Scan barcode
fionnualalirsdottir's review against another edition
José Saramago is certainly not the first writer to question the logic of the old testament, the legitimacy of the Lord's pronouncements, and the merits of the prophets who interpreted those pronouncements for the benefit of the descendants of Adam and Eve, and sometime later, for the benefit of descendants of the very small gene pool of Noah’s family who survived the Flood and repopulated the earth when everyone else was drowned, but Saramago is possibly one of the most creative and original to treat the subject in his very distinctive style which, in this case, is very averse to the use of conventions like the full stop or quotation marks as if they might have been ordained for our use by the Lord and therefore may not be used in this piece of writing which, after all, is a challenge to all the laws laid down to regulate the lives of the chosen people, but oddly enough, he, Saramago, that is, and not the Lord, has retained the use of the humble comma which he uses well and often so that once we have accepted this, the narrative of Cain’s wanderings over the ancient world and across the centuries of the Old Testament, interfering here and there with the Lord’s decisions while also keeping an eye on the Devil’s activities and generally applying Saramago’s brand of no-nonsense reasoning to the various episodes he encounters in his peregrinations, all of which are entertaining in an odd way even while they underline the shaky foundations of Old Testament wisdom, leads the reader entertainingly and finally to a full stop.
mbookcorner's review against another edition
3.0
Mais uma vez a escrita de Saramago não desilude.
A forma como o relato é fluido e tão característico é o que me prende, em todos os livros, do início ao fim.
Neste, no entanto, o fim deixou muito a desejar.
Acho que o livro começou muito bem, com uma história interessante e uma abordagem crítica em relação à religião.
A partir de metade, mais ou menos, o livro perdeu a minha atenção.
Tornou-se em algo um pouco maçante, sempre com as mesmas críticas e argumentos pouco diferentes.
Nada tira, no entanto, a beleza da escrita de Saramago, como já referi, nem a boa crítica religiosa que dá que pensar.
A forma como o relato é fluido e tão característico é o que me prende, em todos os livros, do início ao fim.
Neste, no entanto, o fim deixou muito a desejar.
Acho que o livro começou muito bem, com uma história interessante e uma abordagem crítica em relação à religião.
A partir de metade, mais ou menos, o livro perdeu a minha atenção.
Tornou-se em algo um pouco maçante, sempre com as mesmas críticas e argumentos pouco diferentes.
Nada tira, no entanto, a beleza da escrita de Saramago, como já referi, nem a boa crítica religiosa que dá que pensar.
arxchiell's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Slavery, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child death, Genocide, Incest, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Rape, Violence, and Excrement
samiavasa's review against another edition
an intellectual, shallow, empty argument about god. I expected an emotional reckoning with the complexity of injustice, but instead it was idealistic, almost childish.
akinohon_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
wildmountainwolf's review against another edition
3.0
In this satirical novella, Saramago delivers a scathing, analytical, yet entertaining read from Cain’s perspective regarding OT events. Perfect for atheists and fans of Nietzsche’s nihilistic works.
There are no paragraphs in this novella. It is written like a long run-on sentence, therefore challenging to read. But worth it.
There are no paragraphs in this novella. It is written like a long run-on sentence, therefore challenging to read. But worth it.
kaleja's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
vip1001's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25