In honor of Valentine's Day, I originally wanted to read
Love In the Time of Cholera, one of my all-time favorite books. But because I was completely unmotivated to do much reading, I settled on reading
Leaf Storm, also by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, instead. This small collection of novellas has been sitting on my book shelf for a very long time, and I'm glad I finally got around to it.
Leaf Storm by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Note: I couldn't find a publisher summary, so I had to use this summary.
In a South American town during the early years of this century, a
retired doctor long known as an eccentric flatly refuses treatment to
victims of a riot. Years later, the doctor hangs himself. For the
vengeful town, the issue becomes whether he will receive a proper burial
or be allowed to rot in the house where he had lately secluded himself.
This
issue becomes the focal point of recollections, from many points of
view, of fragments of the doctor's bizarre history. An old military man,
who was originally the doctor's sponsor and host, braves the town's
anger and forces his family members to help him carry out the burial. As
it turns out, no one remembers the outrage apart from a few town
officials, and the burial takes place without incident.
My Take: I've read almost everything Gabriel Garcia Marquez has written, and I've loved practically all of it. I did not, however, particularly enjoy this book. It has all the essential elements of a Marquez story. It has the magical realism that Marquez is known for. Something just didn't click for me, though. It was just kind of boring and the magical realism was a little too strange. I found out later that this was actually one of Marquez's first books, so maybe it's just that he was still starting out as an author.
My Recommendation: Unless you have a burning desire to read every single thing Marquez has written, I wouldn't bother with this book. Especially when there are so many
other fantastic Marquez novels to choose from.
Your Recommendation: I'm always looking for book recommendations. Are there any books that you've read and loved recently? Or if you've actually read
Leaf Storm, I'd love to hear your opinion!
