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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So I have a confession to make. I read this book because it was referenced in an old-time Will & Grace episode. And it is absolutely, 100% NOT what I was expecting. At times I convince myself that lighthearted comedy yields lighthearted comedy, but that is almost never the case— in cable television or in life…
So riddle me this: What is insanity? Some may argue that insanity is one’s loosening grip on reality. Philosophically, though, that definition leads us nowhere. The answer begs yet another unanswerable question: If insanity is the loss of reality, what is reality?
Don’t fret if you have no coherent response, Pirsig takes us through the whole gamut of answers. And man, were there some dry bits in there! Once I hit the disorienting peak of discussion about the progression of classic Greek philosophy I swear I could see little dust particles floating from the pages. Not for the faint of heart (mind?).
Overall, though, the message of this complex father-son story was quite deep and wise. The subtle emotion and humanity written into it was real and honest, as well, which always gives a book its soul. And, in an afterword added years after publication, a surprising turn of events makes it all even more profound. (No spoilers here, but if you’re going to read it, read it through!)
Life is a terrifying experience, especially in light of the fundamentally undefined and uncertain nature of existence. But there is always some beauty in chaos and, if you can keep your wits about you, some peace in the thoughtful deconstruction of everything you know to be true.
So riddle me this: What is insanity? Some may argue that insanity is one’s loosening grip on reality. Philosophically, though, that definition leads us nowhere. The answer begs yet another unanswerable question: If insanity is the loss of reality, what is reality?
Don’t fret if you have no coherent response, Pirsig takes us through the whole gamut of answers. And man, were there some dry bits in there! Once I hit the disorienting peak of discussion about the progression of classic Greek philosophy I swear I could see little dust particles floating from the pages. Not for the faint of heart (mind?).
Overall, though, the message of this complex father-son story was quite deep and wise. The subtle emotion and humanity written into it was real and honest, as well, which always gives a book its soul. And, in an afterword added years after publication, a surprising turn of events makes it all even more profound. (No spoilers here, but if you’re going to read it, read it through!)
Life is a terrifying experience, especially in light of the fundamentally undefined and uncertain nature of existence. But there is always some beauty in chaos and, if you can keep your wits about you, some peace in the thoughtful deconstruction of everything you know to be true.
This book is made for white men with ponytails who think they’re so smart and never let you get a word in.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
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:
Yes
This one took me a while to get through. I wanted to like it more than I did... It was just so slow as a story and so... sloppy... as a philosophy. I'm certainly no philosophy expert, and I appreciate that the author was trying to build up what he considered his own innovative philosophy instead of *just* explaining the philosophy of others like "Sophie's World" does, but the whole quality as the basis of everything idea didn't resonate well with me. He kept saying that people can look at something and say it's quality, but not why, but I swear there are so many things where different people look at the same thing and totally disagree about whether it's quality. Definitely interesting though.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Don't get me wrong, it's a good book. At least the mindful millennial in me wants to believe it was a book that matured, and taught me a lot. But truth be told, I lost focus a lot - I often found myself re-reading the same page over and over. And while I tried to reflect on its content every day in my journal (yes, I'm the walking cliché of the wannabe mindful millennial) I probably extracted <15% of the lessons/values Pirsig's troubled life has to offer. Am I a better-off having read it? Yes. Would I benefit from reading it again several times in my lifetime? Yes. Will I? Unlikely (hey, at least I'm aware of the mindful millennial I've become).
I liked this a LOT. Almost 5 stars worth.
I miss philosophy!! Not that this was wildly complex or anything - but it doesn't take all that much to require a great deal of concentration from me (or rather, to let go and accept that I won't follow and get it all and am allowed to just enjoy casually reading it anyway, without any guilt).
And it almost made me acknowledge the charm of motorcycles!
I miss philosophy!! Not that this was wildly complex or anything - but it doesn't take all that much to require a great deal of concentration from me (or rather, to let go and accept that I won't follow and get it all and am allowed to just enjoy casually reading it anyway, without any guilt).
And it almost made me acknowledge the charm of motorcycles!