*trigger warning* There is no doubt that Márquez is a gifted wordsmith, penning an eloquent, albeit dense & tedious prose, but my troubles with this novel are the deplorable themes of romantized sexual assault, statutory rape & the contemptible message that unwilling women "just need a bit of convincing." Florentino made my skin crawl throughout, perpetuating toxicity that was apparently in the name of unrequited love; stalking Fermina (1/?)