The year of the death of Ricardo Reis
Lisbon circa 1935 comes to life in this story of a doctor who forsakes medicine to recite poetry in the streets, the women in his life, and the ghost who occasionally accompanies him.
More by José Saramago
Chappie’s discussion starters
🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.
- Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
- Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
- What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
- If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
- Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?