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ifcupid's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cooperck's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
klparmley's review against another edition
2.0
I can't get past his style of writing. The story may be good but the telling is dreadful.
knd1's review against another edition
intenté leerlo pero estaba re aburriendo y me iba a agarrar bloqueo 😔
fr_eddie's review against another edition
3.0
3,5 un libro che all'inizio mi è piaciuto per la vena distopica, ma col passare del tempo l'ho trovato più spento. Una delle note dolenti è la continua ripetizione degli escrementi, che invadono le strade, i pavimenti, i pensieri dei personaggi.
Lo stile non mi è piaciuto più di tanto, perché sembrava troppo lontano dai veri sentimenti che venivano provati, come se fosse un riassunto di quello che era accaduto. Certe volte ho visto che l'autore faceva lunghi elenchi che alla fine non portavano a niente, come se avesse inserito più elementi per aumentare il numero di pagine.
Spoiler
Il finale? A cazzo di cane. Non riesco neanche a capire se mi è piaciuto o meno, ma mi dà solo l'impressione di essere a cazzo di cane.
Lo stile non mi è piaciuto più di tanto, perché sembrava troppo lontano dai veri sentimenti che venivano provati, come se fosse un riassunto di quello che era accaduto. Certe volte ho visto che l'autore faceva lunghi elenchi che alla fine non portavano a niente, come se avesse inserito più elementi per aumentare il numero di pagine.
Spoiler
Il finale? A cazzo di cane. Non riesco neanche a capire se mi è piaciuto o meno, ma mi dà solo l'impressione di essere a cazzo di cane.
fauxclore's review against another edition
5.0
Um livro bastante difícil de ler - e não, não é por causa da grafia, essa é bastante fluída - mas sim devido aos conteúdos que explora, e à capacidade que tem em nos fazer perder confiança no Bom da humanidade. Mas, como muito de Saramago, é excelente e memorável.
midici's review against another edition
2.0
*2.5 stars*
Not sure how I feel about this book. I think maybe this is a personal style conflict. Mostly.
The narration is a super interesting style. It's second person plural, as in "we, the narrators, can assume such and such about this character from her actions..." It's like the narrator is inviting you to play observer with them. It's also a style with long, run-on sentences, with no clear distinctions between narrational aside, external dialogue, internal monologue, or description. It uses only commas to separate each part. Very interesting, but very hard to read. You really have to pay attention.
Second problem is that the plot feels very allegorical. As in, yes there is an epidemic that makes everyone go blind, but really aren't we all, as a society, blind to what's important, and isn't being blind allowing characters to figuratively see themselves as they really are, or otherwise devolve depending on their own nature into 'true humanity' without any obstructions or distractions? The plot is a plot but mostly it's a vehicle for this author's version of exploring humanity.
Again, that's a kind of interesting way to write a book and explore large themes, but mostly it felt like nothing was learned by anyone - the only person perceiving anything (maybe) is you and the narrator, and everyone else is just stuck dealing with what happens to them.
It's super bleak. Having now lived through a pandemic, having the government declare a pandemic when about 6 people are sick, and set up an entire concentration camp with no doctors or oversight, with shoot to kill orders is WILD. This book came out in 1997 and is not necessarily supposed to be realistic but it still sort of distanced me form the plot.
Every reference to how being struck blind is like being dead or having the world end, or losing their humanity as a whole - again I think it's written that way for the allegory but there are literally thousands of blind people worldwide who are not dead, or suffering a loss of humanity due to their lack of sight so that all read as weirdly abelist and discriminatory in a way that I don't think the author meant it to.
The abuse to women aspect. I get that it was part of the sort of loss of social structure and it's discussed in different ways by different characters, and the women who can still see kills the ringleader to free everyone else. It's still a bit annoying that this is the first go to situation in a bleak dystopian.
Very dissatisfied with the ending overall. I don't think Jose Saramago is a bad writer but this was really not my cup of tea.
Not sure how I feel about this book. I think maybe this is a personal style conflict. Mostly.
The narration is a super interesting style. It's second person plural, as in "we, the narrators, can assume such and such about this character from her actions..." It's like the narrator is inviting you to play observer with them. It's also a style with long, run-on sentences, with no clear distinctions between narrational aside, external dialogue, internal monologue, or description. It uses only commas to separate each part. Very interesting, but very hard to read. You really have to pay attention.
Second problem is that the plot feels very allegorical. As in, yes there is an epidemic that makes everyone go blind, but really aren't we all, as a society, blind to what's important, and isn't being blind allowing characters to figuratively see themselves as they really are, or otherwise devolve depending on their own nature into 'true humanity' without any obstructions or distractions? The plot is a plot but mostly it's a vehicle for this author's version of exploring humanity.
Again, that's a kind of interesting way to write a book and explore large themes, but mostly it felt like nothing was learned by anyone - the only person perceiving anything (maybe) is you and the narrator, and everyone else is just stuck dealing with what happens to them.
It's super bleak. Having now lived through a pandemic, having the government declare a pandemic when about 6 people are sick, and set up an entire concentration camp with no doctors or oversight, with shoot to kill orders is WILD. This book came out in 1997 and is not necessarily supposed to be realistic but it still sort of distanced me form the plot.
Every reference to how being struck blind is like being dead or having the world end, or losing their humanity as a whole - again I think it's written that way for the allegory but there are literally thousands of blind people worldwide who are not dead, or suffering a loss of humanity due to their lack of sight so that all read as weirdly abelist and discriminatory in a way that I don't think the author meant it to.
The abuse to women aspect. I get that it was part of the sort of loss of social structure and it's discussed in different ways by different characters, and the women who can still see kills the ringleader to free everyone else. It's still a bit annoying that this is the first go to situation in a bleak dystopian.
Very dissatisfied with the ending overall. I don't think Jose Saramago is a bad writer but this was really not my cup of tea.