Memories of My Melancholy Whores

“Age isn't how old you are, age is how old you feel!”

“The adolescents of my generation, greedy for life, forgot in body or soul about their hopes for the future until reality taught them that tomorrow was not what they had dreamed, and they discovered nostalgia.”

“and her respiration was so faint, I took her pulse so I could feel she was alive. Blood circulated through her veins with the fluidity of a song that branched off into the most hidden areas of her body and returned to her heart, purified by love.”

“Sex is the consolation when you can't have love”


“In the end, it is impossible not to become what others believe you are.”

Oh I enjoyed this book. I haven't explored much of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and then I happened to read this one! Marquez has this uniquely beautiful style of writing that's romantic with a tinge of brash vulgarity. The story revolves around a ninety year old journalist who's the narrator of the novel. He's turning 90 and has this desire to experience love on his birthday. The narrator's past has been lascivious and wild! And now, he has this yearning for a rather 14 year old young girl called Delgadina. He falls in love with her and this is where the entire novel goes on an altogether different level! Some of you might find the story disturbing. It reminded me of Nabakov's Lolita.

The book is emotionally intense and explores the various facets of human behavior and emotions when a person is in love. It also explores the perils of getting old and how age has an impact on life in general with love, salacious passion and desire as the underlying themes throughout the book. The book is as seductive as its title. Read it for Marquez's fascinating writing and a rather different and offbeat story!