It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.

Then the writing became so fluid that I sometimes felt as if I were writing for the sheer pleasure of telling a story, which may be the human condition that most resembles levitation.

There had never been a death so foretold.

The woman let out an expansive laugh that resounded through the house like a spray of broken glass.

Necessity has the face of a dog.

The only Virgos left in the world are people like you who were born in August.

Aureliano not only understood by then, he also lived his brother’s experiences as something of his own, for on one occasion when the latter was explaining in great detail the mechanism of love, he interrupted him to ask: “What does it feel like?” José Arcadio gave an immediate reply: “It’s like an earthquake.