Sunday, September 11, 2005

Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy

I've had this book sitting on my bookshelf. I've been meaning to read it, but other books keep coming up. Has anyone else read this book? It's gotten excellent reviews everywhere I've looked. Here's the synopsis:

One day when Sophie comes home from school, she finds two questions in her mail: Who are you? and Where does the world come from? Before she knows it, she is pondering all the great questions of Western philosophy (from the Greeks to Kant, to Marx and Freud) with a mysterious mentor. But Sophie is also receiving a separate batch of equally unusual letters. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up in Sophie's world? To solve this riddle, Sophie uses her new knowledge of philosophy, but the truth is far stranger than she could have imagined.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Please read it, Stacey, for your own education. It's a sweet little story. I happen to know the author as a friend, and I must say, he's a gentle person with no other intent than to illuminate others.

Anonymous said...

Beloved,
That was one of the best enlightening book i have ever read. Also try reading another book from Jostein Gartener... its called Solitaire Mystery. That was also very insightful.

Pls go ahead reading Sophie's World. I was in a dreamland when i took up that book and i almost stopped my all other activities all thru my reading.

May you have a pleasant reading.

Anonymous said...

Hi, this is the Pistachio God.
Sophie's World is absolutely fantastic; a much better way to learn about the opinions of the world and existence than from a rotting old philosophy teacher. The twist at the end is awesome, also. Besides, if you've been meaning to read a book, then read it already! DOn't wait around for the opinions of strangers

Have you read anything on the Sufi mysticism? If not, you'd find it very interesting.

Anonymous said...

The name is Jostein Gaarder, not Gartener. Otherwise, I agree that it is an enlightening book, but still, it is only pointing at the path, the path itself is a far longer strech to travel.

Anonymous said...

this is a truly cool book, and i'm glad you've come across it! i think you'll truly enjoy it, as did i and my entire 12th grade class!

it's really a trip, in alot of ways.

Anonymous said...

The vote appears to be unanimous. Therefore, it's official: I've just started reading the book. :)

Pistachio God: I haven't looked deep into Sufi Mysticism, but I do have a few links on my blog that I hope to check-out in detail someday. As far as that goes, I hope to explore all religions before I pass from this planet.

Anonymous said...

Hi Grace,

I can't seem to find your blog listed on your profile anymore. Did you remove it?

Anonymous said...

That sounds like a very good book, Stacey. I studied philosophy in undergrad and grad school so it'll be nice to see the concepts in a fictional format.

Anonymous said...

Utenzi,

You've got to read this book. Get it now and read it along with me. :) I'm a slow reader because I like to not only taste a book, but digest it as well so I spend a lot of time focusing on things. Chances are you'll finish it before me if you start now. But, the point is that you'll see what I mean. :)