One Hundred Years of Solitude
Score Classic
What it's about
Seven generations of the Buendía family live, love and fight in Macondo, the town they founded in the Colombian jungle. The town has its wars and disasters, its wonders and miracles: rains that last for years, a plague of insomnia, a woman who rises into the sky. Its secrets are hidden in a manuscript that only one Aureliano Buendía can finally decode.
Why it's worth reading
It's one of the best-selling novels ever, with about 50 million copies sold, and it's on the Bokklubben World Library, the BBC's Big Read and PBS's Great American Read. It made magical realism famous around the world.
You'll love it if you liked
Beloved, Midnight's Children or Love in the Time of Cholera
Good to know
Many characters share the same names, so a family tree helps. Read it slowly and let the strangeness carry you.
Quick answers
Is One Hundred Years of Solitude worth reading?
Yes. It's one of the best-selling novels ever, with about 50 million copies sold, and it's on the Bokklubben World Library, the BBC's Big Read and PBS's Great American Read. It ranks #186 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 83.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is One Hundred Years of Solitude about?
Seven generations of the Buendía family live, love and fight in Macondo, the town they founded in the Colombian jungle. The town has its wars and disasters, its wonders and miracles: rains that last for years, a plague of insomnia, a woman who rises into the sky. Its secrets are hidden in a manuscript that only one Aureliano Buendía can finally decode.
How long does it take to read One Hundred Years of Solitude?
About 12 hours (496 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after One Hundred Years of Solitude?
If you liked it, try Beloved by Toni Morrison, Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie or Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez.
By the numbers
- Readers69 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics55 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller83 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On 4 canon lists, including Bokklubben World Library (100 greatest books). One of the best-selling books ever (about 50 million copies).
Where it ranks
- #24 of the 461 fantasy books we rank
- #58 of the 763 classics we rank
- #186 of the 2,819 books we rank
Bestseller
- One of the best-selling books ever (about 50 million copies)
On the lists
- Bokklubben World Library (100 greatest books)
- PBS Great American Read
- BBC's The Big Read
Reads as
Epic, Moving
