content: I approached this novel with reluctance. A friend recommended it but said it was best to read it in the original Spanish. I don't understand Spanish, but I decided to try the English translation. I was overwhelmed. For days I was in a trance. I could not and did not want to pull myself away from Macondo and the Buendia family. The words hypnotized me. The scenes evoked haunted me during the day and filled my dreams at night. Gabriel Garcia Marquez has created a masterpiece in any language.