El coronel no tiene quien le escriba / No One Writes to the Colonel

from theboylatham

Seven out of ten.In a decaying Colombian town the Colonel and his ailing wife are living a hand-to-mouth existence, scraping together the money for food and medicine. The Colonel's hopes for a better future lie with his rooster, which for him, and the whole town, has become a symbol of defiance.

from Eyejaybee

I don't relish the role of literary iconoclast, but I found this novella decidedly underwhelming. If this is representative of the writer's oeuvre, then once again I have to question how the Nobel committee arrive at their decisions – perhaps in years gone by, they have modelled themselves on FIF...

from russelllindsey

For a supposed classic, I didn't enjoy reading this book very much. It was assigned as part of a Spanish Literature course. I've read much better literature in my life.

from Clurb

The Colonel and his wife live alone and in poverty in a small Colombian town, placing all their hope in a fighting rooster which becomes a symbol of power and defiance for the townspeople against ineffectual politics and an absent government.