A Poised Quill: August 2017

Review: Blindness

Blindness by José Saramago
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
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Reading this gave me the WORST headaches. I am simply not smart enough for this book. It is most certainly jarring and disturbing, but not in a way I've enjoyed. Saramago's style is so complicated. There are probably a thousand nuggets of wisdom within this book, but most of them went over my head, or they simply did not make any impression on me because I was too confused and distracted with the "non-dialogue". It was a serious struggle for me to finish this book. I went on because I was genuinely curious about the epidemic and what will happen to the main characters, but I did not absorb nor appreciate the countless poorly punctuated philosophical ramblings. I think I would enjoy this more if it was written into a more conventional style.

© Bobbie Rebultan

She's always been pessimistic and skeptical. She doesn't like getting her hopes up.

So when he brought her to their favorite seafood shack where they had their first date, she only thought he wanted to indulge on a Friday night.

So when he asked her if she had any plans for the night, she didn't think any of it and just said none.

So when after that, he brought her to a bookstore that was open late at night while he watched with a smile as she browsed the shelves for two hours, she only thought he was amused at how indecisive she's always been when book shopping.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
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Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
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I am floored by Chamber's material. I really don't know where she got it, but growing up in a household of science probably helped a lot. This novel is immersive, and often overwhelming. But really, this book is...fun. Not Star Wars type of fun and legendary (*ducks to avoid tomatoes flying towards my head*). Honestly, I'm not a hard-core Star Wars fan (yet) because I haven't read/watched/consumed everything-Star-Wars (BOOOO! *barely had time to duck to avoid a TV flying towards my head.*) (Calm down! Calm down! I'll get to it!) But both are really different. If you're looking for a fast-paced, thrilling read filled with space wars and theatrical adventures, this isn't it. The closest action in this book was at the end when they finally reached the "angry planet". And even then, it was still kind of mellow and slowed down. Even then, the book still centered on the Wayfarer and its crew. The story focused more on the characters, so I really can't say anything bad about character development because Chambers gave that a lot of thought and perspective.

Was it odd he loved this place so much? He knew not many six-year olds go here for fun, but it's quiet and it smells of chocolate and his dad's coffee. ☕ Certainly the adults don't mind, if the small smiles they gave him are any indication.