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caladium's review against another edition
3.0
No sé lo que me pasa con las últimas películas/libros recomendadísimos que todos me han defraudado: La la land... parte bien y termina mal, The OA... sin comentarios, pedazo de bazofia desde casi un tercio. Y ahora este libro, de un ganador del nobel, termino corriendo en sus últimas páginas para terminarlo lo más rápido posible, saltándome descripciones y párrafos enteros eternos de enumeración cuando el punto ya había sido hecho hace rato. Y ese creo que es el principal problema del libro, al igual que las otras dos menciones, parte con una premisa excelente y, de a poco, demasiado de a poco para cuando uno se da cuenta que ya ha avanzado demasiado como para dejarlo a medias, queda estancado o perdido en una trama que no sabe cómo desenmarañar.
Al libro le sobra un tercio, o quizás más. Después de la descripción de escenas que muestran lo peor del ser humano, uno ya no se puede impresionar más, y queda insensibilizado para todo lo que sigue. Mostrar cómo una situación extrema y discapacitante saca nuestro lado más básico, perverso, y animal, queda satisfecho. De ahí en adelante todo parece ya redundante, y un simple capítulo hubiera bastado para entregar el mensaje del último tercio del libro.
En fin, una gran decepción después de la excelente primera mitad, en la que uno no puede parar de leer a pesar de los horrores descritos. 3.5 estrellas, porque está bien escrito bajo una prosa que se deja leer con facilidad pese a sus largas frases y decisiones alternativas de puntuación.
Al libro le sobra un tercio, o quizás más. Después de la descripción de escenas que muestran lo peor del ser humano, uno ya no se puede impresionar más, y queda insensibilizado para todo lo que sigue. Mostrar cómo una situación extrema y discapacitante saca nuestro lado más básico, perverso, y animal, queda satisfecho. De ahí en adelante todo parece ya redundante, y un simple capítulo hubiera bastado para entregar el mensaje del último tercio del libro.
En fin, una gran decepción después de la excelente primera mitad, en la que uno no puede parar de leer a pesar de los horrores descritos. 3.5 estrellas, porque está bien escrito bajo una prosa que se deja leer con facilidad pese a sus largas frases y decisiones alternativas de puntuación.
selunny's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.25
westonculture's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure I can say I enjoyed this - I found even more viscerally filthy than Charlotte Wood's The Natural Way of Things and as unsettling as Cormac McCarthy's The Road - but it certainly made me see the world differently. (Sorry) I really enjoyed it as a thought experiment - how would society disintegrate if we all lost our sight? - and there is so much in it that is ripe for book club discussion. But the prose - urgh. I really laboured to continue reading at times. Sometimes the stream of consciousness style worked - especially in creating the sense of confusion of the newly-blind - but other times i found myself skim reading and wishing he'd just get on with the story. Definitely a book that will stay with me - and perhaps one that I will appreciate more with time.
rwilhoyte's review against another edition
2.0
I'm giving this book two and half stars in reality. My two big issues with it were the writing and that I didn't think the story was anything special. I think the flowery writing was what got it the Nobel prize but elegant prose in exchange for interesting story doesn't really do it for me. I'm not even sure I'd call the writing elegant, in some parts it was so rambling it halted the story.
The story which deals with an epidemic of "white blindness" was kind of weak. I felt like the author put too much emphasis on blindness as a handicap. I've never met a real blind person who was this needy. You'd think for how long the epidemic lasted that the group would learn to operate independently of the one sighted character. I found it unrealistic and kind of blah in the "apocalyptic" genre.
The story which deals with an epidemic of "white blindness" was kind of weak. I felt like the author put too much emphasis on blindness as a handicap. I've never met a real blind person who was this needy. You'd think for how long the epidemic lasted that the group would learn to operate independently of the one sighted character. I found it unrealistic and kind of blah in the "apocalyptic" genre.
ajer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
tswizzie's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
jaydeecepticon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cinnamonmarti's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
Una lettura davvero insolita e unica nel suo genere. Ho dovuto centellinare questo libro, non perché fosse troppo bello o brutto, ma semplicemente perché ogni nuovo capitolo era un ostacolo da affrontare per mente e stomaco. Saramago non si è risparmiato nelle descrizioni dei momenti più oscuri e grotteschi che emergono quando il senso di umanità si affievolisce. Anche nella cecità bianca di questa storia resta un velo di speranza, un filo rosso di empatia e cura che accompagna la narrazione e restituisce dignità ai tanti personaggi senza nome.
Non ho amato molto lo stile narrativo, anche se capisco la ricerca di una forma che richiamasse la cronaca orale. Non mancano purtroppo alcuni punti problematici sulla caratterizzazione dei personaggi femminili e aforismi di dubbio valore legati alla sessualità e alle relazioni.
Ringrazio di non aver letto questo libro durante o poco dopo la pandemia, perché penso che in quel caso avrei faticato a terminarlo.
Non ho amato molto lo stile narrativo, anche se capisco la ricerca di una forma che richiamasse la cronaca orale. Non mancano purtroppo alcuni punti problematici sulla caratterizzazione dei personaggi femminili e aforismi di dubbio valore legati alla sessualità e alle relazioni.
Ringrazio di non aver letto questo libro durante o poco dopo la pandemia, perché penso che in quel caso avrei faticato a terminarlo.
booktrotter_bxl's review against another edition
4.0
3.75*
.
Ik snap de hype.
Voor de schrijfstijl moet je het boek niet lezen. Ik werd soms onnozel door het kommagebruik. Het verhaal is wel sterk.
Een apocalyptisch verhaal, dus wel iets minder mijn ding.
.
"En daarna heel geleidelijk de andere woorden, en hoe ze naderhand had gemeend dat de gedachte er al eerder was geweest, ergens, alleen hadden de woorden ontbroken, precies zoals een lichaam in bed de holte zoekt die het heeft voorbereid door het simpele idee dat het naar bed gaat"
.
Ik snap de hype.
Voor de schrijfstijl moet je het boek niet lezen. Ik werd soms onnozel door het kommagebruik. Het verhaal is wel sterk.
Een apocalyptisch verhaal, dus wel iets minder mijn ding.
.
"En daarna heel geleidelijk de andere woorden, en hoe ze naderhand had gemeend dat de gedachte er al eerder was geweest, ergens, alleen hadden de woorden ontbroken, precies zoals een lichaam in bed de holte zoekt die het heeft voorbereid door het simpele idee dat het naar bed gaat"
mancha_2's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75