About this title: On the first day of the new year, no one dies. This causes consternation among politicians, religious leaders, and doctors. Among the general public, on the other hand, there is initially celebration: they have achieved eternal life. Then reality hits home, in this latest novel from the Nobel Prize-winning author.
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Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Fine. 0151012741 NEVER USED! This book has never been read. There are no highlights, No pen marks, No missing pages. The binding is sturdy. This book may have slight shelf wear. Tracking information provided for all orders. Orders over $49.99 will receive an upgrade from standard to priority mail. Customer satisfaction guaranteed! ! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2009-09-02
ISBN-13:9780547247885ISBN:0547247885
Description: New. Gift Condition, Priority Shipping recommended for prompt delivery by USPS when offered, Delivery Confirmation on all domestic items where available. read more
Edition: First edition.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780151012749ISBN:0151012741
Description: Fine in fine dust jacket. Binding square and tight and contents clean, crisp and bright. Jacket protected in a removable mylar cover. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 238 p. Audience: General/trade. As new, unopened and unread. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780547247885ISBN:0547247885
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harcourt
Date Published: 2008-10-06
ISBN-13:9780151012749ISBN:0151012741
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780151012749. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harcourt
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780151012749ISBN:0151012741
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Thorndike Pr
Date Published: 2009-05-01
ISBN-13:9781410415202ISBN:1410415201
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9781410415202. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harcourt, Inc., New York City, NY
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780151012749ISBN:0151012741
Description: Hardcover. First Edition. First Printing. 238 pages. As New in As New Dust Jacket. The author's tenth novel to be translated into English. One of Jose Saramago's finest achievements. The first appearnce of the title in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. "Saramago's philosophical page-turner hinges on death taking a holiday. And, Saramago being Saramago, he turns what could be the stuff of late-night stoner debate into a lucid, playful, and ... read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780151012749ISBN:0151012741
Description: Acceptable. -Acceptable: A readable copy. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (the dust cover may be missing). Pages can include considerable notes--in pen or highlighter--but the notes cannot obscure the text. About Austin eBooks Austin eBooks is committed to providing each customer with the highest standard of customer service! We add inventory to our store daily, and guarantee order processing and shipment within 2 business days. read more
"The premise is deeply compelling: what happens when no one in a specific country dies? At first, you wouldn't think this a bad thing, but interestingly the story details many of the problems inherent with living forever. Simply put, it's a disaster. The modern economy depends upon life ending at some point.
The novel also addresses moral issues. Death is suspended in one country, but not in others. That means that if a person who is meant for death crosses into another country (or is brought across by family), then that person immediately dies. The moral question thus arises of whether one's family has the right to decide when "enough is enough" and should help end a loved one's life.
To the author's credit, these types of moral questions do not weigh the novel down or turn the tale into an allegory of assisted suicide. Instead, the author's narrative tone of a mere reporter, not a commenter, allows the questions to be raised in a subtle way.
The story takes a bit of a turn when the character of death (with a small "d") becomes the focus, personified as a woman. Specifically, death becomes obsessed with one particular man who seems to have cheated her by not dying when he was supposed to. She takes the body of a middle aged woman in order to get to know this man better and ends up falling in love with him and seemingly renouncing her role as the ender of life.
It was at this point that I really lost the thread of the novel. Oh, I understood what was happening, but I didn't understand why. It was not clear what death's feelings were about this man and what exactly lead to her final decision at the novel's end. Death falls in love? Nope, just didn't get it.
My other trouble comes from the syntax of the translation. Run-on sentences and heavy comma usage! Ack! It made for difficult reading at points and somewhat detracted from the novel's narrative."
"Beautiful vocabulary had me running for the dictionary while I read; no mean feat if you know how I babble. Its hard to say whether its the result of translation though; some obscure language is the penance of portage. I'm not sure what this book is about. My first impression is the dialog between intimacy and immortality. The first half of the book is a political satire: in the absence of death, relationships on all scales begin to break down. The second half introduces death as a character, and the writing is compassionate and quiet: nothing is obvious. The dialog between death and a fifty year old cellist, when they meet, is driven, sharp, and complex. It hints at the emotional impact of contact, in the flesh, and crackles with tension and misunderstanding while still opening a path. The book is not too long, but definitely not an easy read. Saramago runs all the words together, with no quotations, and sometimes I had to go back and find my place. Stil, there is a conversational aspect to his style, and I was pulled along as though listening to a friend."
"The only book I've read that is written by a Nobel Prize winning author, except Everybody Poops.
This is a beautifully written book divided into two equally interesting sections. The first deals with what would happen if no one died on New Year's Day. Or the next day, or the next, etc. What would happen to life insurance, religion, retirement homes, and other fatality-driven ventures if death decided to take a break.
The second section deals with death herself (lower-case 'd'). You get to glimpse into Death's apartment and see why she stopped killing. This second sectionwas much more fascinating to me, although I was more confused by some of the events that transpired.
Regardless, I thought this was a fantastic book with a very unique writing style, quirky humor, and the ability to make you picture a world without death."
"Der tod ist eine Frau. Zumindest in dem nicht genannten Land, in dem sie ihr Werk eine Zeit lang einstellt.
Saramago beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, was passieren würde, wenn keiner mehr sterben würde - die Probleme in der Kranken-/Altenpflege, Lebensversicherungen, und unweigerlich kommt es zu zwielichtigen Machenschaften. Im konkreten Fall bietet die "Maphia" eine Art Entsorgung an, d.h. Personen, die eigentlich hätten tot sein müssen, werden über die Grenze gebracht, um dort zu sterben.
Das währt natürlich nur so lange, bis tod sich entschließt, die Menschen wieder sterben zu lassen, allerdings mit der kleinen Modifikation, dass Sie ab sofort eine Woche vor ihrem Sterbedatum einen violetten Brief erhalten, der ihnen das Ereignis ankündigt und die Möglichkeit bietet, ihre Affairen in Ordnung zu bringen und sich zu verabschieden.
Was tod allerdings beschäftigt ist ein Brief, der nicht zugestellt werden kann. Sie wird zur Frau und macht sich daran, den Brief einem Orchester-Cellisten persönlich zu überliefern.
Insgesamt hat mir das Buch nicht so gut wie "Das Land der Blinden" gefallen, was mir allerdings sehr zugesagt hat ist das Ende, dass in einem einzigen Satz alles offen läßt. Sehr elegant."
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