What drew me to this book was the first line. I place a lot of judgment on books based on their first line. This first line is especially prolific.
"Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Beundia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice."
it pulls the reader in immediately, and with one sentence evokes a sense of wonder that remains throughout the text. this is apparent in the beginning chapter when the Colonels father, the first protagonist of the book, delves into the study of alchemy. Already the fictitious aspect of of the novel is apparent. The text begins to read like a folktale, with phrases like "when the world was young," and referring to the fact that many things were still unnamed. I did some background research on the book and found that this novel coined the genre of "Magical Realism." this is very apparent.
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Yes, the first line is pretty good. I like how he "discovered" ice, and that that is the first thought he thinks of when he is about to die. Magical Realism sounds like an interesting genre.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you - first lines are really important. "In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit" for instance. Classic. Anyway, sounds like a very interesting book - I should look for it.
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