Rating: 
Summary: A powerful imagination, a magical novel
Review: "...how all things in this world are linked together, and here we are thinking we have the power to separate or join them at will, how sadly mistaken we are, having been proved wrong time and time again, a line traced on the ground, a flock of starlings, a stone thrown into the sea, a blue woolen sock, but we are showing them to the blind, preaching to the deaf with hearts of stone."This passage, from the last few pages of José Saramago's novel "The Stone Raft," acts as both summation and re-introduction to the story. I can include it here, and even say that it is critical to understanding the nature of the idea behind this book, without giving anything specific about the book away. All of the things that it describes specifically happen in the first chapter or two. The book's themes, present troughout the story, are summed up elegantly above.
"The Stone Raft" is an impressive novel, in many ways. It is the second of Saramago's books that I have read, "All the Names" being the first. While I found "All the Names" to be well-written, clever, and imaginative, "The Stone Raft" surpasses it easily. It tackles a difficult concept within the first few chapters, an event which changes the world dramatically. I've found that most writers, when beginning with such a concept, either pull their punches and fail to take their story as far as it could go, or they quickly devolve into trite reiterations of common morality and sentimentality. Saramago does neither. His story is one of fantasy, in many ways, but it is a fantasy based in the real world, and Saramago proves himself to be a remarkably gifted fantasist as he carries his story all the way to the end without faltering. The premise of "The Stone Raft" lies in a seemingly cataclysmic event: the breaking away of the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) from the rest of Continental Europe. The peninsula (now an island of sorts) simply fractures off and floats away across the ocean. While the larger story of this and its effect on the rest of the world is told as well, the majority of the book focuses on five people who live on the Peninsula, each of whom feel that they are somehow connected to the breakaway. The story follows their journey as they come together, and then of the relationships that develop between them. Through it all, Saramago remains constant to his purpose; whether telling the story of the floating island or detailing the lives of these five individuals on it, his themes and style are maintained. Mind you, Saramago is not an easy author to read. His themes are challenging, to be sure, but his prose itself is equally so. He writes in long, meandering sentences, embedding key points of story in what might seem at first like a tangent. He eschews the standard grammatical use of quotes and paragraph divisions in his dialogue, so that conversations between characters are read as single paragraphs, with no quotes to tell you when one character stops talking and another starts. These are the ways that polite authors make it easy for their readers to understand their work, and I suppose that means that Saramago is not as polite as many writers. Said simply, "The Stone Raft" (and Saramago's work in general) is not for the light reader, looking for a bit of evening entertainment before they drift off. I'm risking sounding a bit elitist here, but to be perfectly honest, this is deeply challenging reading, and is probably not for just the casual reader. In defying many standard conventions of modern letters, Saramago is placing part of the burden on his readers to adjust to his style of writing. What's amazing to me is that, despite these difficulties, which would probably be barriers for most writers, Saramago makes it work for him beautifully. He spends time actually establishing his characters, and so even though the standard puncuation of dialogue is absent, conversations can still be understood if read carefully. His sentences, seemingly endless at times, are constructed carefully. Like the partial sentence quoted above, they each hide buried treasure, small gems that collectively add to the value of the story as a whole. In these constructions, he often touches on philosophy, political commentary, history, whimsical humor, all while carrying the story forward. If you just graze over the prose, you'll most likely miss many of the bits of wisdom he plants here and there. "There are endless answers just waiting for questions," is a sentence representative of the need to read this book carefully. Complexity does not necessarily mean skill, but in Saramago's case his complex prose leads to a work of rare beauty. It may well represent a challenge to many readers, but it is a book undeniably worth the effort. The more a reader puts into reading it, the more they are likely to get out of it. This is not a book to be devoured quickly overnight. Time should be taken to read and re-read some of the passages in "The Stone Raft." The spread of the phrase "We are Iberians too," around Europe, in all its different languages; the elegant device of a blue thread, linking two characters perfectly; from the opening paragraphs to the final pages the book deserves a careful, studious reading. Some books seem to be written out of sheer love of crafting language, while others seem to exist simply to tell a story. "The Stone Raft" is that rare novel which accomplishes both goals admirably. A line traced on the ground. A dog who does not bark. A flock of starlings. A man who can feel the earth trembling. A stone thrown into the sea. A peninsula that suddenly and inexplicably becomes an island. A blue woolen sock. How are these things connected? "The Stone Raft" does not answer these questions for you, but gives you enough that you might be able to find the answers for yourself. In its pages, while telling a story of an event that literally changes the world, José Saramago explores the mysteries that we all are confronted with every day, and he does so with consummate skill. "For even if my life's journey should lead me to a star, that has not excused me from travelling the roads of this earth."
