A review by wteagle
The Stone Raft by José Saramago

3.0

A very interesting read with some beautiful prose (even in translation). My problem with the book is the style in which it is written. With only full stops and commas for punctuation, the writing can be difficult to pace when reading. This, of course, is down to the reader but I found that during long paragraphs of nearly unbroken writing (save for a few commas) I was furiously reading and struggling to find suitable pauses. Moreover, while having no speech marks means the conversation is read as naturally as it would be spoken, it can sometimes be confusing as to who is saying what.
But, I admit that a more adept reader may not have these issues.
The story itself is interesting and explores politics, humanity and nationalism with skill.