Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Ensaio sobre a cegueira by José Saramago

45 reviews

minna_s's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Rape, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Confinement, Vomit, Excrement, and Forced institutionalization

stephanieanneauthor's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This story is a fascinating, and dark, look at humanity. The whole thing plays out like a social experiment - what would happen to us if we all suddenly went blind? By refusing to name the characters, it adds to the dehumanizing effects of the story. And by occasionally omitting to note which character is speaking, it adds to the confusion. Unfortunately, because of this lack of identifying information, I felt that some scenes dragged on a little too long. But overall, I enjoyed this bleak, hypothetical examination of the human race. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Grief, Rape, Excrement, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual violence, Sexism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Death, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Animal death, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Police brutality

ahzarkie's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Murder, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Gun violence, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Death, Confinement, and Blood

tmbrundage's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

Compelling and thoughtful book, but graphic

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Grief, Torture, Gore, Confinement, Bullying, Sexual violence, Vomit, Rape, Murder, Infidelity, Gun violence, Death, and Violence

teawiththefates's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

1.0

This is the absolute bleakest view of humanity and I hated it. As well, I found the stylistic choices made it impossible to read - every page was a wall of text with almost no differentiation to signal who was speaking. The audio version made it more accessible but because of the incredibly dark content, I would never have finished this book if it wasn’t what my book club was reading that month. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Ableism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Excrement, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Violence

ajlct's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Excrement, Murder, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Rape

kschuster's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Chronic illness, Death, Excrement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual assault, and Violence

flygonjinn's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Pandemic/Epidemic, Ableism, and Excrement

Moderate: Infidelity, Medical trauma, and Mental illness

bugzecat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

No spoilers but the ending felt like it was rushed and finished prematurely and left me wanting and disappointed. There was also an astounding amount of ableism and harmful untrue stereotypes in this book that had me rolling my eyes and getting aggravated frequently. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Death, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Ableism, and Confinement

diana311's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Blood, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment