'Love in the Time of Cholera': Favorites

[Scheherazade]

Who is your favorite character in Love in the Time of Cholera and why? What is your favorite quote/passage?



Book Club Procedures (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?p=57103#post57103)

[Scheherazade]

I think Ariza is the person I dislike most. Despite his confessions of love and devotion, I think it is an obsession (unhealthy) and his frolics seemed shallow. All his life he has done little more than using women and tried to persuade them to have calndestine affairs. Especially the girl whose guardian he was... That really did it for me! :sick:

I think as my favorite character in the book, I will go with Dr. Juvenal. He seemed to be a stable character and mostly his intentions were good.

[Darlin]

Just had time to start reading again and though I'm late, as usual it seems, I agree with Scheher. The affair that Ariza had with his ward was just so incredibly irresponsible and disgusting to me with the 60 year age difference that despite his devoted love over the years I just thought of him as a male slut and rather pathetic. And Fermina, quite selfish, really deserved him. On the other hand I enjoyed her relationship with her husband. The good doctor was stable as mentioned, and quite likeable, so much so that when he died I was disappointed at first as I wished to know more about him. The book was quite an intriguing read. I really enjoyed it despite the rather ambivalent ending.

[Kevets]

Florentino was the most developed character (i.e. he was best described). He was certainly morally imperfect, but so are real people. The affair with his niece is grotesque, but without it we might be left thinking better of Florentino. In his other relationships, there is a mutual succor. He deludes himself into thinking a 14 year old has magically become a full-grown woman, like the 'protagonist' in Lolita. She is the only one with whom he takes care to not impregnate.