laurassc's review against another edition
4.0
O início (quase metade) da história é lento e pode tornar-se aborrecido, mas a segunda metade do livro é carregada de suspense e reviravoltas, sem deixar de lado maravilhosas reflexões e metáforas.
Mais um de Saramago que não desiludiu. Mais um no caminho rumo ao objetivo de ler todas as obras do autor.
Mais um de Saramago que não desiludiu. Mais um no caminho rumo ao objetivo de ler todas as obras do autor.
bbboeken's review against another edition
3.0
Ik had het boek gekocht omdat ik de recente verfilming van Denis Villeneuve met Jake Gyllenhaal had gezien. Er gebeurt daarin iets met spinnen dat ik niet geheel had begrepen, en ik hoopte dat het boek daarover verlichting zou brengen. Niet dus. De film is een interessante interpretatie gebleken (op dat van die spinnen na, dat moet ik nog eens opzoeken, misschien is het een allusie op Kafka). Het boek is... min of meer interessant, al ligt de stijl mij niet zo (ik had hetzelfde probleem met _De stad der blinden_). De synopsis vind ik ongemeen boeiend, maar de uitwerking, de zoektocht, de beweegreden, laten mij op mijn hinger zitten. Tenzij dat de bedoeling was.
ichirofakename's review against another edition
4.0
Not as strong as some of his other novels, this one does pick up the pace towards the end to a reasonably gripping finish.
Like his other stuff I've read, it starts with a ridiculous premise and works its way to a ridiculous conclusion, with his distinctive run-on sentences, really just normal sentences with commas instead of periods, most striking when containing both sides of dialog. The weakness is that the premise is inconsequential, a guy sees his absolute double in a movie. Not like all of Lisbon waking up blind one morning ("Blindness").
The doubles don't even meet till 2/3 of the way through, and only the last 1/4 really rocks. Read it anyway, then his other, better, books.
Like his other stuff I've read, it starts with a ridiculous premise and works its way to a ridiculous conclusion, with his distinctive run-on sentences, really just normal sentences with commas instead of periods, most striking when containing both sides of dialog. The weakness is that the premise is inconsequential, a guy sees his absolute double in a movie. Not like all of Lisbon waking up blind one morning ("Blindness").
The doubles don't even meet till 2/3 of the way through, and only the last 1/4 really rocks. Read it anyway, then his other, better, books.
yoavf's review against another edition
4.0
More difficult to read than other Saramago's novels I read recently (even tedious at times), but I think the end was well worth the effort.
bamairi's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
megvictoria's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
2.0
Incredibly difficult not to reread yourself as going through because you lose attention every page. Usually enjoy his concepts but this was a painful read
x_tora's review against another edition
A little too verbose. More magical realism than psychological thriller, which was what I was looking for from the plot.
inesmts's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
braveamateur's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
giselav's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not the best person to write a review for this book since I didn't like Saramago before I started reading The Double and I certainly don't like him any better now.
This book is just so long to read. It's not hard to read, per se, although you do need a strong cup of coffee and a good attention span to be able to read more than one consecutive page before you get lost. It's so rambly. I know that this was done on purpose by Saramago, that he wanted his text to go in ten directions at once and be as unreadable as possible, but it's so annoying!
It took me three months to read a book that I would have been able to read in a week if the prose was less frustrating. The story itself also takes ages to pick up and get a move on. By the end I was quite enjoying it, but it took me so long to get to that point that I can't give this book more than two stars and already think that's more than enough.
This book is just so long to read. It's not hard to read, per se, although you do need a strong cup of coffee and a good attention span to be able to read more than one consecutive page before you get lost. It's so rambly. I know that this was done on purpose by Saramago, that he wanted his text to go in ten directions at once and be as unreadable as possible, but it's so annoying!
It took me three months to read a book that I would have been able to read in a week if the prose was less frustrating. The story itself also takes ages to pick up and get a move on. By the end I was quite enjoying it, but it took me so long to get to that point that I can't give this book more than two stars and already think that's more than enough.