Rating: 
Summary: a failed experiment
Review: All great artists have failed experiments. Unfortunately, this one was published ;). Not a bad novel, but in my opinion, Blindness falls far short of Saramago's other literary accomplishments. I respect him for going in different directions, but this one just never panned out for me. If you're a Saramago fan, give it a try, but if your looking for a starting point try Siege of Lisbon or the Jesus book. s.
Rating: 
Summary: Back to basics with humanity
Review: Nobel Prize winning novelist Jose Saramago's "Blindness" is a powerful and devastating piece of work. It is a pitiless examination under microscopic scrutiny of humanity which has forgotten its own nature but rediscovers itself only when deprived of the sensory power of sight. A sudden outbreak of blindness known as "white evil" infects one person, then another and so on and before long, the asylum where the government decides to quarantine those afflicted to contain the spread of this mysterious disease finds itself unable to accomodate, clean and feed a ceaseless torrent of new patients. That's the perfect set up for strange things to happen because in the kingdom of the newly blind, its inhabitants find themselves in unfamiliar territory and come face to face with their own humanity, with surprising results. The filth, poverty and decay and the total transformation of this unidentified place into a desolate wasteland is told in horrific detail. There is no scene more chilling than that of a company chairman on his way to a Board meeting but never arriving because the elevator he is travelling in suddenly stalls on the way up. The "dog of tears" joining the party of blind inmates as they flee from the fire gutting the asylum is also a brilliant creation, reminding us that we are not very different from animals when even they can shed tears for us. It is appropriate that Saramago's characters should remain nameless throughout and are identified only by their physical attributes. Does anonymity matter when identity ceases to exist without the power of sight ? Except for one, the doctor's wife, who pretends to be blind to be with her husband. Ironically and tragically, she suffers much, much more than the others because she can see. It is pivotal to Saramago's allegorical tale that there should be a witness to the carnage. How else are we, the readers, to believe that all he has told us has taken place ? Without sight, what do we know ? "Blindness" ranks among the best of contemporary literature. It is a rich and masterfully executed piece of work. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Feel like a blind person
Review: In this book, Nobel prized author Jose Saramago takes you to another place. Human relations go downstairs, to the minor stage of human being. A place where everybody is blind, fighting for food, manipulating food distribution and charging... favors and so on. With a smooth and tasty writing, Saramago describes increadibly well the scenes, the situations and the feelings. I am a fiction lover, and this is one of the good jobs one person ever did in lichterature.
Rating: 
Summary: Overwelmed by Stupidity
Review: With all of the acclaim for this book, and the Noble prize winning author, I expected at least great substance. I do not make any claim to be a literary genius, but if one compares the great research that must go into good historical fiction to this book, then Blindness comes out being sophmoric Science-Fiction at best. The lack of ingenuity, and the crass display of the authors feeble understanding of the basic mehanics of modern life are unworthy of the printed page. The premise of the story and the characters are out of a made for television movie. As a reader, if something great is found beyond all of this, it just does not matter.
Rating: 
Summary: A Harrowing, but Beautiful Book
Review: What an amazing work of fiction! This is a very tough read, not only because of Saramago's use of language, but also because of its subject matter. The language, however, perfectly matches the themes of the book and the characters, while stumbling blindly (literally and figuratively!), attempting to exist in a strange new world of confusion and chaos, each have something to teach the thoughtful reader. The characters have only their personalities and physical traits to identify them; none are named. I was reminded of works like the "Canterbury Tales," "Pilgrim's Progress," and even "The Fairie Queene" in that this novel is also the tale of a journey, and a parable for our times. In their movement through blindness, despair, pain, frustration and, eventually, redemption and/or death, the characters mirror the best and worst in all of us. Each in his own way is an "Everyman," showing us how each individual can have an impact on the society as a whole, for better or for worse. The blindness is a disease of the body and the spirit, contagious and ubiquitous. It is to be feared not only for the obvious reasons, because it takes away sight, but for what it reveals in each person it strikes. Stripped of their sight, these people are then forced to come to grips with their individual demons. Some manage better than others, rising to the occasion, while others fall from grace quickly and almost effortlessly. Sometimes I had to take a break from my reading, because the book was so intense and I got so wrapped up in the experiences of the characters that I often felt like I was in the middle of it myself. Very tough to take, sometimes, but so compelling that I had to continue to read. "Blindness" is the first book I've ever read by Jose Saramago (I, too, am wondering why it's taken me so long to discover him!), but after having read it, I've already purchased "Baltasar & Blimunda" and "The Gospel According to Jesus Christ." Saramago is obviously an inventive and thought-provoking writer, one whose works I'd like to continue to explore.
Rating:
Summary: Still with me.....
Review: The premise of the book is appealing, though a bit scary. It makes you understand what happens when you are put into a position where those around you have extreme dependency on you. It further illustrates the frailty of humans who have been struck with a feeling/state of vulnerability. It is not about men or women--but about being human and the many experiences we have to endure and sympathise with. This is power and beauty and brutality and frailty and love and passion and fear and loathing. It is a quest through the unknown--something we will all empathise with. It is a winner. It appeals at many levels. It still sticks with me and I read it when it first came out. It is worthy of its praise.
Rating:
Summary: Permenantly altered my reading preferences
Review: No more will I be able to pick up a copy of the latest best-seller without comparing its worth to this book! While Jose's prose can be hard to follow, it goes with the subject matter of this book. The writing style immerses you into the world of the characters. Feeling their blindness through the author's broken prose. Engrossing, disturbing at times, and very important...
Rating:
Summary: Best novel I have ever read
Review: What an unbelievable book, perhaps the best fiction I have ever read. I recommend that everyone read this incredibly powerful, insightful book.
Rating:
Summary: Startling read for fifteen year old
Review: In the tenth grade I asked my teacher for sugestions as material to read for an independent study and she sugested this book. Saramago's writing I found incredible, this book startling me out of my shell and being forced to sit there and think (as opposed to with the pap of robin cook or michael chricton where you mostly sit there and enjoy the book). On the whole, I found this book wholy incredible and still find it so each time i read it anew.
Rating:
Summary: A memorable reading
Review: This novel by Saramago is one of the best I have read in the last months. There are three ideas developed in its pages that specially called my attention: i) the exacerbation of extreme behaviour when groups of people are under difficult circumnstances (some people become nobler, others become infamous); ii) the frailty of modern human organizations and institutions and iii) the drastically different perceptions of the world an individual can have when her sensorial habilities are modified. Sarmago's style is ironic but compasionate and he is able to credibly transmit very deep emotions. By the way, the original title of the novel is "Ensaio sobre a Cegueira". Some of its meaning is lost when translated as Blindness (should be "On Blindness", I think). What is lost is the speculative character of the novel.
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