Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira

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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soffeg6's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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abijmieds's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

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katenovah's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

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sas_lk's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

5.0

This was an incredible novel about humanity, about what we can endure and how we still find beauty, joy, love, and simple pleasures when our world is turned upside down.
This was incredibly well written, and with so much thought, empathy and love. You can feel that Saramago poured so much into this and I think if this does not become a classic, I would be very disappointed.
At times it was very hard to read because of subject matter, but I appreciated every single chapter, and I feel that not one word was wasted.
This was simply beautiful, heart-wrenching, and in the end, simply hopeful.

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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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