Annotate With Sara

Tarot methods are a tiny difference between One Hundred Years of Solitude the book and the show.

In the book One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, Pilar Ternera “knew how to read the future in cards.”1

Throughout the book, her tarot readings are done with a regular 52-card playing deck.

It’s trivially different, but Netflix’s version of Pilar reads futures with an actual tarot deck.

The first time we see Pilar’s cards in the show is in Episode 2, when she gives an impromptu three-card reading to Úrsula. When the camera closes in on Úrsula’s hand flipping the cards, we get the tarot reveal.

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In the book One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, Pilar Ternera “knew how to read the future in cards.”1

Throughout the book, her tarot readings are done with a regular 52-card playing deck. 

It’s trivially different, but Netflix’s version of Pilar reads futures with an actual tarot deck.

In the book One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, Pilar Ternera “knew how to read the future in cards.”¹

Throughout the book, her tarot readings are done with a regular 52-card playing deck.

It’s trivially different, but Netflix’s version of Pilar reads futures with an actual tarot deck.

The first time we see Pilar’s cards in the show is in Episode 2, when she gives an impromptu three-card reading to Úrsula. When the camera closes in on Úrsula’s hand flipping the cards, we get the tarot reveal.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The first time we see Pilar’s cards in the show is in Episode 2, when she gives an impromptu three-card reading to Úrsula. When the camera closes in on Úrsula’s hand flipping the cards, we get the tarot reveal.

Later in Episode 2, she reads for Úrsula’s son José Arcadio Jr. at Úrsula’s behest (just like in the book, see page 25). Again, we see closeups of tarot cards, specifically The Three of Pentacles, The World, and The Tower.

In the original text, the few cards (from the 52-card deck) directly mentioned in Pilar’s readings come in pairs. 

• Pilar reads for Rebeca on page 77, who draws a king of hearts and jack of diamonds. 
• Pilar reads for Aureliano Segundo on page 355, pulling the queen of diamonds and the jack of spades. 

I have no qualms about this switch from a standard deck to a tarot deck. It’s trivial. Honestly, I just wanted to point it out and see if it generates any conversation. 🩷

1. (page 25) ↩︎