Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not) in Around the World

Mar 24, 2013 Nick rated it liked it

"Noli Me Tangere" is one of those rare books that can truly be called revolutionary in any sense other than style. Jose Rizal's critique of Philippine society under the Spanish crown and Catholicism is blistering. This is one free thinker who wrote what he thought. And paid for it--no doubt this novel was accounted part of the political career that got him shot. It reads very much like a twentieth century novel struggling to escape from a nineteenth century one. All the much-used devices of the ...more

11 likes · Like · see review

Oct 26, 2017 Kelly rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2000-books, 2000-books-philippines

Rizal was inspired to write the Noli, as it’s known in the Philippines, in part by the success of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and the book follows that model in a way—i.e., perhaps more valued for its social impact than its lasting literary merit. When I tried to remember back to this book to write this review the only things that came to my mind were evil Spanish priests and someone getting crushed by a falling stone at a building site. I keep mixing it up with F. Sionil José’s Dusk, the plot of which a ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 31, 2013 Sasa rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-around-the-world, philippines, 2014

I know I should be giving this 5 stars but maybe it was also the translated version I borrowed. There were some parts that kinda got dry and I'm not sure if the situation or plot was translated correctly. I really liked the depiction of life under the Spanish friar, what they thought of the natives and also the uprising and the discontent ofb life during that time. It makes sense why some Filipino today still refer to their Spanish roots, I guess nothing has changed since this book was written t ...more

Like · see review