Rating: 
Summary: Misleading
Review: A gold sticker on this book's cover reads "WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE." Don't be mislead. The sticker must refer to the author not the book. While he no doubt received the prize, after wading through the work I can't believe it was for this piece of work. I found the book exceedingly boring, a chore to read every step of the way. As the Iberian peninsula physically separates from Europe, several unengaging and underdeveloped characters (the most interesting of which was a dog) wander from one destination to another with meager purposes, certainly none I cared about. While the book may have been intended as an allegory for Portugal's relationship with the rest of Europe and the European Union, it failed to strike a chord. I'll chalk this book up as something only a Pulitzer Prize judge would love.
Rating:
Summary: Misleading
Review: A gold sticker on this book's cover reads "WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE." Don't be mislead. The sticker must refer to the author not the book. While he no doubt received the prize, after wading through the work I can't believe it was for this piece of work. I found the book exceedingly boring, a chore to read every step of the way. As the Iberian peninsula physically separates from Europe, several unengaging and underdeveloped characters (the most interesting of which was a dog) wander from one destination to another with meager purposes, certainly none I cared about. While the book may have been intended as an allegory for Portugal's relationship with the rest of Europe and the European Union, it failed to strike a chord. I'll chalk this book up as something only a Pulitzer Prize judge would love.
Rating: 
Summary: mildly clever, went nowhere
Review: By way of a metaphor that's as subtle as a train wreck--the Iberian Peninsula shears off from the European land mass and starts floating out to sea--the Portuguese Nobelist Jose Saramago assays the isolation of Portugal and Spain from the rest of Europe and, for that matter, from the rest of the world. The new island drifts first towards America then South; at one point it rotates; but for the most part it just seems to be adrift. Of course, the oddest thing about all this is that the book was published just as Spain and Portugal were formally joining the European Community and officially ending their years in the wilderness. If Mr. Saramago has a coherent point here it was too nuanced for one as literal as I. And since I didn't much care for the group of characters that he follows, I did not care for the book. It seemed like a mildly clever idea for a short story that went nowhere and did so at too great length. GRADE : D+
Rating:
Summary: THERE COMES A TIME WHEN PRIDE HAS NOTHING BUT WORDS?
