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elly29's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
What a convoluted trip into the makings of a failed revolutionary in 19th-century Philippines. It reminds me simultaneously of 100 Years of Solitude (without the playful magic) and Of Human Bondage (though not as grim). I learned a lot about the Philippines -- in the intro, especially, the translator talked about the "friarocracy" and the stranglehold Catholic friars held over the country, insomuch that there was a group of friars that ordered the assassination of Fernando Bustamante, the Spanish governor of the Philippines, in 1719. (Though, this takes place in the 1880s/1890s.)
At times terribly boring, at times exciting (like the courting young folks' boat ride that ended with the death of the crocodile), at times viscerally awful as they torture and kill revolutionaries without any semblance of justice, it waxes satirical and philosophical and polemical. (Old Tasio was among the best parts of this book.) There was no end to how much it harped on the injustices church and government heaped upon common folks. What an odd novel. Apparently, Rizal is some sort of phantom invoked as a national hero/bogeyman/Santa Claus in the Philippines.
Yikes, child physical abuse that ends in the child's disappearance. It gives me sadness to think that this is a story that has happened over and over and over throughout the world. Those mass graves of children next to old schools in Canada...
What an appropriate novel for 2021, as the world is still dealing with the effects of colonialism.
Oddly enough, I'd be interested in a tv miniseries about Noli Me T'angere.
Special thanks to TheStoryGraph's Literature-in-Translation challenge. I would've passed over this book otherwise.
A few good quotes:
"The furniture is elegant, if uncomfortable and not suited to the climate; the owner of the house would never put his guests' health before luxury. 'Dysentery is terrible, but you are sitting in European chairs, which you don't get to so every day!' he would tell them." (p 7)
"The rich and affluent have fulfilled the duties that come with having a fortune. The following day they will hear the three masses every priest will celebrate, give two pesos for another, and purchase a bull for the dead, full of indulgences. In faith, divine justice is nowhere near as demanding as human justice."
At times terribly boring, at times exciting (like the courting young folks' boat ride that ended with the death of the crocodile), at times viscerally awful as they torture and kill revolutionaries without any semblance of justice, it waxes satirical and philosophical and polemical. (Old Tasio was among the best parts of this book.) There was no end to how much it harped on the injustices church and government heaped upon common folks. What an odd novel. Apparently, Rizal is some sort of phantom invoked as a national hero/bogeyman/Santa Claus in the Philippines.
Yikes, child physical abuse that ends in the child's disappearance. It gives me sadness to think that this is a story that has happened over and over and over throughout the world. Those mass graves of children next to old schools in Canada...
What an appropriate novel for 2021, as the world is still dealing with the effects of colonialism.
Oddly enough, I'd be interested in a tv miniseries about Noli Me T'angere.
Special thanks to TheStoryGraph's Literature-in-Translation challenge. I would've passed over this book otherwise.
A few good quotes:
"The furniture is elegant, if uncomfortable and not suited to the climate; the owner of the house would never put his guests' health before luxury. 'Dysentery is terrible, but you are sitting in European chairs, which you don't get to so every day!' he would tell them." (p 7)
"The rich and affluent have fulfilled the duties that come with having a fortune. The following day they will hear the three masses every priest will celebrate, give two pesos for another, and purchase a bull for the dead, full of indulgences. In faith, divine justice is nowhere near as demanding as human justice."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Colonisation
Moderate: Torture, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
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