evolución como escritor.

En los cinco primeros veremos a un Gabriel desconocido -sin una dirección aparente-, misterioso, onírico, fantaseando con la vida y la muerte. Empleando, además, un lenguaje intrincado que obstaculiza una lectura fluida debiendo el lector detenerse, y a veces hasta retroceder, para descubrir si el personaje que está en escena es el vivo, el muerto, o quizás el muerto que pensaba estar vivo -así de escabroso resulta en sus inicios. Sin embargo, recien en "Ojos de Perro Azul" -publicado en 1950 y el cual con justicia le confiere el título al libro- es donde GGM se encuentra con el escritor que luchaba por nacer .... y nació. Deja de lado los monólogos y logra establecer diálogos, omitiendo frases truculentas y reemplazándolas más bien por otras sencillas y de fácil comprensión.

A diferencia del resto de sus obras -que se publicarían posterior a "Ojos de Perro Azul"- ésta no constituye una hebra de lo que en su conjunto se llamaría "Cien Años de Soledad". Por lo contrario -y es allí donde radica su exquisita rareza- nos muestra mundos y personajes distintos a través de los cuales aún no se vislumbra a Macondo ni mucho menos a un Aureliano Buendía.

Esta obra es, pues, una joya "histórica" invalorable para aquellos que admiramos a Gabo, y nos recuerda que, alguna vez, él también fue humano antes de convertirse en ese ser mágico e inmortal que ahora conocemos como .... Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Is a Great Book!. (Ojos De Perro Azul,es uno de mis favoritos y es tremendo libro.)

Los Ojos del Perro Azul es un libro bastante emocionante ya que te hace sentir y vivir cada momento mediante la descripcion; es un libro que una vez empezado de leer no puedes dejar de leerlo porque perderias la idea de la trama. algo que se puede visualizar es que todos los libros que constituyen el libro llevan una secuencia donde cada tema tiene relacion con el titulo de la obra ademas, que pude percatar que en cada parte de los temas que constituyen el libro tienen una conexion que al final de la trama forman lo que es el libro y su titulo en si. tambien es bueno señalar que en este libro Garcia Marquez hace la reseña de el alma como cautiva del cuerpo y el afan del hombre al querer salir de su cuerpo y el temor que siente al mismo tiempo al no saber que hacer despues que su alma ha salido de su cuerpo y el deseo repentino de volver a su vida pero al no tener la capacidad de controlar el alma se queda ambulando en el espacio...

Let me say this first: this is not a book for the fainthearted! If you have someone you care about in Colombia, you will drive that person (and yourself) crazy if you read this book!! (Unfortunately, I speak from experience.. *gentle smile*)

Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez is best known for his beautiful classic novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude". "News of a Kidnapping" is very different from the other novels I have read of García Márquez, but still very interesting and well written. If one were not familiar with the kidnappings that have occurred in Columbia, one might just believe this was just another brilliant novel by Garcia Márquez.

"News of a kidnapping" is a true-life story of one of the evils of Colombia and Latin America. García Márquez writes about the kidnappings of Colombian journalists, and other well-known persons or their relatives, ten in total. "News of a kidnapping" is the story of how these people lived during their endless months in captivity. While held hostages they were not tortured nor abused, but just being away from their families and loved ones for many months and the lack of news from the outside world wore them out. The emotional suffering was made even worse by the attitudes of their abductors. One moment they could be very nice to them, and in the next moment they could be behaving like wild animals. Parallel to the memoirs of the imprisoned journalists, we follow their families and their anxiety; and the fight to have the ones kidnapped set free.

In Colombia people live in constant fear of being the next victim of kidnapping, or maybe even worse, that their loved ones will be. All too often we hear of famous athletes, celebrities, or other high profile people being held ransom for money or to achieve other political goals. That Garcia Márquez has dared to write such a book is rather amazing, bearing in mind that he probably risked his life by doing so. This book will for sure change the way you look upon your personal freedom!

After finishing this book I realized that living in Norway is maybe not that bad after all. It is not the belly on earth, and not much is happening here, but Hey! maybe that's not so bad after all..

