Helpful Score: 3
Couldn't get into it. Heard it was kindof deep and had sortof a "mysterious" ending...
Helpful Score: 2
It takes a bit to get accustomed his writing stylea variation of stream of consciousness. His paragraphs are long (often two pages or more), He rarely uses a period, He does not use quotation makes for dialog, His narrative and character dialog are only differentiated by a capital letter following a comma, The comma is used to separate sentences. Confused already? You wont be after 50 or 60 pages. After reading Moby Dick I felt as if I knew all I needed to find and land a whale; now I know everything about making pottery. This is a veritable textbook; and thats the main thread of the story. Oh yes, for you pedants, as in Moby Dick, there is a major allegory within it, as well as deep character studies. Youll miss the allegory if you havent studied Platos Republic beforehand.
Helpful Score: 1
Excellent story of a potter in Portugal. Great characters, touching story.
Helpful Score: 1
Saramago, who has been called 'the world's greatest living novelist,' has created an allegorical novel of an elderly potter whose precarious existence is threatened when he can no longer sell his wares. Rave reviews from all the major critics.
