A Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes: The public, the private and the secret Paperback – Import, 14 April 2022

One of the best memoirs I’ve read. This text, the author’s memoir of his father, the great Gabriel Garcia Marquez and his mother Mercedes, is a meditation on death, dying, suffering, grief and time. Since it deals with dying and death, it is also a meditation on life and living as you cannot think of death without life and living.For Marquez admirers and scholars, the text offers a lot by way of Marquez’s greatness, his prodigious talents, enviable powers of concentration and tenacity; but most importantly, the text lays bare that Marquez, who was a national icon was human at heart, with all the greatness and frailties of being human.The text can teach a lot about how to deal with the sick with dignity. To the humanity shattered by the Covid pandemic, there can be no better lesson.A must read for anyone wanting to read about Marquez, about fortitude in the face of death; in fact, a beautifully crafted memoir for any sensitive reader. In one word, it humanizes.

It is perhaps an one sitting read. Since our youth, when we were being introduced to world literature, Gabriel Garcia marquez was our hero! Anything by or about him we devour immediately. In later days his male gaze bothered me but the magic never ceased to mesmerize!This book seemed to me a horror story initially ! the frightening aspect of mortality! The man reducing to this and losing the grip of life and his being! His organs are giving up, his mind is not in his control. He is alone in oblivion. I could imagine how devastating it had been to his offsprings. The descriptions were so vivid but controlled, so real but so heart wrenching at times. All put together the book is unputdownable. The separation anxiety gradually grows on you- with him and with life. I wish he would have written more elaborately.

Great read

A beautiful, touching and heartbreaking account of the last days of Gabriel Marquez (the legendary South American writer) spent with his family in Mexico, from the perspective of his elder son. A farewell to Gabriel Marquez portrays the pendulum of emotions that the narrator goes through while spending the last days of his father by his side.. for years Gabriel Marquez has been a famous public figure garnering attention anywhere he went, resulting in the lives of family also, to an extent, being exposed to the public. The hardships of such a family, especially children, are not documented enough. While this book does not only focus on the public life of Gabriel, it also takes the reader through the influence he had on his children and family and the emotions the family goes through knowing that a terminal illness has now taken over him.

Memoirs are deceptive. What are to be told and what not, create a conflict with the flow of the writer. But this is a diary, where there is no pressure of storytelling on the author.And the best part? This author, or rather this son, writes about his parents, in a language which could have made his father proud of. It's a Gabo language, written for Gabo and his wife, by a beloved son. Go for it.

How do I write about my favourite writer’s last days? Is it okay to say that a book on the topic made me smile? That even when he was ailing, Gabo gave me joy. Does it even make sense? To you, it may not. To me, it does. Perfectly.A Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes is written by Marquez’s son, Rodrigo Garcia. Garcia started writing the book at a time when he felt that his father wouldn’t fully recover from his bout of illnesses, when the end looked near and unfortunately, final. He saw his father coping with dementia, every day losing a battle that perhaps weighed on him the most. He, who was know for his unbelievably sharp memory. He saw his mother, Mercedes, accept what was to come with a finality and remove that only she was capable of. She, who loved him like only she could have. He chronicles what the hospital visits are like once news spreads that Marquez is admitted in the hospital. There are hordes of fans who wait outside for hours for a glimpse of their idol.To think that a writer, someone who, if you put it crudely, scribbles things on paper, could garner a following equivalent to that of a movie star! Words are never mere words, I realise, for the millionth time, as I tearfully read this homage to a man whose words I am irrevocably in love with.

A very good book for Gabo fans. I liked the style of writing. Seems his son is a very good writer too.

A nice book written by a kin of the celebrated author. A much closer look into the life of Marquez in his old age. A mixture of memoire both from a personal as well as public viewpoint as the author is not only hid son, but a writer himself. photographs are added attraction to the book's charm.

I had just finished watching Rodrigo García‘s excellent film RAYMOND AND RAY. I did a little bit of research on writer/director García’s background. I was surprised to learn he is the son of celebrated novelist Gabriel García Marquez.This particular book is a memoir of events surrounding the deaths of both his father and his mother. The book is tender, profound, sensitive, sad, and occasionally funny. Sometimes it’s all these things at once. The author focuses on personal details about his parents. He strikes a balance between his own feelings about growing up with his famous father and intimate details about his father’s and mother’s last days.Anyone who has experienced the deaths of loved ones will find something recognizable here. Watching the author’s film RAYMOND AND RAY and its tale of two brothers returning for the funeral of their estranged and difficult father, one cannot help but wonder about that film’s numerous unusual vignettes and how they reflect any of the author’s own family experiences.That’s a bit of a rhetorical question. Asking an artist whether personal experiences have influenced his or her own art is a fool’s game. Of course they have, whether or not the artist recognizes it. But how important is it for readers or reviewers to understand this? Shouldn’t art speak for itself and not burden us with having to know intimate back stories of the artists life to appreciate the art?My own reaction: art is always influenced by the artist’s personal history. Understanding an artist’s personal backstory can sometimes help explain some of what the artist is trying to communicate in a particular work. Reading García‘s memoir on the deaths of his parents may help explain some of what we see in Raymond and Ray even if the details of that film and its characters’ actions are imaginary. Garcia through his superb writing and directing imbued the people in Raymond and Ray with real personalities. He reveals in this memoir, at minimum, that some of his artistic sensibilities may have been inherited -- whether he knows that or not.

This was my first exposure to Cabo! As a Latino celebrated writer I found him quite interesting and human!This has peaked my interest in reading some of his works.His sons memoir of his mother and father was uplifting, and at times sad.I know we all share some of those experiences in our own life’s journey!

For forever admirers of Gabo, it is an absolute must! A phantastic book that touched me very deeply! Highly recommended!!!

This book is superb in every way. I was spellbound as I listened to the audio version read by the author, unable to stop until reaching the end of the book forced me to. I wanted the book to go on and on. Beautifully written - so clear and compelling. I couldn't recommend this wonderful book more highly.

Travel reading.