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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Murder, Sexual harassment
“Penso que não cegámos, penso que estamos cegos, Cegos que veem, Cegos que, vendo, não veem.”
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Thought provoking.
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Such vivid storytelling that it made me want to take a long, hot shower
April 2020. My world as I know it seems to be collapsing under the changes brought forth by COVID-19. My work, studies, social life, gigs, hobbies, plans, birthdays and mental health are put on hold and I leave my dorm to stay with my parents for a while. I use this opportunity to pick up one my oldest hobbies, reading. My mom recommends Blindness by José Saramago to me, saying the current situation reminded her so much of this book. She warns me about the formatting and Saramago’s long, descriptive sentences, but promises the story will sink its hooks into me right from the bat. And that’s exactly what happened.
A disease spreads through a Portuguese city like wildfire, blinding people everywhere. The first contaminated group of people is quarantined in a mental hospital, which is where all hell breaks loose as it’s every man for himself. This is where the most gruesome scenes take place. Saramago manages to make you feel like you are right there with the blinded characters. You can smell the foul body odour, human excrement, decay and gastric acid. You can feel your feet touching the sticky floor as you step in something indefinable and indefinably gross. You can’t see anything, yet you picture every possible colour that repulsion can present itself in. You’re there.
I often read this book during lunch, which I can tell you, is not a good idea; some passages made me gag on my sandwich.
While this book reaches into the darkest depths of the human soul, it also shines a bright light on the caring nature of women. Most of my favourite scenes are the tender moments between the doctor’s wife and the girl with the dark glasses. The women share an understanding of the inherent trauma that comes with being a woman – which expresses itself even more after the horrifying rape scenes. They scrub this traumatizing experience off in a heavily emotional scene where the three women of the seven survivors go out into the rain and let the filth wash off.
Though it takes a little time to get used to Saramago’s writing style, it does make sense for the story. There is a sense of chaos running through the sentences while it simultaneously spreads through the city. The sentences rarely take a moment to catch a breath, because there’s no time to really catch a breath during the terrifying quarantine. The characters’ names are never revealed, because the blind don’t need names, they just need their voice to be heard.
I shed a little tear at the end when the whole city suddenly starts to regain its sight. It starts to regain its hope.
And so we are slowly starting to regain our hope during these times of corona. Though now my quarantine life during this current pandemic is not nearly as bad as it seemed...
April 2020. My world as I know it seems to be collapsing under the changes brought forth by COVID-19. My work, studies, social life, gigs, hobbies, plans, birthdays and mental health are put on hold and I leave my dorm to stay with my parents for a while. I use this opportunity to pick up one my oldest hobbies, reading. My mom recommends Blindness by José Saramago to me, saying the current situation reminded her so much of this book. She warns me about the formatting and Saramago’s long, descriptive sentences, but promises the story will sink its hooks into me right from the bat. And that’s exactly what happened.
A disease spreads through a Portuguese city like wildfire, blinding people everywhere. The first contaminated group of people is quarantined in a mental hospital, which is where all hell breaks loose as it’s every man for himself. This is where the most gruesome scenes take place. Saramago manages to make you feel like you are right there with the blinded characters. You can smell the foul body odour, human excrement, decay and gastric acid. You can feel your feet touching the sticky floor as you step in something indefinable and indefinably gross. You can’t see anything, yet you picture every possible colour that repulsion can present itself in. You’re there.
I often read this book during lunch, which I can tell you, is not a good idea; some passages made me gag on my sandwich.
Spoiler
While this book reaches into the darkest depths of the human soul, it also shines a bright light on the caring nature of women. Most of my favourite scenes are the tender moments between the doctor’s wife and the girl with the dark glasses. The women share an understanding of the inherent trauma that comes with being a woman – which expresses itself even more after the horrifying rape scenes. They scrub this traumatizing experience off in a heavily emotional scene where the three women of the seven survivors go out into the rain and let the filth wash off.
Though it takes a little time to get used to Saramago’s writing style, it does make sense for the story. There is a sense of chaos running through the sentences while it simultaneously spreads through the city. The sentences rarely take a moment to catch a breath, because there’s no time to really catch a breath during the terrifying quarantine. The characters’ names are never revealed, because the blind don’t need names, they just need their voice to be heard.
I shed a little tear at the end when the whole city suddenly starts to regain its sight. It starts to regain its hope.
And so we are slowly starting to regain our hope during these times of corona. Though now my quarantine life during this current pandemic is not nearly as bad as it seemed...
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Al inicio de la cuarentena me propuse crear una lista de 100 libros que quiero/debo leer antes de morir. En el número 30 se encuentra en gran este gran libro de José Saramago; además, en el club de lectura que también forme durante esta cuarentena se decidió leerlo, así que a ello me puse.
Debo decir que de la lista es de los que más miedo me daba leer, básicamente porque los ensayos son complicados de seguir en muchas ocasiones. Pero cabe decir que esta historia me ha conmovido hasta límite insospechados y me ha suscitado muchísimas preguntas que me guardo para mi misma.
De las pocas pegas que le puedo poder al libro es la gran mancha que resultan las páginas, es decir, páginas enteras sin diálogo propiamente dicho, el cual hace que en muchas ocaciones tu mente no sea capaz de saber quien esta hablando realmente.
Y, lo que más me ha sorprendido es ese final, donde todos recuperan la vista, en parte me lo imaginaba pero en parte pensé que acabarían todos muertos.
Por eso, le pongo 4 estrellas de 5.
Debo decir que de la lista es de los que más miedo me daba leer, básicamente porque los ensayos son complicados de seguir en muchas ocasiones. Pero cabe decir que esta historia me ha conmovido hasta límite insospechados y me ha suscitado muchísimas preguntas que me guardo para mi misma.
De las pocas pegas que le puedo poder al libro es la gran mancha que resultan las páginas, es decir, páginas enteras sin diálogo propiamente dicho, el cual hace que en muchas ocaciones tu mente no sea capaz de saber quien esta hablando realmente.
Y, lo que más me ha sorprendido es ese final, donde todos recuperan la vista, en parte me lo imaginaba pero en parte pensé que acabarían todos muertos.
Por eso, le pongo 4 estrellas de 5.
I wanted to like this book. In the end I had to admit that I didn't. I didn't enjoy the writing style especially the lack of dialogue punctuation. Ugh, at least it was a quick read.