“The only regret I will have in dying is if it is not for love.”
Florentina Ariza has been in love with the same woman since he was a teenager. They swore their love to each other and even planned marriage, but after some time apart, Fermina Daza turns him down after they meet again. In his despair, he tries desperately to get her to change her mind, but nothing helps. So, his mother intervenes to send him away, but he ends up getting a job with his uncle in the same town. Fermina Daza goes on to marry a doctor, not knowing that Florentina Ariza keeps a close eye on where she is and what she does.
I was looking for an audiobook to listen to and saw that Love in the Time of Cholera was available. It’s a classic I hadn’t read before and a friend had recommended it years ago. It was a good audiobook as the story was easy to follow by listening to it, but it may have been harder to follow on paper.
Love in the Time of Cholera is set in the Caribbean when there are still different classes and when riverboats are the main style of transportation. While Fermina Daza raises two children and tries to feel at home in the class set higher from her childhood class, Florentina Ariza sets out to love as many women as he can – in the physical sense. He is biding his time, waiting for Fermina Daza’s husband to die and then he plans to win her back. They both become old and find love once again. However, the honorableness of Florentina Ariza waiting so long for one woman is tarnished by all his exploits, including with a 14-year-old under his charge when he is almost 70.
Love in the Time of Cholera was not the book I was hoping it would be. Instead of a lofty love story, it was gritty and realistic. Every character has several big faults and the story is more about human nature than it is about love and waiting for love. The book is for adults with descriptive romance scenes.
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