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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I'm not going to lie - this book was a struggle at times. I was not always in the mood for something heavy and philosophical, so I did put it down a few times. But in the end, I see why it is a Modern Library Top 100 selection.
Again, I read this book in college and loved it. I found the style (an intersection between philosophy and fiction/memoir) to be fascinating.
adventurous
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pirsig is literally my white step dad's favorite author, and it tracks. As he states himself in the forward, this is not a book that will help you understand zen or the art motorcycle maintenance. Instead it contains Pirsig's slightly pretentious autobiography, along with his navel gazing quest for higher truth in the zeitgeist of the late sixties. In it's most profound moments there is a window into the truth and humanity of Pirsig as a man and a father. At his best, the author stumbles into the profound unknowingly, but the work shows it's age ungracefully. If you are looking for a more up-to-date dose of enlightenment, check out Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer instead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Death
Read this long ago, and it affected me deeply. I wonder what I would think of it again now after getting a degree in philosophy, though...
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
slow-paced
There's a bit of zen and a little more of motorcycle in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance but these are background elements in this book. The story is of the narrator's journey to form his a new philosophy based around the ideal of "Quality" and the duality of form versus function. Where this book succeeds is in pulling the reader into thinking about the big questions of life that they may not have considered previously by referencing practical examples. It will certainly change your perception on how you view your surroundings or in the least make you more aware of the details.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A certainly challenging read, but so full to the brim of interesting philosophy and ideas - might be one of the only books I’ve read that I feel an impulse to return at a later date knowing there’s more value for me to get out of it.
The parts of the story about the cross country trip and American countryside act as a nice refuge to the density of the philosophy, but maybe because I’ve never seen them myself I found I wasn’t really connecting to that material at all.
On the philosophy side, the first 2/3rds a relatively slow and would be ok for a beginner to understand and then the final bit is brimming with references to the ancient period and much more abstract ideas so buckle up for that.
Ultimately it’s not really a book about characters or plot, it’s a textbook for how one should spend their time, the things that are worth caring about, and how to recognise real value when it crosses your path.
The parts of the story about the cross country trip and American countryside act as a nice refuge to the density of the philosophy, but maybe because I’ve never seen them myself I found I wasn’t really connecting to that material at all.
On the philosophy side, the first 2/3rds a relatively slow and would be ok for a beginner to understand and then the final bit is brimming with references to the ancient period and much more abstract ideas so buckle up for that.
Ultimately it’s not really a book about characters or plot, it’s a textbook for how one should spend their time, the things that are worth caring about, and how to recognise real value when it crosses your path.
reflective
slow-paced