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News of a Kidnapping
News of a Kidnapping | Gabriel Garcia Marquez
7 posts | 20 read | 19 to read
AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN eBOOK!In 1990, fearing extradition to the United States, Pablo Escobar head of the Medelln drug cartel kidnapped ten notable Colombians to use as bargaining chips. With the eye of a poet, Garca Mrquez describes the survivors perilous ordeal and the bizarre drama of the negotiations for their release. He also depicts the keening ache of Colombia after nearly forty years of rebel uprisings, right-wing death squads, currency collapse and narco-democracy. With cinematic intensity, breathtaking language and journalistic rigor, Garca Mrquez evokes the sickness that inflicts his beloved country and how it penetrates every strata of society, from the lowliest peasant to the President himself.
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Graywacke
News of a Kidnapping | Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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Wandering around my house looking for a background for a picture...

So the book - nonfiction on the experiences of ten people Pablo Escobar had kidnapped for leverage as he was about to turn himself in (1990-1991) - two would be killed, one during a rescue attempt. Márquez avoids the dramatic here, though. Instead he walks through these experiences slowly. It‘s comes across as enlightening and admirably respectful, but also, well, it‘s slow.

BarbaraBB I know the feeling, wandering about the house! And I really enjoyed this book! 6y
Graywacke @BarbaraBB I didn‘t know anyone else in the world had read it!! 🙂 I‘m kidding of course, but it‘s never come up anywhere for me before. But there‘s always likely to be one super well read person around here whose read something like this 😉(On wandering about the house - I was thinking I wasn‘t the only one doing that for Litsy ☺️) 6y
BarbaraBB Lol, I read it in Dutch even, so there must have been a translator who read it too 😉. There was this period in my life when I was super interested in Pablo Escobar, I think that‘s why I read it! (edited) 6y
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Graywacke
News of a Kidnapping | Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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The next book...

GatheringBooks i have to read my gabriel garcia marquez novels soonest. :) 6y
Graywacke @GatheringBooks which ones do you have waiting? 6y
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GatheringBooks
News of a Kidnapping | Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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#JuneItsElectrifying Day 2: There is a #ThinkPink vibe to this book, notwithstanding its heavy-going theme. A #BigBadWolf book haul.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks It‘s a pretty cover! 💗 6y
vkois88 Strange how such heavy books usually have brighter colors to distract from the subject matter 🤔 6y
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TheAnitaAlvarez
News of a Kidnapping | Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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In addition to his work as a novelist, Gabo also worked as a journalist for a very long time. This book is a very detailed account of the kidnapping of several important people in Colombia in 1990-1991, a case linked to Pablo Escobar‘s cartel. The narrative moves between the groups of kidnapped people (they were divided early on) and their families looking for them. Gabo‘s lavish writing is in service of the facts and works to show their ordeal.

Morr_Books One of my favorite authors! ❤️ 7y
OffTheBeatenShelf.com I‘m on a mission to read all of his books, so I just added this one to my list. :) 7y
Cathythoughts Love his writing ❤️✨✨✨ 7y
See All 13 Comments
LibrarianJen Do you know if there is a bilingual edition? Or is it only one or the other? 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @Morr_Books he‘s great! I never got why my short story professor in Uni didn‘t like him very much (I did English, but I took her class around the time he died, so of course he came up when we talked) 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @OffTheBeatenShelf.com sounds like a worthy endeavour! I‘ve read a bunch, but I‘m still far from reading all of them. 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @Cathythoughts it‘s brilliant! 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @LibrarianJen to be honest, I‘m not sure there is one. Sorry 😔 7y
LibrarianJen Its alright! I‘m a librarian, I *should* be able to figure it out for myself. 😉 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @LibrarianJen that‘s the librarian superpower! 7y
Morr_Books Love in the Time of Cholera has been the only book I have ever read where I hated every single character (except maybe the parrot) and that not matter because the writing was beautiful. 7y
shweta_18 I have never had a chance to read #gabrielgarciamarquez. How is his books?? Enlighten me 7y
TheAnitaAlvarez @shweta_18 he‘s the father of magical realism, and his writing is beautiful 7y
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Hooked_on_books
News of a Kidnapping | Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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Pickpick

Fearing extradition to the US in 1990, Pablo Escobar, head of the Medellín cartel, had 10 people taken as hostages to use as bargaining chips in his surrender. A fascinating nonfiction from Columbia's (arguably) best-known novelist. While at times the structure was confusing and it would have benefitted from a list of "characters," it's definitely an illuminating read of a scary time in a dangerous place. #readaroundtheworld #Columbia

JenP Sounds interesting! 7y
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Foragingfantasy
News of a Kidnapping | Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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Haven't read this one yet. #feistyfeb #latinxauthors

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gentlepet
News of a Kidnapping | Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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purchased on the cheap at a school fair a few weeks ago - i start reading it today.

danx Sounds like my kind of book. 8y
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