If one were not familiar with the kidnappings that have occurred in Columbia, one might just believe this was a brilliant piece of fiction. Unfortunately this is not the case and Marquez does a fantastic job of recounting the terror that the hostages had to go through in their ordeal. This a true life tale of one of the plagues of Latin America. It is all to common to hear of prominent atheletes, entertainers and other high profile individuals being held ransom to fullfill a political cause. This is a story of Pablo Escobar, the notorious drug lord and how he conducted his reign over Columbia. This is the story of the Medellin cartels attempt to pressure the United Staates into not exradicting any of it's members. The portrayl of the drug lords and their lackeys is brilliant, showing the human side of people who are inhumane. The captives are so real, as portrayed by Marquez that one becomes very emotional over the conditions they had to endure. This book details the kidnapping of various journalists, ten in all, one by one. An easy enough book to read one will finish this book quickly as the suspense is, to use a pun, captivating. That Gabriel Garcia Marquez would write such a book is amazing considering that he risks his life by doing so. True to his his journalist roots he did it at the urging of the released captives suggestion. Marquez is to be applauded for his effort and his bravery as well as he shed some international light on a terrible malady of Latin America. After reading this you will appreciate your freedom and and all the luxuries it affords.

I read News of a kidnapping(Noticias de un Secuestro) of colombian writer, Gabriel García Márquez in spanish, and for me it was one of those book that I found myself cryng while reading it. Does it loose something with the translation?,I don't know; Does it loose something with the cultural gap?, maybe.Maybe if you don't live in a country were your physical integrity its in constant risk, you'll find this novel an odd version of Magic realism, but one musn't forget that García Márquez began his career as a journalist, and in his collected journalist works you could find in seed what you can fully appreciate in News of a kidnapping: That Gabo is almost as talented in non-fiction as he is in fiction. He might not be your typical or classical journalist, his works are so interesting and well written that you might think that you're reading fiction. Lástima that this is not the case: in Colombia, and lately in Venezuela, people live in constant fear of beign the next prey of the kidnappers,or maybe even worse, their loved ones. These menace is for everybody: Young, old, women, men, children, poor people, rich people. I think that García Márquez dared to write about something that few would: the kidnappings of a number of colombian journalists.How they lived during their endless months in captivity; their families and their desperation; the negotiations; the sacrifices of human life for what: An ideal...or greed? News of a kidnapping its a wonderful books of a horrible contemporary latinamerican issue.

Master novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez comes through again with another winner with his portrayl of a dying Simon Bolivar. The story is comprised of reflections and anecdotal information on the liberators life, going back and forth in time ,shifting decades with memories of times past and how Bolivar sees the end days approaching. As he travels down the Magdalena River ( a sort of farewell tour) the ghosts of his past surface, including the many loves, his enemies, his allies, his fading dream of unification and those who betrayed him. His memories assault his journey making death nearly a desired relief for the sick and shadow of the great man of vision for Latin America. When reading a historical novel like this one the question arises as to whether the information is factual or purely imagination. I finished reading this book wanting to believe some of the memories of Simon Bolivar were true and accurate to his life. In the end Marquez clarifies this point saying he was not concerned about the accuracies of the final days since those with him left no written record of the final days. However, Marquez does go on to say that he did considerable research(2 years) revealing often contradictory information filled with inaccuaracies while he labored through voliminous documentation. He also consulted with various historians, from several different countries, who are experts on the life of Simon Bolivar to further enrich the exactitude of the novel. Many changes were made from the original manuscript. That said, there are things to be learned from this novel that only the simplicity of historical novels can provide. For furthe exploration of the life of Simon Bolivar it is suggested to read Eugenio Gutierrez Celys "Bolivar Day by Day " or the work of Bolivar biographer Vinicio Romero Martinez. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the writtings of Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the life of Simon Bolivar and his dream for Latin America.

One of my good friends is the person whose opinion I trust most when it comes to books and literature. And, I'm happy to say, we usually agree on what's good and what's not so good. Although my friend loves Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "The General in His Labyrinth," however, is one book my friend didn't like and I did.

"The General in His Labyrinth" tells the story of the melancholy and sad final journey of General Simon Bolivar, fondly known as "The Liberator" in many South American countries. Bolivar is the man who drove the Spanish from the northern part of South America during 1811-1824, even though the local aristocracy chose to fight against him. In the end, he became a sad and defeated man, old before his time and burdened with the knowledge that his dream of a unified South America would not be realized during his lifetime.

Although Bolivar is revered in much of South America (and the world in general), his final days were quite unhappy. In this book, Garcia Marquez takes us along with Bolivar on his final cruise along the Magdalena River from Colombia to the sea. Bolivar was sad, disillusioned, in shock from the after effects of an assassination attempt and suffering from an unspecified illness; in short, this mythic man had become old at the very young age of forty-six.

After Bolivar had been denied the presidency of Colombia he decided to spend his final days in Europe, far away from political strife of any kind. But Bolivar wouldn't have been Bolivar had he not given his life to the people. His dreams of living in peace in Europe were dashed when the government that replaced him failed.

