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bluee_b's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
goodtrouble77's review against another edition
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11231286
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11231286
paven's review against another edition
3.0
Wanted to read this book when I was around 18 years old but never came around to it. Read it now to see what I missed. I truly would have loved it at that age. Still a good read now. But more for the opportunity to think who would I have been if I read it then? Who am I really?
agraphofonesown's review against another edition
Yes.
(But what do we mean when we say yes??)
(But what do we mean when we say yes??)
annauncharted's review against another edition
4.0
I think if I had discovered this book when I was twelve I would've devoured it voraciously, given it five stars, and carried it with me always like a personal paperback bible for awhile. It's a great gift for any young, inquisitive, precocious kid who loves to read and asks a lot of open-ended questions.
I stumbled across this book randomly at a used bookshop in Canyon Country (Santa Clarita, CA) on a roadtrip to Joshua Tree back in April. I picked this book up and down throughout the last four months and finally finished it late-July.
I wouldn't call it a page-turner. It's really two books in one. It's fictitious-fantasy (entertainment) and factual-history (education).
The beginning of the novel was heavily focused on history lessons of specific philosophers and time periods so at times the storyline fell flat and the influx of historical information: names, dates and ideologies one after the other felt dense for my brain-head (first half). Not much happens other than history lessons and the prose are not the main pinnacle or purpose of this book per se.
Towards the end it gets interesting plot wise with the characters and I found myself wishing there were more philosophical pages on absurdists for example. The ideologies of philosophers and schools of thought are purely introductory and give the reader a nice big picture, overview. The words aren't difficult to read, but I'd approach each chapter like a 7th grade history class...just take it in a chapter at a time, over many weeks and let the lessons marinate over the weekends.
Would I read this book again cover to cover? No. However, in the words of Maria Popova, "Literature is the original Internet – every footnote, every citation, every allusion is essentially a hyperlink to another text, to another mind."
Jostein Gaarder's book has gifted readers with plenty of fun cliffs to jump off and who knows where we will fly (or fall) off to next.
I stumbled across this book randomly at a used bookshop in Canyon Country (Santa Clarita, CA) on a roadtrip to Joshua Tree back in April. I picked this book up and down throughout the last four months and finally finished it late-July.
I wouldn't call it a page-turner. It's really two books in one. It's fictitious-fantasy (entertainment) and factual-history (education).
The beginning of the novel was heavily focused on history lessons of specific philosophers and time periods so at times the storyline fell flat and the influx of historical information: names, dates and ideologies one after the other felt dense for my brain-head (first half). Not much happens other than history lessons and the prose are not the main pinnacle or purpose of this book per se.
Towards the end it gets interesting plot wise with the characters and I found myself wishing there were more philosophical pages on absurdists for example. The ideologies of philosophers and schools of thought are purely introductory and give the reader a nice big picture, overview. The words aren't difficult to read, but I'd approach each chapter like a 7th grade history class...just take it in a chapter at a time, over many weeks and let the lessons marinate over the weekends.
Would I read this book again cover to cover? No. However, in the words of Maria Popova, "Literature is the original Internet – every footnote, every citation, every allusion is essentially a hyperlink to another text, to another mind."
Jostein Gaarder's book has gifted readers with plenty of fun cliffs to jump off and who knows where we will fly (or fall) off to next.
hichristabel's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.75
I tried to read and actually listened to the abridged
sportula's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
mayed_ys's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
rodanoar's review against another edition
This book has been on my mind a lot lately. I read it when I was younger, and I have had the urge to read it again. And before I say anything else, let me say that I know this book is undoubtedly a product of its time.
I was left with big questions at the beginning of the novel and enjoyed the overall format. I even had to pause between chapters to reflect on what I was reading, which leads me to believe that this book was meant to be consumed over a longer period of time as it focuses heavily on exposition. I always thought it was as whimsy as it was informative, and it's a great way to introduce philosophy and other topics teens learn in school. It was even peppered with a mystery involving Sophie and Hilde, which was a nice touch.
Despite all this, I felt more and more uncomfortable reading it. I know it’s supposed to be about an encounter and an unlikely friendship between a teenage girl and a grown man. Still, I couldn’t stop myself from being extremely anxious every time Sophie went to Alberto. And the way she was reckless, the way she didn't tell anyone anything, the way she disappeared for hours on end without anybody asking questions... That was worrying.
I know Sophie is a teenager, but she was also very rude to Alberto, who she also admired a lot? The interactions were a little forced and I got tired of them quickly. The same goes for the information overload. At a certain point in the book, the chapters got longer and longer, with lots of exposition and less of the musings I enjoyed in the first third of the novel. I found myself wanting to read this book less and less, and before I fall into a reading slump, I’m sorry to say it’s a DNF for me.
chagrin's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25