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Love in the Time of Cholera  By  cover art

Love in the Time of Cholera

By: Gabriel García Márquez
Narrated by: Armando Durán
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Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Classic, 2014

From the Nobel Prize-winning author of One Hundred Years of Solitude comes a masterly evocation of an unrequited passion so strong that it binds two people's lives together for more than half a century.

In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry a wealthy, well-born doctor, Florentino is devastated, but he is a romantic. As he rises in his business career, he whiles away the years in 622 affairs - yet he reserves his heart for Fermina. Her husband dies at last, and Florentino purposefully attends the funeral. Fifty years, nine months, and four days after he first declared his love for Fermina, he does so again.

With humorous sagacity and consummate craft, Gabriel García Márquez traces an exceptional half-century of unrequited love. Though it seems never to be conveniently contained, love flows through the novel in many wonderful guises - joyful, melancholy, enriching, and ever surprising.

©1988 Gabriel García Márquez (P)2013 Blackstone Audio

Featured Article: 65+ Quotes About Love from Much-Loved Authors


While saying "I love you" speaks volumes, there are times when you yearn to express your feelings for a loved one—whether a cherished friend, serious crush, or your soul mate—in a way that's more creative, more eloquent, more memorable...in a word: quotable. For those times, there's no better source to turn to than great authors. We've collected some of most tender, most romantic, and most passionate quotes from the world's most-loved authors.

Editorial Review

With a plot beginning in the 19th century that stretches into the 20th century, this exceptional half-century romance remains just as relevant and stunning in the 21st century. Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez proves himself once again with a literary classic that's filled to the brim with humorous sagacity, complex characters, and a bittersweet story that will stay with you.
A brilliant writer, it's no surprise that García Márquez brought a chronicle of life into full bloom with original characters that the listener can't help but be drawn to. But such a talented best-selling author doesn't leave things at surface level. With an appraisal of people as complex and often contradictory, this compelling audiobook is full of twists and turns, with characters in opposition against themselves as much as with the world around them. The major characters are never flat or two-dimensional, as García Márquez brings the beautiful story to full life with masterly evocation of the reality of human existence.
Love in the Time of Cholera received critical acclaim after publication, and it remains one of the most popular, celebrated Gabriel García Márquez audiobooks today. As ambitious books go, it's certainly hit its mark. By turns matter-of-factly despondent and achingly romantic, this title is sure to capture your imagination.
Seasoned García Márquez narrator Armando Durán gives us another stunning performance with Love in the Time of Cholera. He captures the slow burn of over 50 years of pining for a lost love with a steady, personality-filled reading. — Audible Latino Editor

What listeners say about Love in the Time of Cholera

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great Journey, but the destination?

I do love Marquez...but his books always leave me feeling empty. It's like jogging in circles without ever reaching a destination.

Now the narrator is wonderful!!! Can't thing of a better person to narrate this book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfection! Sad that it ended!

The only bad thing I can say about this audio book is that it ended!
Gabriel Garcia Marquez brings a masterful work in this one, and I was hooked from the first words.
The narrator does a superb job on this and that is a credit as well to the translation into English. It is not too hard to follow, which was my initial concern.
The characters are deep and the story line is fabulous.

Pick this one up if you are looking for a wonderful listen!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Not what I expected.

The title of this book should be 'Porn in the Time of Cholera' as all it documents are the numerous and vulgar sexcapades of the characters (i.e. A dirty 70 year old man seducing his 14 year old niece). Disgusting. There are no redeeming qualities to the characters. The minutes passed like hours, listening to this audiobook. I honestly wish I could get those 15 hours of my life back. PS: this review has nothing to do with the production of the audiobook itself. That part was fine. It's just the story itself that is so utterly terrible.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

LOVE AND MARRIAGE

Gabriel Garcia Márquez begins "Love in the Time of Cholera" with a sweet evocation of love and marriage between Dr. Juvenal Urbino and his 71-year-old wife, the former Fermina Daza.

"Love in the Time of Cholera" almost loses one’s interest with the introduction of Florentino Ariza, an earlier rival for señorita Daza’s affection. Florentino seems a pale suitor when compared to Urbino. Florentino is too poor, too poetically inept, and socially immature to rival Urbino. Márquez slowly fills out Florentino’s character to make a listener interested enough to find out why he is important to the story. Márquez cleverly inserts an anonymous letter delivered to Urbino in the telling of his tale. The letter was held by a suicide victim, an acquaintance of Urbino’s, which adds mystery to the story. One wonders, is the letter related to Fermina’s earlier suitor? An answer is not given until the end of "Love in the Time of Cholera."

Márquez’s story suggests that love does not arrive with marriage but only comes with the passage of time. Márquez concludes sex in life and marriage is ephemeral and evolving; while love is eternal and built over time.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

What took me so long?!

Loved the story, loved the narrator. One of the best books I've listened to in a long time.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely read!

What made the experience of listening to Love in the Time of Cholera the most enjoyable?

I don't think there was a part of it that wasn't enjoyable. I loved the story- Florentino's never-ending passion but restraint and respect, and Fermina's strength- and I loved the performance.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Love in the Time of Cholera?

When Florentino Arisa meets up with Fermina Daza again after their first separation and she realizes that she doesn't have feelings for him anymore.

Have you listened to any of Armando Durán’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I haven't heard him before.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh that I could have!

Any additional comments?

I want a recording of The Autumn of the Patriarch!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Less than I Expected

This was a good book but I never really connected with this writing or with the characters. The narration was excellent, with nice tone and pacing and was wonderfully clear. The writing is not bad, but, other than a few passages near the end of the book, I found very little that was moving or interesting. Perhaps some might find the sexual references titillating. Perhaps some will enjoy the subtle and ambiguous characters. The characters are not unpleasant and are likable enough. The theme of long life and long love was mildly pleasant, but lacked magic or power. I did modestly enjoy the last fifth of the book (particularly the manatee story), but certainly not enough to read this again. The end of the book had a bit of the magical realism I expected from the start, but it was too little and too late to make this book great for me.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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A forever story - thought it would never end!

This book started out well but got really drawn out with the ending just dropping off. If I had purchased it as a print book, I would have fallen asleep so many times that I'm sure it never would have been finished. Amando did a great job in reading the story.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

better to read than to listen to

I listen to many more book than I read, but I did read this one around 15 years ago, and was impressed, and enjoyed the story. I don't know if I changed, or didn't enjoy the reader or what, but my memory of reading was much better than listening to this book.

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    5 out of 5 stars

A whole life, and what's important in it.

This is the wonderful and eminently readable story of strong women and equally strong men, set in a strong society. Wonderfully detailed in internal and external scenery, this is the story of love created, ripped apart, abandoned, found, horrified to be found so late in life, lost again and ultimately found again forever. It makes me smile. Definitely something you want to listen to.

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