It didn't take years of history to make Bolivar larger than life. He was larger then life to those who knew him intimately as well as to those who knew him only by reputation. And no wonder...he possessed a terrible temper, a extraordinarily passionate nature and his political and leadership abilities were virtually unsurpassed. Everyone paled next to Bolivar, in life just as (almost) everyone pales next to him in this book. (His enemy, Santander, and his commander, Sucre, are two notable exceptions. His lover, Manuela Saenz is also a well drawn character, but Bolivar's valet, Jose Palacios lets us know that, other than saving Bolivar from assassination, she was really nothing special, just one more lover among very many.)

I read, in a interview with Garcia Marquez, that the voyage along the Magdalena was chosen to be fictionalized since this was a little-known episode in a very publicly-lived life. Personally, I think it was a wonderful choice. The voyage was one that was no doubt filled with melancholy and nostalgia and no one writes of melancholy and nostalgia, especially South American melancholy and nostalgia, as well as does Garcia Marquez. This is a book in which real memories become confused with the hallucinations of delirium, a confusion that is only enhanced by the descriptions of the steamy jungle interior. The floods, the oppressive heat, the epidemics that Bolivar and his weary band of supporters encounter only serve to enhance "The Liberator's" own physical decline.

I also think that showing us Bolivar, not at the height of his glory, but at what was no doubt one of the lowest points of his life, was also a wonderful choice. Bolivar was, apparently, a man of contradictions. He was flamboyant and mythic, yet ultimately tragic; he could be elegant in public matters yet coarse in private; he was obviously a genius at strategy, yet his last days were filled with the incoherence of illness. And, all along the way, through this maze of contradictions, Garcia Marquez never loses sight of the one driving force in Simon Bolivar's life: his desire for a unified South America.

I also love the way Garcia Marquez twists and folds the narrative of this book until the reader isn't quite sure what's real and what's fevered hallucination; what really happened and what didn't. Of course, Garcia Marquez is a master at just this sort of narrative and he really outdoes himself in this book.

In the end, Bolivar, himself, decides that South America is ungovernable; it is, he declared, a land that will inevitably fall into the hands of tyrants, both large and small. Sadly, Bolivar's prophecy seems to be, at least in part, true. And, even more sadly still, although the world has come to love and rever "The Liberator," "The Liberator," himself, died a sad and defeated man.

The General in His Labyrinth marked a radical departure in style for the Nobel Prize winning author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. While his previous works of fiction were deeply imbued with the culture of his native Colombia, this book was the first to draw directly from the tortured and labyrinthine history of the region. The General in His Labyrinth tells the story of General Simon Bolivar, known as "The Liberator," in many South American countries.

After leading the revolution that freed the northern part of South American from Spanish rule, Bolivar attempted to unite the regions into one country. He was opposed by the local aristocracy, however, because, "the oligarchies in each country...had declared war to the death against the idea of integrity because it was unfavorable to the local privileges of the great families." Bolivar, as a consequence, suffered great disillusionment due to the failure of his dreams.

The General in His Labyrinth is a semi-fictionalized account of Bolivar's final days, in particular, his last voyage along the Magdalena River from Bogota, Colombia to the sea. Bolivar had renounced the presidency of the Republic of Colombia and had planned to leave the political strife and civil war that followed the expulsion of the Spanish from South America. Disillusioned, consumptive and still reeling from an assassination attempt, he intended to sail down the Magdalena, travel to Europe and live his remaining days in peace. But Bolivar was a man of tenacious dreams and the plight of his people, coupled with the failure of their governments, forced him back into the political arena to once again seek the realization of his efforts.

Bolivar was an almost mythic figure, who, even before his death appeared larger-than-life. Although he was well-known for his unparalled leadership abilities, he also possessed a passionate nature and titanic temper. Such a figure, of course, dominates this book, much as Bolivar's presence dominated during his lifetime. The other characters simply pale in comparison, although this is not a criticism; Bolivar was simply so overwhelming that almost everyone paled beside him. The only notable exceptions are those characters who never actually appear in the novel, other than in their remembrances of the General: Santander, his political enemy; Sucre, his most able commander; and Manuelita, the General's loyal and loving mistress.

Garcia Marquez says he picked the voyage down the Magdalena to fictionalize because it was the least known episode in a well-known and very publicly-lived life. His reasons were also, no doubt, thematic. Bolivar's voyage contains a symbolic power that Garcia Marquez utilizes to excellent effect. In this master writer's hands, the trip becomes one of both nostalgia and sentiment for the glories and hopes of youth. As the General and his large entourage float through the steamy jungle towards the sea, the General floats in and out of sickness and delirium and his memories become inextricably linked to hallucination. The attitudes and discomforts of illness and old age also play a prominent role in this story, and their effects of the body are described in detail. This is, however, no Love in the Time of Cholera, for in that book, old age was accepted, even if disliked, and tolerated with more than a modicum of comedy.

