The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis

Book Description

The year: 1936. Europe dances while an invidious dictator establishes himself in Portugal. The city: Lisbon-gray, colorless, chimerical. Ricardo Reis, a doctor and poet, has just come home after sixteen years in Brazil. Translated by Giovanni Pontiero.

Customer Reviews:

Harder to relate if you're not Portuguese.......2007-03-07

Saramago is my favorite living author, yet I felt I missed a lot of this novel's power simply because I am not very familiar with Portuguese literature (Pessoa and other writers), culture or history. I am familiar enough with 20th century history and the years leading up to World War II, so I wasn't completely lost, but I suspect if I had been raised in Portugal I would have given this novel a much higher rating. Some knowledge of Franco's rise to power in Spain would also increase your enjoyment of this work.

Even missing some of this knowledge, Saramago's writing is still a wonder to me. Although it can be dense and demanding, he always has had the ability to keep me focused and turning pages and this novel was no exception. His characters and their thoughts are, as always, well-developed and you can easily see some of yourself in each one of them.

I recommend it as a strong piece of writing, with the caveat that you might not get all of what he intended his readers to get out of the novel if you are not familiar with Portugal's history and culture or with the state of geopolitics in the 1930s.

Brilliant and Disturbing.......2006-07-04

I highly recommend this great book by a great, Nobel-Prize winning author. It is so well written that it almost rises to a book of poetry, vaguely reminiscent of fellow Nobel-Prize winning William Faulkner; the psychological drilling is deep, but worth the effort. Though Saramago's writings are more structured and less rambling than Faulkner's, the passion, the tone, and the eloquence are the same, at least for me.

This book is all about out-of-control circumstances in pre-War Portugal and how a fictitious doctor and poet of pre-War Portugal, Ricardo Reis, deals with them. Insanity is in the air, and deadly nationalism is rising along with the military coups and Nazism in neighboring countries. Quite by chance, he arrives in his native Portugal in 1936 just in time for this brewing storm, after spending the previous 16 years in Brazil. It reminds me a lot of the great and disturbing 70's movie Cabaret, where pre-War, Brown-shirt Germany was seen through the prism of a decadent Berlin cabaret, and the people who worked or played there.

Ricardo Reis does little else than think; it is his way of life, and circumstances give him a lot to work with. He is very much a loner, passably sociable on the outside, but self-centered, moody, timid, guarded on the inside, a lot like you and me if we were honest enough with ourselves. But unlike most of us, I hope, his most intimate relationship seems to be with Death itself. This might be the logical end of existentialist thought; things are bad, God is non-existent or non-caring, Death is the answer. (I think Life is the answer, and the transcendent Christian God who gives peace despite circumstances.)

In a nutshell, I like HOW Saramago writes more than WHAT he writes about.

The book is a bit heavy but well worth the read.

Saramago At His Best.......2006-06-11

This is Saramago at his best. The very first sentence of the novel sets the mood. The writing has a dream-like, floating feel throughout. Saramago indeterminately mixes tenses; he often goes from "I" to "he" (speaking of the same character) in the same paragraph. But he does this purposely to enhance his idea of identity and relationships.

Marcenda's left hand is an additional character in the novel. In one scene it is described as appearing to "glory at being seen".

After reading "The Year of the Death of Richardo Reis" I can understand why he won the nobel prize. If I had only read "Blindness" then I wouldn't have understood. In my opinion, "Blindness" is merely an intellectualized Stephen King novel; intellectualized because of the writing and because it is allegorical. It reminds me of Camus' "The Plague". In and of itself "Blindness" wouldn't have deserved a Nobel Prize, but in conjunction with his other works, especially this one being reviewed, Saramago certainly deserves the award.

If you haven't read Pessoa but like Saramago, you should put Pessoa next on your reading list.

