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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
This was a difficult book to read. The inhumanity was hard to face, of course, and the thought of actually having to live this way as the characters did was made even more challenging because of the author's interesting but arduous style ( almost complete absence of punctuation except for periods and commas). I wondered many times what was pulling them through. There were so many reasons NOT to try to survive. Also now that I am done I find myself really wanting to know how they are doing and how this experience changed them when things return to "normal."
The first thing that put me off this book was the lack of punctuation. And names. And character development at all really. It really felt like Saramago had a really cool idea about a blind world, and a basic outline of what he wanted to happen, and then never bothered to fill out the characters or give anyone goals to drive the plot forward.
This is really a love hate story. You love it because it's unique and breaks rules, or you'll hate it because it doesn't follow a proper novel format.
BOTTOM LINE: If you don't like poem novels, you probably won't like this book. This is prose, but the lack of names and punctuation makes it as difficult to read as poem novels.
This is really a love hate story. You love it because it's unique and breaks rules, or you'll hate it because it doesn't follow a proper novel format.
BOTTOM LINE: If you don't like poem novels, you probably won't like this book. This is prose, but the lack of names and punctuation makes it as difficult to read as poem novels.
Absolutely stunning. An amazing fable. Gripping & well-written. Saramago's best.
First read this book about 20 years ago and have fond memories of it.
This time around I listened to the audio book and was underwhelmed by the experience. The novel's structure helps the reader "feel" the disorienting blindness that the audiobook can't quite capture.
Also, the story didn't age particularly well for me, having experienced a pandemic (and society's reaction to it) first hand.
This time around I listened to the audio book and was underwhelmed by the experience. The novel's structure helps the reader "feel" the disorienting blindness that the audiobook can't quite capture.
Also, the story didn't age particularly well for me, having experienced a pandemic (and society's reaction to it) first hand.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
Saramago doesn't mess around, does he? Reading this book is like being shot out of a cannon. Or like grabbing the door handle of a moving car.
It's interesting that, in spite of the lack of character names, proper punctuation or indentation, one doesn't get lost in the dialogue. I thought this book was going to be a big headache to read but I was wrong. It is a little difficult to pick up and put down, though, especially when you lose your place like I did.
I found the book to be so suspenseful in places that a knot would form in my stomach. It's been a bit since I was desparate to get to the end and find out what happened. (Don't worry, I won't spoil it.) The only character I found a little lackluster was the child, who is much less filled-out than the adult characters.
It's interesting that, in spite of the lack of character names, proper punctuation or indentation, one doesn't get lost in the dialogue. I thought this book was going to be a big headache to read but I was wrong. It is a little difficult to pick up and put down, though, especially when you lose your place like I did.
I found the book to be so suspenseful in places that a knot would form in my stomach. It's been a bit since I was desparate to get to the end and find out what happened. (Don't worry, I won't spoil it.) The only character I found a little lackluster was the child, who is much less filled-out than the adult characters.
I wanted to like it more, but it was a bit too metaphorical for my taste.
This is beautifully written, but i didn't completely get the plot/message...i liked Seeing a lot better
There has to be a major reason where I will not finish a book. As interesting as the premise sounds, I just could not make it through this book and it's all because of the author's writing style. No paragraphs, barely any punctuation (frequently, several pages will all just be one long sentence), and no dialogue tags. I just can't get past that.