I love Jose Saramago, but sometimes he really goes off on tangents. This book is my favorite one of his because it is actually a pretty touching love story mixed with European History (during the inquisition in Portugal) It flows nicely, its a sweet story on the surface, but under the theme of true love he finds plenty of room for his typical jabs at human behavior, royalty, governments, and religion. He is pretty ruthless, yet he is often uplifting and sentimental. How strange. He's a master, and this book is a wonderful blend of fantasy, history, and a strong dose of science versus the church (during the inquisition, mind) I really like the way he writes, but I also like olives.