'Memorial do Convento' (the novel’s title in original Portuguese) is the Portuguese counterpart to Gabriel García Márquez's 'Cien Años de Soledad.' José Saramago's realism is not merely magical; it is sumptuous, eventful, character-driven, atmospheric, assuming, lyrical, witty, philosophical, parodic, and elemental. The central love story is set in 18th century, during the Inquisition Period. A major plotline is the construction of the Passarola, a flying time machine, the mere idea of which is heresy at that time. True to form, Saramago takes jibes against the spread of narrow-minded doctrines of faith. It anticipates the author's version of Jesus' gospel. ( )

marvelous book

Gah, this was boring. Every now and then there would be a sentence or a phrase which took my breath away and reminded me who I was reading, but the last 200 pages were just about getting it over with.

In Portugal during the 1700s, Baltasar returned home from war and fell immediately in love with Blimunda, a woman with the power to "see inside" others. They encounter a priest on a quest to build a flying machine, and begin working for him in pursuit of the same goal. And then it all got a bit far-fetched.

I wanted to like this book, and I gave it a good try by reading more than halfway through. However, the characters lacked depth. Baltasar and Blimunda, supposedly deep in love, seemed like two people going through the motions of life, let alone their relationship. Saramago uses the story to take satiric shots at the church and the monarchy, which provided mild amusement, but overall I was disappointed in this book.

This book is filled with absolutely enchanting prose with a very unique style. Saramago portrays an enduring love between the two main characters. There's plenty of magical realism, which keeps the book lively and fresh. The book as a whole, however, is somewhat dull. ( )