Brilliant book but easy to misunderstand.......2006-03-12

This book is usually on most readers' list of top three Saramago masterpieces. But in reading the English language reviews I realize that most people are missing a very simple aspect to the entire book. Of all of Fernando Pessoa's poetic personae, Ricardo Reis was the least politically engaged with the world, the artist in the ivory tower, contemplating the world of beauty. Saramago, as experienced readers intuit, is a very different sort of artist, for whom literature is a form of moral and political engagement with the world. Saramago has pointed out in interviews that one of the premises of this novel was the confrontation between the politically disengaged artist and an Iberia that was quickly becoming enshrouded in Fascism.

Understanding this confrontation might make this novel more sensible to English speaking non-Portuguese 21st century readers.

A supplement to the previous review.......2005-01-05

The previous reviewer suggested that the "ghost" character Pessoa may have been based on an actual person. It's true. Fernando Pessoa was an outstanding Portuguese poet. What's interesting here is that Pessoa wrote under several pen-names, and in some cases he would write praise or criticism in one pan-name of his own writing done in another pen-name. These pen-names were characters in and of themselves. The various pen-names had back grounds and histories which gave each one a unique perspective to "their" writings. One of Pessoa's pen-names was Dr. Ricardo Reis.

Saramago's Dr. Reis is faithful to the background devised by Pessoa, and the facts regarding Pessoa himself, so these conversations between Reis and the ghost Pessoa can be seen as conversations with one's self. It's brilliant. It's beyond brilliant.

If you are interested in an excellent Pessoa book, try The Book of Disquiet.

Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis - The Gospel According to Jesus Christ - Blindness [3 Books in One]

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Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis - The Gospel According to Jesus Christ - Blindness [3 Books in One]
Jose Saramago
Manufacturer: Quality Paperback Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis

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Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
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Three Books by José Saramago: BLINDNESS, THE STONE RAFT, THE YEAR OF THE DEATH OF RICARDO REIS

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Three Books by José Saramago: BLINDNESS, THE STONE RAFT, THE YEAR OF THE DEATH OF RICARDO REIS
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The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
Jose, and Pontiero, Giovanni (Translated by) Saramago
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The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis (1984) The Gospel According to Jesus Christ (1991) Blindness (1995) (3 Novels)

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The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis (1984) The Gospel According to Jesus Christ (1991) Blindness (1995) (3 Novels)
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Manufacturer: Quality Paperback Book Club, New York
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Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis, the
Jose Saramago
Manufacturer: Harvill Press
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An Endless Trace: The Passionate Pursuit of Wisdom in the West
Average customer rating:

Good stuff
An Endless Trace: The Passionate Pursuit of Wisdom in the West
Christopher Bamford
Manufacturer: Codhill Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Book Description

Two powerful motives weave beneath the surface of our spiritual history: the desire to know and the desire to love. The secret history of the West is the story of saints, mystics, alchemists, poets, and philosophers trying to unite these two streams and celebrate - in the world and in their own persons - the sacred marriage of Logos and Sophia, Word and Wisdom.

This book, an impressionsitic history of the Western spiritual tradition, follows - from anceint Greece to modern times - the traces of those who sought to know the world and themselves, while realizing that they must overcome themselves to love the world and one another.

Included are chapters on Pythagoras, Sophia, Celtic Christianity, the Troubadours, the Grail, the Rose Cross, Renaissance spirituality, Romanticism, nineteenth-century occultism, and twentieth-century esotericism. Inspirational interludes place the whole within an atmosphere of Christian mysticism.

Tracking this endless trace of our evolving relationship with one another, God, and Nature, we begin to understand how human consciousness has changed and evolved and perceive the present purpose of humankind.

Customer Reviews:

Good stuff.......2007-06-22

This collection of Bamfords essays connects historical movements that are not normally associated with each other in regular history readings, such as the Orphic tradition in ancient Greece and Romanticism. Though it is said that Romaniticism has its influeces from the Greeks and other ancient sources, the idea is never put out, as Bamford does so clearly, that the two are of the same tradition. He shows the two are not merely related by influence, but by a shared purpose and direction towards a relation with Sophia, or wisdom of the divine sort. Bamford shows this common thread running through many areas of our past, which are usually kept separated, as something continually transforming with time so that it is always approached with freshness. Ultimately, Bamford's essays trace Christianity, before and after Christ, as it is lived and sought in ways that may not be openly declared so.

