Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Ensayo Sobre La Ceguera by José Saramago

40 reviews

gentle_garbage_baby's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

I don't know what to feel about this book. It starts off interestingly enough, with the writing style unique as a wall of text - barely any punctuation. After a few chapters I came to realise that this style

might reflect the blindness of the characters - they can't see - and therefore can't read - so the author makes it harder for the you as the reader to read the book.

I might be looking too much into that but it's how I understood the choice to write like this. After a while the text got easier to read, but it became more boring than anything else.

I have a few problems with the characters as well. If I was to describe the doctor's wife in any way, I would say she's the type of person to run along the tracks when a train is coming towards her; not sideways to get out of the way of it. Many of the characters at some point say things which I think are supposed to be profound and and philosophical, but they mainly came across as annoying and pretentious.

I really wanted to like this one; I thought the premise was super interesting, but in the end whole thing just kind of annoyed me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Vomit, Gun violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic

watermelleon's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

it is so hard to write a review for this one!!

the good bits:

• the writing style is completely unique. I have read nothing like this ever, and it has been a fully original experience. 
• The characters were incredibly complex, despite not knowing their names or what they look like past a quirky defining feature used to establish who is in the room or speaking. 
• In a book where almost no-one can see, this book has some of the most vivid and detailed descriptions I have ever read. I could map out a floor plan of a whole building, which absolutely added to the impact of what was happening within the novel. 
• so many well thought out moments and quotes, the messaging behind this book was incredible. it feels like a very good time to be reading a book like this, as many instances early on felt very reminiscent of the current situation in Palestine (and other political situations), something saramago has spoken out about for many years.
• I really enjoyed reading this on holiday in portugal! although purposefully not set in a specific country or town, I felt very connected to the work this way - I also caught a glimpse at the saramago foundation community space in obidos :)

the challenges;

• the book is incredibly dark, and a difficult read. by far this book has some of the most uncomfortable scenes I have ever come across, with a lot of potentially triggering detail. However, it doesn't feel gratuitous, or there for the sake of it being there. It has a purpose, and I think any other author (my mind gravitates to stephen king) would have done a terrible job. What was unique for me was that saramago managed to centre these events through the eyes of the victims and not the perpetrators, something I have very rarely (if ever) seen in any other book. 
• The writing style I imagine is not for everyone. It does take some getting used to, and I think this plus the traumatic contents do slow down the reading experience. I would not change this though!
• I wish I could have read this in portuguese. I think the translator did an excellent job, however it does (as it always will) feel like it is likely that the original flowery prose is lost to me!
• having known people on a personal basis that have lost their vision overnight, it was a concern to me going in how this concept would come across, and whether it would be too abelist for my tastes. I felt personally that this was avoided, however cannot speak on this opinion from the perspective of a visually impaired person. What made this book feel okay to myself personally was that: it was made very clear that it was a "medically impossible" blindness and not a known medical condition, as well as the one character that could see showing her own type of blindness, assuming that her blind friends needed her help when they were sufficient. what is referred to as "blindness" in this novel is perhaps more a state of mind, over level of vision.  

I went into this book wondering if it would be a bit too close to the bone to those who in some way have lost their vision, but have left wondering perhaps the opposite. with something this descriptive and visual I feel like it could be an absolutely incredible audiobook journey!

I would recommend this book on everyone's bucket list, providing the topics covered aren't too difficult for you!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Pandemic/Epidemic, Body shaming, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Murder, Misogyny, Excrement, Confinement, Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Sexual content, Sexism, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Genocide, Toxic relationship, Torture, Mass/school shootings, and Blood

Minor: Car accident

snowhite197's review against another edition

Didn’t care about the characters or the writing style. Felt preachy. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Violence

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

---

Content Warnings

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

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

---

Content Warnings

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

experfectionist's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Sexual assault

Moderate: Violence

jeanjacquesrousseau's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

4,5/5 arrondît 

« Je pense que nous ne sommes pas devenus aveugles, je pense que nous étions aveugles, Des aveugles qui voient, Des aveugles qui, voyant, ne voient pas. » 

👏👏👏 tout dit

Pour José (de ce que j’ai interprété du livre):

-La peur nous rend aveugle et, dans des cas extrêmes, mène à la déchéance humaine, jusqu’à être réduit à un état animal.
-Aimer et aider son prochain, c’est être humain.

big slay señor Saramago 💅

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Vomit, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Infidelity, Gun violence, Excrement, Death, and Confinement

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

---

Content Warnings

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

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

---

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

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. 

---

Content Warnings

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