I am a latecomer to the writing of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which is a shame. Even in translation, his writing is beautiful, lyrical, and full of imagery and power (some credit goes to the translator, of course!). I very much enjoyed this story, which has some interesting things to say about love and self-delusion and pursuit and success and failure. The characterization is very well done. Plotwise, the continual emphasis on the protagonist’s obsession with sex-sex-sex-sex-sex became somewhat tedious, but this is a minor detraction from an otherwise engaging tale. And, in contrast to many books I’ve read of late, it has a solid, delicious-yet-not-trite ending.