Review: I bought The Stone Raft several months after Saramago won the Nobel Prize, and I cannot pretend I had even heard of him before that time. I was wandering a bookstore in Reykjavik looking for something new and interesting. I figure that most of the time the Nobel committee selects authors for an outstanding body of work, so I trust their judgment. Having just finished read the majority of Nadine Gordimer's works, I was seeking a fresh voice, but something equally as intelligent and entertaining. The Stone Raft seemed a promising title with a most ridiculous and fantastic premise-Spain and Portugal breaking off the European continent and floating off into the Atlantic. I had not seen something this promising in ages. I bought The Stone Raft and The History of the Siege of Lisbon at the same time, and I immediately delved into The Stone Raft. It was slow going at first, and I could feel a great wave of disappointment creep over me because this was really not as interesting as I anticipated... but WAIT! Within 20 or 30 pages, I was riveted. I am not sure what transformation took place in the course of those pages, but suddenly this was a book I could not put down. I didn't put it down again until I finished it. Other people have provided plot synapses and analysis, so I won't bore you with further repetition on that subject. All you need to know is that Saramago is one of the most brilliant writers alive, this is one of the most creative books of the 20th century, and Saramago's ability to pose questions that seem at once quite obvious but at the same time quite obscure is uncanny. Saramago's brilliance for observing minutiae in people's daily lives and behaviour is remarkable, and his characters are unforgettable and lively. You will never regret making the time to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Surreal
Review: Imagine that the Iberian peninsula breaks away from Europe and begins floating freely in the Atlantic. That is the premise of this work by a Nobel Literaure Prize winner from Portugal. It's an intriguing speculation, and the plot follows the travels of five people and a dog from one end of the new island to the other. At first I was a little bewildered since the dialogue is incorporated within the paragraphs, and not set out separately, but once I accommodated myself to this unusual style of writing, I got through the book very well. The writing is uniformly excellent, and the descriptive passages, of which there are many, are quite lyrical at times. There's really not much of a plot, but the writing is so good that you just move through the book at your own pace, and enjoy the tale the author tells. I intend to read more works by this gentleman, as I really like his style.
Rating: 
Summary: The Journey of Life
Review: Jose Saramago seems to have a perpetual liking for journeys. In The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis, parades, processions and a long-winded pilgrimage provide the most colourful diversions in an otherwise sombre atmosphere. In Baltasar and Blimunda journeys of all kinds dominate the proceedings -- the laborious journey to transport the big slab of stone, the cavalcade of the royal family, the adventurous trips of the scholar priest in his flying machine and, of course, the long wanderings of the eponymous protagonists. In The Stone Raft, Saramago goes one step further: he dispatches the whole of the Iberian Peninsula on a hit-or-miss sea voyage. This novel tactic of moving the land and setting it out to sea was the only option left with the author to salvage some pride for his fatherland, Portugal, once a great sea-faring nation, now reduced to political insignificance. The phantasmagoria of the plot, the parabolic undertones, the lyrical imagery and the occasional philosophical assertion: all evolve out of this improbable locomotion of the big floating island in the sea. Against the backdrop of the separation of the peninsula and its multi-directional propulsion, unfolds the story of the five main characters and their journey for self-discovery. Two women, three men and a dog, each one experiencing an omen at the time of the seismic occurrence, join together imbued with a sense of importance and responsibility. They continually travel through the peninsula, first in a creaking automobile and subsequently in a horse-drawn cart, `because the world is changing and they have to find in themselves the new persons they will become.' Outlandish and fantastic as these characters may be, they exhibit all the emotions, follies and frailties of ordinary human beings. They feel the sensual appetites, they steal things and display conjugal infidelity, yet their actions are supposed to reflect some cosmic design. Saramago writes,`...for no journey is but one journey, each journey comprises of a number of journeys....Journeys succeed each other and accumulate like generations, between the grandson you were and the grandfather you will be, what father will you have been. Therefore a journey, however futile, is necessary.' Again, Pedro Orce, one of the travellers, says,`...look here, we're on a peninsula, the peninsula is sailing on the sea, the sea goes round the earth to which it belongs, and the earth turns on itself, and the whole lot heads in the direction of the aforesaid constellation, so I ask myself if we're not the last link in this chain of movements within movements.' So, these characters, who see themselves as people detached from any apparent logic in the world, ultimately fit into some grand logic of human existence. By way of story this novel does not offer much. All we have is the aimless wandering of the landmass and also of the five characters, both of which terminate abruptly. But the trademark Saramago style of narration and his storehouse of magical imagery provide some enchanting moments to the readers. The unpunctuated, extended paragraphs suit the tone and mood of the novel. The authorial intrusion and constant indulgence of the narrator's persona, tinge the story with subtle humour. See for instance the narrator's comments about one usage,`The weather has changed, an expression of admirable concision which informs us in a soothing and neutrally objective manner that having changed, it has changed for the worse.' Such deft handling of the art of narration reminds the reader of styles of great masters like Borges and Marquez. Like Borges's characters we have here characters busy exploring mental labyrinths and producing magical moments, quite akin to those of Marquez. Giovanni Pontiero's masterly translation deserves kudos from the readers. The rendering is flawless and natural and it reproduces the nimble pace of the original. Pontiero subtly handles the author's frequent swaying between the serious introspection and humorous asides. The Stone Craft may not belong to the class of Baltasar and Blimunda and The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis, but it will never disappoint the serious reader of quality literature, because of its evocative imagery, subtle humour and cultural, moral and political undertones.
