Everyone says that One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of the most important books ever written (it was even runner up to best novel of the century in TIME Magazine), but I beg to differ. I found the author's style unpolished and uncontrolled, I found it to be too long, and I've read better attempts at mystical realism. Catch 22 is a wonderful book and pulls the style of wonderfully, while Marquez lacks in almost every respect. I do give him some merit for imagry, but overall I really can't understand why everyone thnks this book is so great.