Some people may detect a distinct difference in style between this book and Garcia Marquez's masterpiece, One Hundred Years of Solitude. I don't think this was deliberate on Garcia Marquez's part. I read Garcia Marquez, first in Spanish then in English, and in Spanish, the difference in style is not so readily apparent. One Hundred Years of Solitude was translated into English by Gregory Rabassa, Garcia Marquez's longtime translator, while this book was translated by Edith Grossman, something that may, and no doubt does, account for the stylistic differences in the English translation.

The combination of Garcia Marquez's enormous myth-making talent and Bolivar's own mythic persona makes for extremely intriguing reading. The dangers the author conquered are multiple and range from public censure to an excess of factual information at the expense of creativity. Not surprisingly, Garcia Marquex succeeds, even with the difficult task with which he presented himself. Coupled with the genius of Garcia Marquez, Simon Bolivar's epic accomplishments and near-mythic character give this book an immediacy and intimacy that still manages to resonate. And it never diminishes the towering presence of the Liberator.

John-Samuel Mackay
5/23/02

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. "They've killed Santiago Nasar!" This book contains various accounts of a murder in a small Colombian town. Each townsperson tells a different story about how Santiago Nasar was killed by the Vicario brothers to avenge their sister, who lost her virginity to Santiago. The narrator is interviewing people 27 years after the murder happened. The only similarities in all the testimonies is that Pedro and Pablo Vicario told everyone about their plan to kill Santiago, yet no one prevented it from happening. The author does a good job of setting the scene, however there are at times too many details. Not much is said about the lives of the people outside of this event. Each person's account is described in greater detail until finally the actual moment of his death is told. After the murder Pedro and Pablo are arrested and they give in without a fight. They tell the court that they are proud of what they did, and that they had been planning it for as long as they knew about their sister's virginity. The plan was to avenge their sister. The brothers pretty much want the crime to be seen in the largest detail possible. That is why it is a "Death Foretold." In my opinion I enjoyed reading the basic facts and hearing the story according to many different people. What made me lose focus was the endless detail in which everything was described. Honestly, do we really need to know about every relative of every character in the book? Other than that this book held my attention to the very end. Gabriel Garcia Marquez has written many other novels and short stories. I have read one of his short stories A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, which I enjoyed very much. That short story describes the magical realism of an angel falling in someone's back yard. The story then becomes about what the family does with the angel as their back yard gets flooded with visitor. Chronicle of a Death Foretold is similar in the way that it captures the magical realism surrounding the murder. "Did they actually kill him after telling so many people? Chronicle is a short, action-packed novel that will keep you guessing. Even the ending of the book in some ways leaves you hanging. The last image is the exact moment Santiago Nasar dies, and nothing at all is mentioned afterward. The ending begins to lead readers to believe that there will be a sequel to this book. I definitely feel intrigued to read more of the works by Marquez.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez's brilliant novel, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, is a journalistic perspective of the events surrounding a murder. Wriiten as a narrative, Marquez reports in a style unlike any other, while exposing his talent for the use of literary techniques, most importantly dramatic and situational irony. His effective and profound satire on religion and the law add to the strength of the book as a whole. Marquez's use of his original technique, magical realism, makes the novel even more unique. This adds surreal aspects to the plot which are characteristic of Marquez alone. Although Chronicle is humorous at times, Marquez never allows the reader to forget the purpose of his story. He slowly feeds the many layers of the story to the reader, who is eager for every bite. I highly recommend this piece of literature, not only as a good mystery, but as a story with a theme which has relevence for anyone's life.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Marquez is an excellent book. Written in a investigative-reporting style, it contains suspense, satire, and irony. The setting of the book is a small town in Colombia. The plot is simple: two brothers have a responsibility, by tradition, to kill a man accused by their sister as her perpetrator. Although the brothers take on the task it seems that they are not very comfortable with the idea of committing a murder and they don't let any opportunity go by when they announce their intentions to the towns people (almost in hope that someone will stop them). The irony lays in the fact that almost the whole town knows about the brothers' plan way before the victim or his mother finds out. Marquez does a great job satirizing religion, the legal system and the society as a whole. The reader is told about the murder in the first few pages of the book but the narrator reveals the details slowly through out the book. The book makes you think: what would you do if you were in the shoes of one of the characters? how could you have prevented the death foretold ? how would you deal with a similar situation in real life: would you caution the victim and notify the authorities or would you be indifferent (thinking that someone else will do it)? The book was fun and interesting to read. I recommend Chronicle of Death Foretold highly especially if you are a looking for a mystery book which takes you in another culture this should be your first pick. Plus its easy and quick to read.