One Hundred Years of Solitude Audiobook By Gabriel García Márquez, Gregory Rabassa - translator cover art

One Hundred Years of Solitude

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One Hundred Years of Solitude

By: Gabriel García Márquez, Gregory Rabassa - translator
Narrated by: John Lee
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Includes a bonus PDF with a character chart!

One of the twentieth century’s enduring works, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a widely beloved and acclaimed novel known throughout the world and the ultimate achievement in a Nobel Prize–winning career.

The novel tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. Rich and brilliant, it is a chronicle of life, death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the beautiful, ridiculous, and tawdry story of the Buendía family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo, one sees all of Latin America.

Love and lust, war and revolution, riches and poverty, youth and senility, the variety of life, the endlessness of death, the search for peace and truth—these universal themes dominate the novel. Alternately reverential and comical, One Hundred Years of Solitude weaves the political, personal, and spiritual to bring a new consciousness to storytelling. Translated into dozens of languages, this stunning work is no less than an account of the history of the human race.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©1964 Gabriel García Márquez (P)2013 Blackstone Audio Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Magical Realism Fantasy Magic Inspiring Funny Suspenseful Latin America

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Editorial Review

Already a journalist and writer of literary fiction, lauded Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez made his true debut into magical realism with One Hundred Years of Solitude. This piece of literature is a treasure of Latin America's 20th-century literary scene and a strong piece of Colombian history.
The character-driven story of the mythical town of Macondo showcases all aspects of the human race. From the introspective and haunted patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, and his wife, Úrsula Iguarán, to illegitimate son Aureliano José, one of the many Aureliano Buendía's fathered by Colonel Aureliano Buendía, each character is unique and emblematic of the spectrum of humanity housed in this fictional town.
Gabriel García Márquez did more than launch his own foray into magic realism with this piece of classic literature. He was also one of the first four authors from South America named as part of the Latin American Boom, a literary movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Alongside Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, Argentine writer Julio Cortázar, and Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes, the Colombian icon’s work was circulated worldwide. To date, One Hundred Years of Solitude has sold 50 million copies in 46 languages and counting.
John Lee adds his voice to this brilliant chronicle of life for Latin Americans, making the audiobook come to life for the listener. He brings the art of García Márquez’s fiction and the lyrical magic of the town of Macondo to the forefront with a strong delivery, worthy of patriarch José Arcadio Buendía, all the way down to Aureliano Babilonia of the sixth generation. — Audible Latino Editor

Magical Realism • Beautiful Prose • Excellent Pronunciation • Rich Characters • Historical Depth • Masterful Performance
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Since most reviews regard this as a must -read classic I was expecting a poignant, entertaining book that would make me want to return to it each day. There are many good comments on human nature here, but you have to struggle along to get there. It felt like a run-on sentence describing calamity after maddening calamity. Not an entertaining piece. Instead of being thought provoking during the majority of the story, I found myself not caring and not wanting to return to it. A friend encouraged me to muddle through. There was an improvement in the last few chapters, and there is a lesson to be gained in its conclusion...still...it was painfull to get there. Maybe that's part of what makes it a unique classic?

doesn't quite live up to the hype

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“One Hundred Years of Solitude” is a story about seven generations of one fictional family. The hope, fear, and experience of this family elicits feelings and opinions about life. History of the Buendia family focuses attention on social and economic evolution and revolution in Latin America. The story offers insight to all nations seeking independence and individual self-determination.

The author, Gabriel Garcia Márquez, writes a complex story, melding the mythology and history of Latin America while tweaking the nose of imperialists; and savaging the lives of nationalists, idealists, and revolutionaries. Márquez creates a patriarch named José Arcadio Buendia that is a visionary with a perception of reality that mixes magical thinking with scientific reasoning to found a Colombian’ town called Macondo. The history of Macondo is the journey of all nations seeking independence and individual self-determination. However, “One Hundred Years of Solitude” infers the journey is foreordained rather than elicited by free choice.

“One Hundred Years of Solitude” is widely acclaimed, written in many languages, and considered a classic. However, the story is too densely populated with characters to be appreciated in a first listen. John Lee offers a great narration of the story but patience and fortitude are required for the listener to complete the audio book.

SEVEN GENERATIONS

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If you were to fall asleep in a poem and dream f being in a labyrinth, you would land in One Hundred Years Of Solitude. No matter how many times I have read this book, and now listened to it, I find something new. You’ll see reality differently after this.

Stunning!!

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. while the story was a little bit intricate and sometimes difficult to follow, especially the interactions between generations, The pros is exceptional, the writing top notch. Often I listen to it just to hear the writing and would have to re-listen to the chapter I had just finished in order to follow the storyline. Highly recommended.

amazing writer!

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I love his writing style, but some the content was a bit more risque than I am generally comfortable with.

Good overall!

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Be clear on one thing this book is a bath of magical realism. if that's what you want then maybe it's for you. I got one third of the way through when I simply could not stand it anymore. it was a waste of my time and money.

The narrator is so good that he unintentionally enhances the Magical elements of the story. I don't think it helped that I had previously listened to hours and hours of writing by Ken Follett. it's the same narrator. As a result it was very difficult for me to get the Ken Follett stories out of my mind.

Too famous for its own good

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The reading was seriously wanting. It was a bit monotonous. A better reading would have added to the enjoyment.

A classic and wonderful philosophical novel but,,,

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But the book lost me in the confusion, the unclean purpose and the celebration of immorality

Lyrical translation, beautiful performance

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This is my first venture into the genre of “magical realism”, not sure if it fits but this is one really bizarre story. The author takes us into the world of the family Buendia and the fictional town they founded Macondo, which at first might be considered a peaceful haven but the inhabitants are a bit unusual..ok, that might be an understatement....just plain batty might fit better. They do so many strange things it's hard to keep up with all the antics and schemes going on..I don't know for sure if I really liked the story or some of the crazy might have invaded my little gray cells. I listened to the audible version of the book and must admit that the performance by the narrator was excellent and added entertainment to the read.

Delightfully Bizarre

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I'm not gonna lie... I was lost A LOT! the imagery is fantastic, the characters are interesting, but transitions and clarity are severely lacking! I've always wanted to read this book, and now I have!

finally!

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