Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira by José Saramago

21 reviews

random19379's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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catrinaplace's review against another edition

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

1.25

(PT) Li até metade, isso fique claro. Depois disso, limitei-me apenas a ler em diagonal, expeto a última página (tive curiosidade).

O conceito era fantástico, e eu até queria ler, visto distopias serem um género meu favorito, mas o problema... foi violência sexual. Detestei, não quero ler mais a partir desse ponto.

(ENG) I read until half, let me make that clear. After that, I choose to only read diagonally, expect the last page (I had curiosity).

The concept was great, and I really wanted to read, dystopias are one of my favorite genres, but the problem was... SA. I didn't care, didn't want to read after that.
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laedyred's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

I'm waffling between giving this book 1.5 or 2 stars. There are points where I found the events novel enough, but there are too many qualities I actively dislike.
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jess_ramone's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Me ha encantado la novela, tiene una trama que te engancha y mucho que leer entre líneas. Pero vamos por partes:
Respecto al estilo, Saramago tiene una forma de escribir que cuesta seguir al principio, y de entrada puede asustar un poco si no lo has leído antes, pero una vez te adentras en el texto es fácil de seguir, le da mucha fluidez a los diálogos y, al menos a mí, no se me hace pesada. Es cierto que en alguna ocasión toca retroceder un par de líneas porque se te puede escapar quién ha dicho qué, pero no es algo continuo ni mucho menos.
Otro aspecto del estilo del autor que a mí me encanta es cómo juega con los refranes y la sabiduría popular. Sus textos están llenos de refranes, expresiones y frases hechas que modifica o no según le convenga, y que a mí me parecen una forma de jugar con el lector, muy divertido.
Este es el segundo libro que leo del autor y ya conocía su estilo de escritura.
Respecto a la trama, la historia es de las que te enganchan y no te permiten soltar el libro. Te mantiene en tensión y queriendo saber qué va a pasar después y qué más les puede pasar a los protagonistas.
La parte más dura ha sido sin duda hacia la mitad del libro, cuando se producen las violaciones.
Pero lo realmente importante de esta obra para mí son los temas que trata. El principal creo yo que es la ceguera de la sociedad frente al estado del bienestar. Cómo no apreciamos lo que tenemos, cómo consideramos como normal todos los lujos que tenemos al alcance: Saneamientos, higiene, energía, suministros, servicios públicos y un largo etcétera. No apreciamos lo fácil que es nuestra vida y lo fácil que sería que todo nuestro sisema se desplome como un castillo de naipes. Creo que, en este sentido, el libro es una llamada de atención a cuidar y reforzar este estado de bienestar.
En el libro se ve por ejemplo cuando montan la primera cuarentena y no saben muy bien dónde montarla, y acaban improvisando espacios no del todo bien habilitados, cómo dejan a los ciegos a su suerte y sin recibir la atención que necesitan.
Esto se resume muy bien en una frase de la última página:
“Creo que no nos quedamos ciegos, creo que estamos ciegos, Ciegos que ven, Ciegos que, viendo, no ven.”
Otro tema que a mí me ha llamado mucho la atención es el de la pérdida de civismo frente a la falta de normas sociales, o más bien a la incapacidad de que estas se cumplan.
El hecho de que los ciegos hagan cosas que no harían en condiciones normales, porque como no les pueden ver…
También el individualismo y el sálvese quien pueda ante la ausencia de instituciones o autoridad que les pueda recriminar su conducta. 
Esto también se ve en el abuso de autoridad del ejército frente a los ciegos y en el grupo de hombres malvados de la tercera sala del ala derecha
 
Te hace pensar mucho en el “qué pasaría si de repente desaparece nuestra estructura social”, ¿es el ser humano malo por naturaleza y es la sociedad y las normas sociales lo que nos hace buenos?
En este aspecto me ha recordado mucho a “El señor de las moscas”, que leí hace poco y trata también estos mismos temas. 
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watermelleon's review against another edition

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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!

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rubyics's review against another edition

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4.75

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stephanieanneauthor's review against another edition

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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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f_zanini's review against another edition

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3.5

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diana311's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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thenoboshow's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

I found this book hard to look away from in some sort of morbid fascination. This book hits different after living through a pandemic teeming with selfish idiots. "This is exactly what would happen if this were to happen." An unfortunate mantra throught the reading.
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