Average customer rating:

Must be chilllly in DC
not the best
This is a really well written book...a must for your ertocia collection
Imaginitive & Creative.....Also about the cover.....
Why No Picture

Endless Pursuits
Paco Santiago
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adult Fiction | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Naked Erotica

ASIN: 0595361501

Book Description

There we were, Las Vegas in all it's glory. Gambling, liquor, women, women, food, women, Broadway style shows, women and more women. How could it possibly get much better than this? Did I mention all the women?…

Endless Pursuits provides an intriguing look at two virile young men and the inevitable milestones they conquer while growing up.

Eddie Hollis has been best friends with William Moore since the second grade. The two mischievous boys stick by one another's side through the years as they discover the masculine rites-of-passage that make life worthwhile: experimenting with girls, reading sexually explicit magazines, and, of course, pursuing women. Ever daring, they continue to push the envelope until all hell breaks loose. From adolescence to adulthood, author Paco Santiago provides a creative, sexy look into the mind of a man, blending the past and the present through journal entries and sensual experiences. In a world of so many men that are shallow, empty, and lacking depth, it's good to know that there are some out there that are still searching for true passion.

Eddie and William prove that the cunning mind of a man is a dangerous thing to waste—but even more dangerous to encourage.

Download Description

Endless Pursuits provides an intriguing look at two virile young men and the inevitable milestones they conquer while growing up.

Eddie and William prove that the cunning mind of a man is a dangerous thing to waste-but even more dangerous to encourage.

Customer Reviews:

Must be chilllly in DC.......2006-01-23

I ordered this book based on the first five reviews. Needless to say, I was a bit concerned when I read the most recent reviewer's comments. My copy finally got here and I read it cover to cover (which, by the way, is easy....it's not a long book, about 160 pages, and flows pretty nicely, in my opinion). Anyway, I read it and I totally disagree with the most recent reviewer. I think it has an interesting story line with creative sex scenes. The contrast of the two main characters is very interesting. It's good and evil, conquering life, opposed to many stories with good against evil. The two main characters, William and Eddie, have struggles that they overcome during their lives as they grow up. During which, one of them has an unbelievable amount of sexual escapades, while the other seems to never have any luck with women. It certainly has enough story line and enough sensuality to have kept my attention as a cover to cover read.

not the best.......2006-01-16

I ordered this based on other reader reviews and disagree with what the others said. I thought it was redundant and boring. The erotica is presented as excerpts from a man's journal, and while there is sex, it's not what I would consider erotic. I'd recommend women look elsewhere for good erotica.

This is a really well written book...a must for your ertocia collection .......2005-12-06

I'll be honest, I'm an erotica lover. But I like to really hear some feedback from other readers before I buy a book. I haven't seen many responses on this book, but what I've seen is very favorable. I've watched the rankings of this book and it seemed like it was always ranked respectably...so I went for it. Let me tell you....WHOOA. If you are thinking about a hot erotica book that reads well and keeps you entertained with sexy escapades, this is the book. I'd add this to my top 10 list any day. This book has some serious smoke coming from it, the author, Paco Santiago, has a very interesting writing style. He ebbs and flows out of past and present very easily and the transitions are easy to follow. It is a very fun book and VERRRY sexy. All I want to know now, is....WHEN DO WE GET TO SEE THE NEXT BOOK???....This is a great book to add to your collection!

Imaginitive & Creative.....Also about the cover............2005-09-02

I just got my copy in the mail yesterday. Have only read the first two chapters, but so far I'd have to say it's very imaginitive and creative. One other reviewer said it's like an adult version of Forest Gump (I'd agree but with out the quirkiness of the character). I saw another reviewer wonder about the cover, and quite frankly, so did I. I have two young ones running around the home. I'm guessing the reason Amazon didn't show the front cover is for one of two reasons. One, the book is brand new to Amazon or two, the front cover has a very tasteful picture of a woman's torso with a rose laying across her tummy. I didn't find it objectionable at all. After getting the book, I went onto the publishers website and found that they do show the front cover. [...] However, I'd still order from amazon.com in order to receive my shipping discount! Looking forward to the rest of the book. One last observation, if you like steamy and graphic sex scenes, this appears to be the right book for you.

