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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-paced
REVIEW WILL COME SOON. BUT YES I AM FINISHED FINALLY
I didn't actually read the whole unabridged edition but only the concise edition for high school students of our Filipino subject. It's actually interesting, I may return reading it again.
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Because you can be happy elsewhere, because you are not made for suffering, because you would hate your country if some day you were to find yourself outcast for her sake, and to hate one's own country is the greatest of misfortunes.”
― José Rizal, Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not)
.
.
I don’t think i will be able to review this book because honestly i struggled to finish the book. I didn’t know whether it’s the translation, abundance of characters or the over detailings in plot, i just can’t seem to place the major issue of the book. However, i learned a lot from the book despite these issues. That itself is already a reward of persevering the book and not DNF it. Aside from knowing that this literary work depicted Spanish colonisation in the Philippines, i got to know about the term ‘Indio’ which meant ‘foolish, not smart or poor’. Back then, The Spaniards used this degrading term to refer to Filipinos. The novel has a lot of symbolism and considering that this is a translated literature, one MIGHT miss it especially if you are not filipino or natives to the language which is Tagalog BUT if your country suffered the same fate like The Philippines - being colonised and were forced to bow to this foreign invader, you can easily comprehend on what Jose Rizal trying to accomplish in his writing. He saw that revolution is the only way to overthrow the Spaniards. I may have trouble keeping up with characters in the book but i believe each character either Ibarra, Sisa and even Elias play a significant role in fighting for the country’s freedom. I have a hard time believing the love between Ibarra and Maria Clara and it pains me to say that i dislike female characters in the book as they can either be way too emotional or over-religious or a little bit of both. I think majority of the readers are aware that major themes of this novel is corruption, abuse of power, patriotism and self sacrifice. Written from the perspectives of the colonised, i can’t help but to feel frustrated, angry and insulted on the audacity of those Friars and Spaniards. Overall, this might be the shortest review i wrote as i believe this book required re-read and perhaps, an in-depth discussion and analysis with any readers from the Philippines who have read the book. Perhaps, their POVs might connect the dots on what i felt is missing from the book. Undeniably, this is an important work especially for post colonial literature. I don’t have to recommend it. You know that you have to read it given the subject matter.
― José Rizal, Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not)
.
.
I don’t think i will be able to review this book because honestly i struggled to finish the book. I didn’t know whether it’s the translation, abundance of characters or the over detailings in plot, i just can’t seem to place the major issue of the book. However, i learned a lot from the book despite these issues. That itself is already a reward of persevering the book and not DNF it. Aside from knowing that this literary work depicted Spanish colonisation in the Philippines, i got to know about the term ‘Indio’ which meant ‘foolish, not smart or poor’. Back then, The Spaniards used this degrading term to refer to Filipinos. The novel has a lot of symbolism and considering that this is a translated literature, one MIGHT miss it especially if you are not filipino or natives to the language which is Tagalog BUT if your country suffered the same fate like The Philippines - being colonised and were forced to bow to this foreign invader, you can easily comprehend on what Jose Rizal trying to accomplish in his writing. He saw that revolution is the only way to overthrow the Spaniards. I may have trouble keeping up with characters in the book but i believe each character either Ibarra, Sisa and even Elias play a significant role in fighting for the country’s freedom. I have a hard time believing the love between Ibarra and Maria Clara and it pains me to say that i dislike female characters in the book as they can either be way too emotional or over-religious or a little bit of both. I think majority of the readers are aware that major themes of this novel is corruption, abuse of power, patriotism and self sacrifice. Written from the perspectives of the colonised, i can’t help but to feel frustrated, angry and insulted on the audacity of those Friars and Spaniards. Overall, this might be the shortest review i wrote as i believe this book required re-read and perhaps, an in-depth discussion and analysis with any readers from the Philippines who have read the book. Perhaps, their POVs might connect the dots on what i felt is missing from the book. Undeniably, this is an important work especially for post colonial literature. I don’t have to recommend it. You know that you have to read it given the subject matter.
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-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:
Yes
I wanted to read this due to the historical and cultural importance, and for that I'm glad I persevered. However, so many characters and winding plot lines were challenging to follow. I'd just get everyone sorted out and then Rizal would leave that thread and introduce a whole other group to follow. The points made by the author about the Catholic church's abuse of power and Spanish colonialism were important, but overly drawn-out. I got it, but he just kept on and on and on and that was tedious.
I thought I had actually written a review for this book but I guess I was wrong? STOP doing this to me Goodreads!
Anyways, Noli Me Tangere, for being a book that I would have never picked up willingly, I actually really enjoyed. I came into the subject a little ignorant. Not knowing that the Philippines were actually being conquered by Spain, colonization taking place, etc... So it was real interesting to read this book and graps so many of the elements that can be seen/connected with Spain conquering Mexico/indigenous too.
The society, church superiors, and politicians are beyond corruption. The natives being stripped from their language, being forced to accommodate to this new style of implemented thinking. The beginning of the book was really slow and hard to engage into. But as the novel progressed, the events picked up, tensions grew, and we began to see the shift of the plates.
There is one particular chapter, however, that bumps this book to 4 stars, to me. And it would be Chapter 43, if i'm not mistaken,where Elias is having a conversation with Ibarra. After the events taking place, changing and morphing Ibarra, they both share a speech about the next steps of their people. Whether hope is really lost to take action... It is in that chapter that you see the fever of writing that this book extracts. You connect with the book on some emotional level with all the characters previous stories, but it all seems to unravel in these last few chapters. Where the actual message is being extracted. It can be no surprise why this book rose enough passion for a revolution. IT portrayed the injustices, the corrupted state their society laid it. It presented the people with a hard cold truth. And with truth and proper motivation came the fire to fuel a war.
Simply a splendid read. Very powerful.
Anyways, Noli Me Tangere, for being a book that I would have never picked up willingly, I actually really enjoyed. I came into the subject a little ignorant. Not knowing that the Philippines were actually being conquered by Spain, colonization taking place, etc... So it was real interesting to read this book and graps so many of the elements that can be seen/connected with Spain conquering Mexico/indigenous too.
The society, church superiors, and politicians are beyond corruption. The natives being stripped from their language, being forced to accommodate to this new style of implemented thinking. The beginning of the book was really slow and hard to engage into. But as the novel progressed, the events picked up, tensions grew, and we began to see the shift of the plates.
There is one particular chapter, however, that bumps this book to 4 stars, to me. And it would be Chapter 43, if i'm not mistaken,where Elias is having a conversation with Ibarra. After the events taking place, changing and morphing Ibarra, they both share a speech about the next steps of their people. Whether hope is really lost to take action... It is in that chapter that you see the fever of writing that this book extracts. You connect with the book on some emotional level with all the characters previous stories, but it all seems to unravel in these last few chapters. Where the actual message is being extracted. It can be no surprise why this book rose enough passion for a revolution. IT portrayed the injustices, the corrupted state their society laid it. It presented the people with a hard cold truth. And with truth and proper motivation came the fire to fuel a war.
Simply a splendid read. Very powerful.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
it had potential if the main characters weren't so annoying
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes