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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Disappointing. I've loved Saramago ever since Chingwin got me [book: All the Names] for my birthday a few years ago. I read it, and then in rapid succession [book: Blindness], [book: The Cave] and [book: The Double]. I usually get so much out of his books, even when I don't really understand what he's trying to do (which is most of the time). But this one just left me staring blankly at the last page thinking, "It's over?! How could it be over already when it never really started?"
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Buddies on a road trip through Portugal and Spain, while the rest of society crumbles around them. I loved it, but the women in this novel deserve better.
I have come to love Saramago's lyrical prose and the way he writes about ordinary people living their ordinary lives until something happens that turns everything upside down. This novel is no exception. In The Stone Raft, Saramago describes how the Iberian Peninsula breaks off from the rest of Europe and starts to drift into the Atlantic, almost collides with the Azores, then continues toward North America. We follow Joaquim Sassa as he travels across Portugal and Spain, trying to make sense of what happened to the peninsula, and meeting up with four other characters that have the same doubts as he. Add to that the bizarre images that Saramago entertains us with: Imagine standing on Corvo, the most northern island of the Azores, and watching the Iberian peninsula drifting by, this gigantic Stone Raft, at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour. Visions like these can only come from Saramago’s mind, of course, but wouldn't it be a fantastical sight?
Or think of Joaquim and his friends walking all the way to the northern boundary where Spain broke off from France, crawling the last few meters on all fours for fear of falling off, to the point where the French Pyrenees should have been but instead, an 800 meter high precipice appears with the Atlantic Ocean foaming at the bottom.
Written right before Portugal and Spain joined the list of EU members in 1986, the Stone Raft is not without a deeper meaning. But whether you read it as a political message or as a fable, once you are in the grip of Saramago’s unique prose, this one can hardly disappoint.
Or think of Joaquim and his friends walking all the way to the northern boundary where Spain broke off from France, crawling the last few meters on all fours for fear of falling off, to the point where the French Pyrenees should have been but instead, an 800 meter high precipice appears with the Atlantic Ocean foaming at the bottom.
Written right before Portugal and Spain joined the list of EU members in 1986, the Stone Raft is not without a deeper meaning. But whether you read it as a political message or as a fable, once you are in the grip of Saramago’s unique prose, this one can hardly disappoint.
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Saramago's writing is very dense and meandering. He is not for everyone, but I love his style, it is often very reflective of how my own brain thinks so it is easy for me to read, een if his books do take a bit more time than the average.
I loved the concept of this. it is essentially a book about a quest. We travel with five characters around the Iberian Peninsula after it has broken off from Europe There are actually seven characters really - the dog and the Car are very clearly characterized as important and catalysts of scenes with determined personalities.
I love the travel, and the adventure elements in this story, along with the human element as these characters spend time together. The story is multi-layered and complex while holding interest. He is a true master of the genre.
I loved the concept of this. it is essentially a book about a quest. We travel with five characters around the Iberian Peninsula after it has broken off from Europe There are actually seven characters really - the dog and the Car are very clearly characterized as important and catalysts of scenes with determined personalities.
I love the travel, and the adventure elements in this story, along with the human element as these characters spend time together. The story is multi-layered and complex while holding interest. He is a true master of the genre.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
"It’s not a question of believing or not believing, everything we go on saying is added to what is, to what exists..."
I'm a bit on a Saramago reading train, reading his less known works. This one took me by surprise in so many positive ways. It is so clever, satirical and funny and at the same time it is full of deep life philosophy and beautiful and strange magical realism.
The extraordinary event of a whole Iberian peninsula breaking off Europe and floating away is so clever and bonkers at the same time. During this remarkable and catastrophic event, five people experience unusual phenomena and are inexplicably drawn to each other, with a help of an unusual dog, to say the least. We follow their actions as well as the actions of the political sphere of the Iberian peninsula and Europe and North America, towards which the former peninsula is headed.
Political, geographical and social consequences of this event are so interesting to observe. Amidst all the chaos and tragedy there are new opportunities for humanity and connection.
The satire of political behavior in a crisis is so on point and great humorous criticism of inefficiency and grab of power. On the other hand, the portrait of different people, especially the main characters explores the depths of human connection and search for the other. But we have utter loneliness portrayed as well. And the huge guardian dog.
The ending was a bit strange (that's saying a lot considering this book), but a part of it was really moving. We actually don't get all the answers, just glimpses to make our own conclusions.
When you also consider Saramago's impeccable style, I'm surprised this book doesn't have more buzz about it.
The audio version reader's style was something to get used to, but it paid off. All recommendations if you want both depth and entertainment with a lot of food for thought.
I'm a bit on a Saramago reading train, reading his less known works. This one took me by surprise in so many positive ways. It is so clever, satirical and funny and at the same time it is full of deep life philosophy and beautiful and strange magical realism.
The extraordinary event of a whole Iberian peninsula breaking off Europe and floating away is so clever and bonkers at the same time. During this remarkable and catastrophic event, five people experience unusual phenomena and are inexplicably drawn to each other, with a help of an unusual dog, to say the least. We follow their actions as well as the actions of the political sphere of the Iberian peninsula and Europe and North America, towards which the former peninsula is headed.
Political, geographical and social consequences of this event are so interesting to observe. Amidst all the chaos and tragedy there are new opportunities for humanity and connection.
The satire of political behavior in a crisis is so on point and great humorous criticism of inefficiency and grab of power. On the other hand, the portrait of different people, especially the main characters explores the depths of human connection and search for the other. But we have utter loneliness portrayed as well. And the huge guardian dog.
The ending was a bit strange (that's saying a lot considering this book), but a part of it was really moving. We actually don't get all the answers, just glimpses to make our own conclusions.
When you also consider Saramago's impeccable style, I'm surprised this book doesn't have more buzz about it.
The audio version reader's style was something to get used to, but it paid off. All recommendations if you want both depth and entertainment with a lot of food for thought.
I read this novel for one of my book groups and it is one of my least favorite book group selections. I had previously read Jose Saramago's Blindness and liked it and I was pleased this was chosen. Saramag's novels seem to start with a catastrophe which leads to the characters having to live their lives in a very different way. In this novel, the characters were types instead of fleshed out people making me less interested in their outcomes. It is written without quotation marks and page long paragraphs which made it hard to get into. On the plus side, the last third breezes by as the style becomes more familiar. I think this is for Saramago's biggest fans; if it wasn't for book club it would have been DNF. The second star was for the premise of the Iberian peninsula breaking away from Europe.