Why No Picture.......2005-08-31

I'm thinking about getting this, but why isn't there a picture of the front cover?????

Average customer rating:

The Endless Pursuit of Excellence
Robb Thompson
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MOBILE SUIT GUNDUM 0082 2 Endless Pursuit
Toshifumi Yoshida
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1993 Viz Translation of Animation classic.

Thrilled to Death: How the Endless Pursuit of Pleasure Is Leaving Us Numb

Average customer rating:

Better than I expected

Thrilled to Death: How the Endless Pursuit of Pleasure Is Leaving Us Numb
Archibald D. Hart
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

A fascinating exploration of the profound loss of pleasure in our daily lives and the seven steps for restoring it.

Pleasure. We know what it feels like and many of us spend our days trying to experience it. But can too much pleasure actually be bad for us? Yes, says Dr. Archibald Hart, clinical psychologist and expert in behavorial psychology. Backed by recent brain-imaging research, Dr. Hart shares that to some extent, our pursuit of extreme and overstimulating thrills hijacks our pleasure system and robs us of our ability to experience pleasure in simple things. We are literally being thrilled to death.

In this insightful book, Dr. Hart explores the stark rise in a phenomenon known as anhedonia, an inability to experience pleasure or happiness. Previously linked only to serious emotional disorders, anhedonia is now seen as a contributing factor in depression (specifically nonsadness depression) and in the growing number of people who complain of profound boredom. This emotional numbness and loss of joy are results of the overuse of our brain's pleasure circuits. In Thrilled to Death, Dr. Hart explains the processes of the brain's pleasure center, the damaging trends of overindulgence and overstimulation, the signs and problems of anhedonia, and the seven important steps we must take to recover our wonderful joy in living.

Customer Reviews:

Better than I expected.......2007-10-09

Thrilled to Death
By Dr. Archibald D. Hart

Dr. Hart explains anhedonia as the reduced ability to experience
pleasure. The lack of the ability to experience pleasure affects every
aspect of our lives: sexuality, addictions, relationships,
spirituality... He shares how the fast paced lives we live and the
increasing numbers of electronic gadgets we use in our day to day
lives rob us of the ability to feel pleasure and cause us to feel numb
to everything except the most extreme pleasure eliciting activities.
Where as in the past anhedonia was only seen in clients with major
depression or other severe mental illnesses it is more and more common
to see it as the illness and not just a symptom.

Dr. Hart shows in several simple diagrams how the feeling of pleasure
is lost as anhedonia develops due to over stimulation and a flooding
of dopamines which raises the threshold barrier that enjoyment must
cross in order to reach the pleasure center of the brain, requiring
major pleasures which are commonly found in drugs and other addicting
behaviors to cross the high threshold. This brings to mind an often
quoted "law" stated in my family home the "law of diminishing returns"
which in simple terms is the fact that the first candy bar always
taste far better than the 2nd, 5th, 10th... I wonder if this could be
attributed to the pleasure center's threshold being raised by each
successive candy bar eaten. As more is learned about our brains and
how they work is discovered and researched it is becoming apparent
that the ability to feel pleasure and feelings of happiness with your
life are closely intertwined.

I found it useful and insightful that Dr. Hart included many self
tests: stress level, internet addiction, test for anhedonia, laughter,
anhedonia in children, multitasking addiction, emotional eating... To
help the reader gauge where they fall in needing to put the second
half of the book to use in their life where Dr. Hart gives seven steps
in the recovery process of being able to experience pleasure even in
life's smallest pleasure giving moments.

