A review by anonymous_atheist
Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not), by José Rizal
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I feel that it's important to note that this book is a highly respected and revolutionary book from where I come from, the Philippines; Dr. José Rizal is our national hero and my subjective criticisms toward this book shouldn't be taken as a fact, definitely still read this book if you're interested in reading the book that sparked a revolution in my country, there is an English translation of it called "The Social Cancer" if you're not fluent in Tagalog/Spanish.
Noli Me Tangere is and will always be the book that all Filipinos will study in schools/colleges, but I had the luxury to read it not by my school's demand but just for my pleasure alone. This book definitely inspired many of the teleseryes (television soap operas) that I grew up watching. I can't confidently say that I had the best reading experience with this book, I was crawling my way through the first half and felt ashamed that I had to resort to the audiobook version throughout the latter half of the book, but I know that I had to finish this no matter what it took because of just how monumental this book was. I just didnt connect with the characters that much, I felt like the main character was a nice man but never really fully developed as a character, and the same goes to all the others in the book. I still can't help but feel sorry for the poor mother, Sisa, who had, in my opinion, the most tragic story.
I'm not going to spoil anything so you should definitely read it for yourself. My take on this book is that it just wasn't for me, it felt slow and there were many "fillers" inbetween the main events of the book, perhaps I'll read this again when I'm older and have a new perspective on it.
Noli Me Tangere is and will always be the book that all Filipinos will study in schools/colleges, but I had the luxury to read it not by my school's demand but just for my pleasure alone. This book definitely inspired many of the teleseryes (television soap operas) that I grew up watching. I can't confidently say that I had the best reading experience with this book, I was crawling my way through the first half and felt ashamed that I had to resort to the audiobook version throughout the latter half of the book, but I know that I had to finish this no matter what it took because of just how monumental this book was. I just didnt connect with the characters that much, I felt like the main character was a nice man but never really fully developed as a character, and the same goes to all the others in the book. I still can't help but feel sorry for the poor mother, Sisa, who had, in my opinion, the most tragic story.
I'm not going to spoil anything so you should definitely read it for yourself. My take on this book is that it just wasn't for me, it felt slow and there were many "fillers" inbetween the main events of the book, perhaps I'll read this again when I'm older and have a new perspective on it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, War, and Racism