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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
I grew up understanding that one day I had to read this book. English teachers mentioned it with reverence, always presenting it as the pinnacle of English literature and Western culture. Although I never got to it until now, well into middle age, I always felt like I was meant to read it. Then I saw a t-shirt with the book's cover and I knew I had to read it because I would be a poseur if I hadn't.
You know...it's a lot. And if I weren't so committed to finishing books I start I would have missed the magic at the end. Reading ZatAoMM, which I will, after looking at those letters, simply refer to as Zen from this point forward, is a lot like hearing about great loves and great relationships in the movies. The ones where they say "if you want the great bits of a person you have to accept all the bad bits too." The first 30-35% of Zen made me never want to read a book again. Ever. Any book. But you can see that I gave this 4 stars. Eventually this shifts from just being one man's philosophical inquiry into Quality and obsession over motorcycle maintenance into the story of a man who doesn't know how to connect with his son, or anyone else, or even how to connect who he is now with who he was then, because he literally was a different person.
All of the banality and endless minutiae is essential to understanding the mind of the unnamed protagonist and the journey he is on. And the philosophical inquiries and obsessions actually become 100x more interesting when he places them in context with his fight against himself. It just takes so long to get there. But when it does, Pirsig packs a punch. There's actually a MasterClass in here about how to show insanity rather than just saying "this character is insane." Erica Jong does it well too, but only in that one brief instance. This is a description of someone going over the edge and clawing his way back and trying to stay on solid ground, and failing.
Having read this once, I would read this again. Years from now. Not anytime soon. And hey, I finally get to wear the T-shirt now...that I bought 2 years ago.
You know...it's a lot. And if I weren't so committed to finishing books I start I would have missed the magic at the end. Reading ZatAoMM, which I will, after looking at those letters, simply refer to as Zen from this point forward, is a lot like hearing about great loves and great relationships in the movies. The ones where they say "if you want the great bits of a person you have to accept all the bad bits too." The first 30-35% of Zen made me never want to read a book again. Ever. Any book. But you can see that I gave this 4 stars. Eventually this shifts from just being one man's philosophical inquiry into Quality and obsession over motorcycle maintenance into the story of a man who doesn't know how to connect with his son, or anyone else, or even how to connect who he is now with who he was then, because he literally was a different person.
All of the banality and endless minutiae is essential to understanding the mind of the unnamed protagonist and the journey he is on. And the philosophical inquiries and obsessions actually become 100x more interesting when he places them in context with his fight against himself. It just takes so long to get there. But when it does, Pirsig packs a punch. There's actually a MasterClass in here about how to show insanity rather than just saying "this character is insane." Erica Jong does it well too, but only in that one brief instance. This is a description of someone going over the edge and clawing his way back and trying to stay on solid ground, and failing.
Having read this once, I would read this again. Years from now. Not anytime soon. And hey, I finally get to wear the T-shirt now...that I bought 2 years ago.
I instaread this one after failing to actually complete the book in my last attempt.
I however feel like reading the book now :-|
I however feel like reading the book now :-|
"Arguably one of the most profoundly important essays ever written on the nature and significance of "quality"..." No, not really. Interesting structure and surprise (!) ending. But here's the thing about books whose covers say "THIS BOOK WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE": they won't. At least, they won't if you spend your high school years reading Wikipedia entries on Aristotle and Plato.
One of my favorite books of all time. The journey is more important than the destination. One of the few books that I want to read again and I've already read it twice.
The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself.
1974 NPR interview with Robert Pirsig
1974 New York Times Book Review
1974 NPR interview with Robert Pirsig
1974 New York Times Book Review
inspiring
reflective
adventurous
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of the best books I've read and one that has probably shaped my view of values the strongest. "Zen..." can teach you quite a lot, especially on the subject of the true value of knowledge, the proper way of thinking and life as a whole. The actual motorsysle trip of father and son is nothing but the background for a deeper search, and, without wanting to sound too much of a cliche, I quite liked what characters find in that search.
Bestimmt schon viermal gelesen und immer wieder etwas Neues entdeckt.