The seven steps are: 1. Seek the right form of pleasure 2. Recapture
the joy of little things 3. Control your adrenaline 4. Use humor to
enhance your happiness 5. Develop appreciation and gratitude 6. Master
relaxation and meditation 7. Make space for things that matter.

If you or someone you love has been experiencing a lack of feelings
towards things that used to give you pleasure or you find in general
you feel numb much of the time this is the book you are looking for
although you might not have known it. I especially think it would be a
helpful read for parents as they evaluate what is important in their
children's lives to keep and what to opt out of for the health of
their children and themselves.

Book Description

They are the self-appointed protectors of the Federation. Amoral, shrouded in secrecy, answerable to no one, Section 31 is the mysterious covert operations division of Starfleet, a rogue shadow group committed to safeguarding the Federation at any cost.

Someone or something is trying to kill Seven of Nine. As the crew races against time to save millions of refugees from an imminent stellar cataclysm, the former Borg becomes the target of several seemingly random but potentially lethal "accidents." The investigation reveals a truth more terrifying than anyone ever imagined, as Captain Kathryn Janeway and the crew of the Starship Voyager™ fight for their lives against the most unexpected enemy of all.

NO LAW.
NO CONSCIENCE.

NO STOPPING THEM.

Customer Reviews:

Good Read.......2007-04-15

This book is a quick read. The characters are well done. The story centers on Seven, Tuvok, and Janeway. The book ends rather abruptly. My only criticism is that it should have been longer.

Decent Star Trek Story.......2006-03-03

Well written and with a fast pace.I was finished with the book in two days,which is pretty quick for me.I liked the stuff with the computer taking over the ship and trying to kill Seven OF Nine and the crew becouse it sees her as being a threat to the federation.All in all,a decent Star Trek book,not the best one they've ever published,but certainly not the worst.

Best book!.......2005-09-25

I loved this book. It become one of my favourites. Someone tries to kill Seven of Nine! Who and why wants Seven dead? You better find out!

Interesting Voyager Novel.......2004-11-15

Star Trek Voyager was a great television series, with the most memorable characters since The Next Generation series. The novelization of Voyager provides entertainment for grateful Voyager/Star Trek fans. Section 31 is the second Voyager novel I have read.

The story is about Seven and how someone or something is trying to kill her. As she and Janeway try to get to the bottom of this, the second plot involves a planet-sized, Noah's Ark-type ship full of a race called Rhawns. The Rhawns are trying to escape the collision of their suns and save their race and their people. Janeway has to help these people, but trust and science issues get in the way - and time is ticking away.

The first three-quarters of the book is immensely intriguing, but the final quarter does not finish all the storylines, or tie them together neatly. I felt some interesting characters were just cut off. Nevertheless, this is a worthy effort that is mainly true to the characters and the show.

Recommended For All.......2004-10-02

I always read the back cover when purchasing a book. I liked it so I bought it. It took me just about no time to read this book. It is well written with a well developed plot.

Average customer rating:

Star Trek Voyager Section 31 Shadow
Dean Wesley/Rusch, Kristine Kathryn Smith
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Average customer rating:

Star Trek Voyager Section 31: Shadow
dean Wesley; Rusch, Kristine Kathryn Smith
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Children's Ministry Volunteers That Stick
Average customer rating:

Sticky Volunteers and a Sticky Book

Children's Ministry Volunteers That Stick
Jim Wideman
Manufacturer: Group Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Ministry | Ministry & Church Leadership | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0764426737

Customer Reviews:

Sticky Volunteers and a Sticky Book.......2006-05-10

I must admit that even before I got this book I was thinking it would be a book that was going to be just total review and a quick read.

It was full of some review and could be a quick first read, but here is where my surprise came in. This book was written so well and down to earth with very good examples, I often found my mind going to specific times in my own life that what Bro. Jim was talking about in the book had actually taken place or was taking place in my own life. This book made a great connection personally for me.

This is a book that can be a great read for veterans in Children's Ministry of 20 years (Like myself) or for newbies just getting started. I am getting this book for my whole team!!

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