Rating:
Summary: Great book... again
Review: Just read it...read all of his books; its worth the cash and the time. Every book changes you veiw on life. this book is funnier than his others but still has the sharp serious lash of sarcasm and the usual glaring critical eye on humanity. He also turns his pen on his veiw of government a little more and the ole' Iberian rilvalry. It also twists the snooty veiw Europe has on the penninsula.
Rating:
Summary: A magical, thought-provoking journey
Review: Like the Iberian peninsula of the title, the reader is swept along on an enchanting, mysterious voyage. Saramago's writing (unconventional in that it forgoes most punctuation) is never obtuse, always engrossing and often quite funny. Like all great writers --in my opinion -- he never sacrifices story while at the same time expressing his ideas. What could have easily been a polemic is instead a rich, lovely book. If you've never read Saramago, this is an ideal book with which to start.
Rating:
Summary: A Delight of Wit, A Dearth of Plot
Review: One day Iberia breaks off from Europe. It's clean, it's neat, almost nobody gets hurt. Before you can say "Fernando Pessoa", Spain and Portugal are floating out into the Atlantic. Geologists can't make head or tail of all this free-form continental drift, but what they don't cotton on to is that it's probably all due to a dog, people who draw a line in the sand, feel a certain dizziness, unravel a blue sock, and other minutiae. Logic has nothing to do with what happens, in this book as well as in life. We, the readers, are clued in by the author, who gathers all the "culprits" together in a group that then go on various "Iberiadas" around the stone raft, an immense vehicle that even swerves to miss the Azores. Well, you guessed it, you are reading a fantasy. Saramago's strong suit is irony. He's an extremely clever man with plenty of wit and humor to keep the reader amused for 292 pages, even though, as they all say, it is hard to translate humor. Life is a comedy of errors, so it isn't implausible that if once a Portuguese nobleman went off in search of an imaginary island, a floating Iberian island could go off to sea in search of imaginary men. Meanwhile, back on the pages, Saramago dispenses with ordinary little objects like question marks or quotation marks. Perhaps it's because the whole book is a question or maybe it could be due to the fact that the author doesn't see much difference between questions and answers. It could be your flavor of the moment, if missing punctuation is your thing. Well, OK, I admit it. I could not figure out exactly what this novel is about, though I rather enjoyed it anyway. Is it a political allegory about Iberia's cultural dis-similarities with Europe and a protest against Spain and Portugal's joining the EC ? Is it about how the social edifice collapses (topic of many less-literary science fiction novels) in times of crisis ? Is it a gentle reminder to readers about the possibility of change in life ? That it shouldn't take geological transformation of the earth to allow them---if you remove people from their daily fetters, what miracles could they perform ? After innumerable philosophical observations served up with admirable levity, our dear characters betray one another. The magic is over. Iberia screeches to a halt. "Time and time again" we learn, "there are no riches whatsover, where, out of malice or ignorance, we promised we would find them." Our nowhere men (and women) return home. Aren't they a bit like you or me ? If allegories without clear meanings resonate in your bell tower, give Amazon a ring. I can't call THE STONE RAFT a "thriller", but it's highly original writing for sure.
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