What do you do when you know that one of your favorite writer has written only a dozen odd books and is no more? You go slow with his works, cherish and enjoy them as long as you can as the new ones aren't coming out and writer(s) like him are very hard to find (Although I just found Murakami to tell you the truth). This I believe will be one of his shortest books as hardly 115 pages but if I just pick up one para from the very first 20 odd pages, a person with better vocabulary (not me) can write a 120 odd page review on the same and will still not run out of the praise. Imagine the beauty and word play this insanely talented guy had. Last time when I was ranting about another of his works a friend pointed out that these books that we read are actually the translations, still we find them this good. Just imagine how terrific they must be in his own words in his own language. But learning Spanish to read Gabo's works is something I guess I wont be able to do in this birth for sure but in my next I would love to be reborn either in Columbia or Japan ;).
This one is a very straight forward, short and sweet story of a an old journalist (almost retired) whose employer refuses to let him go but presses him to write on whatever he wishes as per his whims and fancies. What he writes on? is not hilarious but too good and the way his fans respond and how he gets the material (read inspiration) makes up for this superb story of him at 90 years looking for that one last fling with a Virgin girl before he calls it a life. What happens next is a beautiful story of love and affection of a different kind altogether. Going by the title I must say I judged it pretty wrongly and it didn't turn out what I expected it to be (for good). The Journalist has just celebrated his 90th birthday and has been a Bachelor throughout his life, in and out of love at least once or more but never gets married. He has no future, no past, no family and almost nothing to look forward to. He claims he even isn't rich but thats another story but his taste is simply impeccable of not only whores but music, literature, what he eats, how he talks and almost every other thing. I just couldn't help but fall in love yet again with an Oldie (remember the Grumpy Old man), he is like him if he was a Journalist but with a very colorful life.
If you have read and loved Gabriel Garcia Marquez, do tell me which one is your favorite and if you have read this one, tell me how was it as per you. And if you haven't read it, you exactly know what to do, go run, get a copy and enjoy it. It such a short book that you will be able to finish it in one sitting but a book that you will never be able to forget.
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