Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira by José Saramago

68 reviews

moonymars's review against another edition

dark reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 When names, possessions, money, the government, institutions etc. all lose their value, what happens?

In Saramago's "Ensaio sobre a Cegueira" (Blindness) an epidemic of blindness takes over the world. We follow characters that were looked up a mental hospital so their blindness doesn't spread. However, one of the characters never blinds, she never loses her vision and ends up being a witness to the horror that came over the country.

I hate writing big reviews, so overall, this is a great book with good social critiques and a good analysis of the human condition.

book tw: violence, rape (heavy on this one), dead, murder 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Gun violence, Sexual assault, and Violence

f_zanini's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Death, Death of parent, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Vomit, Bullying, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gore, and Sexism

ajlct's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Excrement, Murder, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Rape

luisatkinson's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Vomit, and Excrement

madihoney's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Loved the premise of the book but extremely difficult to read. About 1 paragraph break per page, no quotation marks to indicate dialogue and no one has a real name (ie the doctor's wife, the pharmacist’s assistant, etc)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Murder, and Confinement

masterormargarita's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, and Death

diana311's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Blood, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment

slrsnz's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Saramago is not for everyone, people that need structured readings will certainly struggle with his novels. 

That being said, this is my second book by him and his imagination amazes me. Truly makes you wonder about how fragile society can be in extreme situations like this, and how dependent we are of everyone, how connected we all are in one way or another. The story having a “good ending” doesn’t save the characters from all the hurdles they have yet to go through to return to a modern society. 

Saramago is slowly becoming one of my favorites, you honestly get used to the dialogues and at times to me they flow way smoother than structured ones. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Murder, Rape, Violence, Vomit, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Blood, Death, and Sexual violence

sappypatheticm's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Chronic illness, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Vomit, Confinement, and Gun violence

_ami_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

That was a very hard read, not because of the lack of quotation marks or paragraphing, but that halfway. I felt sick to my stomach. But it was a great story that explores the human mind and behaviour at these circumstances.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Police brutality, Pandemic/Epidemic, Misogyny, Murder, Confinement, Death, Rape, Gore, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Sexual harassment, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Grief and Infidelity