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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
This is story of he construction of the Convent of Mafra as historical background. This plot is intertwined love story between Blimunda and Baltasar which interact naturally with historical characters including the composer and harpsichordist Domenico Scarlatti and the priest Bartolomeu de Gusmão.
4* Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira
4* Viagem a Portugal
5* História do Cerco de Lisboa
5* Memorial do Convento
TR Cain
TR O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis
TR The Elephant's Journey
TR Terra do Pecado
TR The Cave
TR A Jangada de Pedra
TR Todos Os Nomes
TR O Homem Duplicado
4* Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira
4* Viagem a Portugal
5* História do Cerco de Lisboa
5* Memorial do Convento
TR Cain
TR O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis
TR The Elephant's Journey
TR Terra do Pecado
TR The Cave
TR A Jangada de Pedra
TR Todos Os Nomes
TR O Homem Duplicado
I'm a little bit mixed about this one, but I decided to round up. I have general warm fuzzies about reading Blindness several years ago, but don't recall many specifics (may be time to revisit it), so I was very excited to read another Saramago. This is a bizarre story with touches of magical realism set in the true historical context of 18th century Portugal and the Inquisition with the extended and often brutal construction of a monastery in honor of the infant princess, and also a odd commoner couple employed by an obsessive Catholic priest to build a flying machine (boat-bird thing). Saramago definitely has a learning curve. His sentences run on and on and change perspectives midstream, but are beautifully vivid. It is not quick going, but it is worth it for the world he describes and the characters and emotions he evokes, even if you don't think you're going to be interested in a book about big construction projects both historical and fantastical.
Good book. I liked the story but because I had to read it for school I didn't like it as much as if I read it for pleasure.