Blindness

By: José Saramago

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

A city is hit by a sudden and strange epidemic of "white blindness", which spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there social conventions quickly crumble and the struggle for survival brings out the worst in people.

There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides seven strangers -among them a boy with no mother, a girl with dark glasses, a dog of tears - out of their prison and through the barren streets, and the procession becomes as uncanny as the surroundings are harrowing.

A magnificent parable of loss and disorientation and a vivid evocation of the horrors of the 20th century, by Nobel Prize-winning author Jose Saramago, Blindness has swept the masses with its powerful portrayal of man's worst appetites and weaknesses - and man's ultimately exhilarating spirit.

English translation by Juan Sager.

©1997 Juan Sager (English translation); 1995 Jose Saramago and Editorial Caminho (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks America

Don't miss the opportunity

Enjoy this fantastic book. The way José Saramago presents his history is absolutely incredible I really recommend.

Eye catching...(pun intended)

Saramago took me down a road that made me question some of the simplest things taken for granted. Not once disappointed on the simplicity of the story that kept me on edge to the end. I look forward to more of his writings.

Dark and a Fascinating Premise, But…

I have mixed feelings about this book. The first hundred pages or so really sucked me in. There was good tension, and it was made all the more foreboding since we ourselves, nearly 30 years after the books publication, are in the midst of a terrible pandemic. However, as many other reviews have already noted, the authors style tends to detract from what should be a gripping story.

The author switches from the past tense active voice to a present tense passive voice, almost like he is giving a lecture to The reader instead of telling a story. This is a style I would expect to encounter in the novel written in the 19th century, like Little Women, but not one written in 1997. This makes for some very frustrating and jarring interruptions in the middle of scenes that should be tense throughout. I can’t tell you how irritated I got wanting to see how a violent confrontation would turn out only to be interrupted by the characters waxing philosophical about the nature of blindness and the human condition. That does not seem like the thing to do when two of your acquaintances have just been shot and are now bleeding out on the floor.

I agree with other reviews when I say that there needs to be a trigger warning on this book, as it does have a very graphic rape scene. The fact that the women were used as bargaining chips for food supplies did not surprise me (read about any major war where people are starving), but i don’t enjoy such things being so vividly described.

I ended up skipping several chapters to get to the end. I was tired of all the meandering and just wanted to see what happened in the story. Sadly, the story ends without much real closure. Just as mysteriously as it came, the blind plague recedes, and everyone gets their site back. Not much of a climax.

Despite my complaints, there were a lot of things I enjoyed about this book, and the author clearly has a knack for delving into human psychology. But if his other books are written in the same style as this one, I doubt I will become a fan.

Powerful allagory!

A metaphor for our contemporary world. I read it in novel form and loved it then. They have done true justice in audible form.

really interesting! Great writing!

what a concept! I won't give away too much but the name says it all. it makes me appreciate how blind people must feel in the first place, but it's so so so much deeper than that. it's so nice to read something interesting for a change. give it a try I'm sure you'll like it!

depressing and hopeful

incredibly crushing book and hopeless feeling. book dishes out some tough lessons with some characters your grow very close to. incredible book that was included with the sub. Read this asap

fascinating plot... distracting writing style

Obviously not originally in English. Translation poorly done... unless it was intended to have overly stiff, formal, pretentious tone? I would have quit after a couple pages if not for the interesting story.

fantastic book with troubling narrative

Blindness offers a great performance and fantastic story. I recommend without reservation. I'm very impressed

This was EXCELLENT!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The way it is written is spectacular. Very good job.

Very well read, audio is nice and clear.

Any additional comments?

Great audiobook. The story is for you to judge, but the audio was great. The quality was good, the audio was very clear. And the reader was able to change his voice in order to adapt to the characters. One of the best audiobooks I've heard!