The reader is once again transported to Gabriel Garcia Marquez's unforgettable town of Macondo through this collection of short stories; although not set in the same style of magical realism one encounters in 'One Hundred years of Solitude', the writing is sharp, witty, incisive and filled with irony. The occasional flight of fantasy is balanced brilliantly by the weakness, helplessness and the melancholy experienced by the characters as we cannot but help mourn their tragic lives, and laugh in their frivolities.

No one writes to the Colonel
The daily life of a Colonel and his wife living in utter poverty and awaiting their pension check is the center-piece of this collection of short stories. The tone is simple and mundane and the Colonel's daily routine and his Friday visits to check for his mail form a large part of the story. But through the very trivial conversations, we are exposed to the political situation, the underground movement, lack of information about the rest of the world, and the tremendous difficulties faced by the Colonel to get his pension. The Colonel and his wife, who have withered with old age, face the burden of living their lives in isolation and resignation to the fact that their desire of maintaining their self-respect and living independently is impossible to attain. The melancholy is heightened by the fact that their son is dead, there is nothing to do in the town, and they dont even have the money to afford two meals a day. But a certain spark and humor is evident throughout the story through the various characters that inhabit the town. The rooster and the impending cockfight which can bring much needed money to the Colonel, coupled with his incredible patience and resolve in awaiting his check for the last 15 years form the only things he looks forward to in life. Criss-crossing the very fine line between maintaining his sanity and dignity, and drifting into death and despair, the Colonel's sadness and hopelessness is starkly and vividly described, and leaves the reader with a lot to think about.

Tuesday Siesta
A lazy town is stirred from its siesta when a woman and her young child journey to visit the cemetery of a thief.

One of these days
Who spends the taxpayers' money? What is it used for? Macondo's mayor has an irritating wisdom tooth and goes to the dentist-without-the-degree to get it extracted.

There are no thieves in this town
Marquez narrates the story of a brash youngster Damaso's attempt at a robbery out of which he gains nothing of value, and the following tension in his and his wife's life. He continues to battle the demons of the robbery and its aftermath, and his story ends in an incredible anti-climax.

Balthazar's Marvelous Afternoon
Balthazar, a poor man works hard to build a beautiful cage, only to give it away later for free. The stark irony lies in the fact that he ends up celebrating his marvelous afternoon, treating half the town and ending up in debt.

Montiel's Widow
An old woman is burdened by her dwindling fortunes and struggling business after her husband's death, and her children refusing to come back to the village. She is happy for her children being away from everything.

Two other stories "One day after Saturday", and "Big Mama's funeral" complete this set of short and ironic stories by Marquez. The characters are simple, well developed and unforgettable and the writing is part-fantasy and part-real. Through his characters, Marquez delves deep into the agony and suffering of the common man, as well as celebrates their trivial successes and happiness. Most importantly, as with his other works, Marquez succeeds in analyzing human emotions in a style very few other writers manage to accomplish.

Recommended: Yes