A fluid and imaginative translation by Margaret Jull Costa… A masterly creation: pessimistic without being bleak, lyrical without being sentimental… Saramago tears back that curtain to reveal not only the stage on which life is performed but also backstage, under unflattering working lights; to show humanity at its most anxious, its most vulnerable and most true
- James Runcie, Independent
For admirers of his work...the rescue of this novel from oblivion is something to be grateful for. The translator, Margaret Jull Costa, as ever, does a splendid job
Times Literary Supplement
Not only does it illuminate the slow development of a radically original artist, but it is an interesting novel in its own right
- Ursula Le Guin, The Guardian
This is one of Saramago’s early works but his eye for psychological nuance and his gift for sympathy are already in evidence
New Statesman
<i>Skylight</i> is a deeply affecting novel, the work of an already adroit writer who marshals his characters with assurance
Evening Standard