Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Ensaio sobre a cegueira by José Saramago

13 reviews

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

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

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

slrsnz's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Saramago is not for everyone, people that need structured readings will certainly struggle with his novels. 

That being said, this is my second book by him and his imagination amazes me. Truly makes you wonder about how fragile society can be in extreme situations like this, and how dependent we are of everyone, how connected we all are in one way or another. The story having a “good ending” doesn’t save the characters from all the hurdles they have yet to go through to return to a modern society. 

Saramago is slowly becoming one of my favorites, you honestly get used to the dialogues and at times to me they flow way smoother than structured ones. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Murder, Rape, Violence, Vomit, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Blood, Death, and Sexual violence

sappypatheticm's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Chronic illness, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Vomit, Confinement, and Gun violence

_ami_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

That was a very hard read, not because of the lack of quotation marks or paragraphing, but that halfway. I felt sick to my stomach. But it was a great story that explores the human mind and behaviour at these circumstances.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Grief and Infidelity

guinness74's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

An almost perfect book. An incredible work that is reminiscent of the early days of COVID, it has the grit of Upton Sinclair mixed with the wildness of Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies.’ A terrifying pandemic begins slowly but increases exponentially turning the world blind in Saramago’s novel. Chaos reigns as attempts are made to stanch the ‘infection,’ but the world continues to spin. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Rape, and Police brutality

Minor: Infidelity and Vomit

amongthefaithless's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Rape, Medical trauma, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

lucimolri's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Me ha gustado bastante! Mi mayor problema ha sido lo de que no estén marcados los diálogos y que se nota bastante que está escrito por un hombre, if you know what I mean…
Ha sido durillo y tenso, no es para todo el mundo

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Infidelity, Vomit, Gun violence, Confinement, Chronic illness, Animal death, Physical abuse, Murder, Sexual content, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Rape