Love in the Time of Cholera

Set in a Caribbean port city between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this novel concerns Florentino Ariza, a shy young telegraph clerk who falls deeply in love with Fermina Daza. She chooses a different path, marrying a respected doctor, while Florentino waits, pursues other affairs and builds his career. The story spans decades and looks at love in many forms, including passion, marriage, habit, companionship and old age. Cholera and civil conflict form a backdrop to the lives of the characters. It is a warm, ironic and humane look at how long desire can last.