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Shvoong Home>Books>Romance>Memorial of the Convent Review

Memorial of the Convent

Book Review   by:chouroz     Original Author: José Saramago
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This abstract was translated from Memorial do Convento
 
Memorial of the Convent portrays the lives of two people in the construction of the convent of Mafra, built by King John V, thank God for the birth of his daughter Dona Maria Barbara.

These two people are "Baltasar seven-ye" and "Blimunda-seven moons," as well were known, where an ex Baltasar. military that he had been deprived of his left arm in the war, and now wore the arm, desenrasque for your day-to-day, an iron hook with a spike at the tip to fend; Blimunda was the daughter of an old lady who was arrested for being a witch and the priest Bartholomew, who dreamed of flying in his passarola furtively he was doing because of the inquisition, which was next to her asked not to be manifested in the sentence of his mother, but was also caught, as this also had visions of thing in the morning and after fasting. So this is where you find the three, Baltasar, Blimunda and Father Bartholomew, of which the first two come together and unite forever, in a ritual of blood, indulging in carnal union Blimunda virgin and therefore was only 19 years , and so know the intention of the priest in flying, and indulge such a dream that will take them a long friendship, until the death of a priest in Spain, took them to Mafra to work in the work of the convent, where Balthasar was herdsman, this is the one who leads the oxen to pull the cars to transport stone and other materials for the work, where he worked all the time, living in his life companion, Blimunda, where he saw many die under the heavy stones that el king , as his divine holiness on earth, because only God upon him, and everything can not send it impossible but it has to be done, even if it has to sacrifice innocent lives that they have not asked nor wanted to go there, but were required, which were brought up as slaves, bound by chains and shackles around his neck, which were taken against their will, but by the will of a king who did not even know that some even thought that was crazy, have reached the point want to build a temple at or higher than that of S. Peter''s in Rome, but that architects and others you trust him took his mind, but still had to extend the convent of Mafra monks to fit more inside, and then everyone had to be possible and that is imagined to be completed by the time of his 30th birthday, 22 October 1730, when El-king gives thirty years and coincides with a Sunday, then have to be prayed and when orders are sent and do not contradict.

So by that time the mountain will Baltasar see if passarola is in perfect condition and repair any candle if you must, but go alone, do not let go Blimunda, tells this to wait for it coming soon, but the worst is gone by three days and nothing was the opening of the convent by the king with all the pomp and circumstance as it wanted and neither shadow of Balthasar, then the day after the inauguration Blimunda puts feet to the path and go find her husband, asking everyone if they saw a man without a left arm that you answered no, then went to the place where it should be a flying machine but saw nothing except the bag with the blanket and the hook of her husband, setting in the search for Hill loses track of days and dim, then meets a monk who lived in a monastery who tells her not to venture out at night and it''s dangerous to take shelter in the ruins of the outside of the monastery that is safer and in the morning continues, she is so full of fear, then we noticed the night to go in your direction and take advantage of it, was the friar, and taking the hook when the husband''s brother was preparing to enter the cave in his love for his love of the key friar, that he sticks his hook in the back killing him, putting to flight as soon not go there to come second, and afraid to put down the mountain to the house.

Passed days Baltasar and did not appear, then decided to look for it everywhere, asking if they had seen a man who had flown into a machine and not had one arm, calling him crazy and mad and walked just nine years, Baltasar but never knew anything until one day thinks he found the fire, where he called, but have heard nothing of this and not know it went up to heaven or never left the ground, but she always was.
Published: June 11, 2011   
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