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igormdemiranda's review against another edition
3.0
"Meu caro amigo, pode ser que eu seja meio estúpido", replicou Humblot após ter dado uma breve e desnorteada olhada na abertura do romance. "Mas não consigo entender por que um sujeito precisa gastar trinta páginas para descrever como ele tosse e se revira na cama antes de dormir."
Quais lições podem ser aprendidas com Marcel Proust?
Na minha resenha, eu dividi um pouco sobre o impacto que 'Em Busca do Tempo Perdido' teve sobre mim.
Alain de Botton fez diferente — e escreveu todo um livro sobre o assunto.
Diferente do livro que o inspirou, 'Como Proust Pode Mudar Sua Vida' é um livro curto, curtíssimo. Não vai mudar a sua vida, como o título promete, mas vai introduzir, para aqueles que tem curiosidade, um pouco acerca da vida do gênio Proust, tratando de algumas de suas filosofias de vida, pensamentos e curiosidades. É particularmente interessante nos pequenos fatos.
Após entender um pouco de sua vida, é possível enxergar um pouco dele mesmo em muitos dos personagens de 'Em Busca do Tempo Perdido'. Especialmente, ao sabermos das dificuldades que ele enfrentou para escrever a obra, podemos contrastar a beleza de sua escrita com a falta de beleza de sua vida nos últimos anos, a qual De Botton descreve:
"Não foram as pessoas felizes e bem-sucedidas que deixaram os testemunhos mais profundos sobre o que significa estar vivo. Parece que este conhecimento tem sido reservado aos extremamente angustiados — e talvez essa seja a única benção a eles destinada."
Para mim, foi interessante entender mais sobre a família Proust, sobre a recepção a 'Em Busca do Tempo Perdido' na época (como no trecho colocado no início da resenha), sobre as dificuldades de saúde do escritor e as raízes de sua observação aguçada. É um arranhão na superfície do tema Proust, mas é um passo dentro de um mundo incrivelmente rico de pensamentos. Para quem se interessar, após lê-lo, é possível planejar o passo para Proust. Um passo longo, mas inesquecível.
Quais lições podem ser aprendidas com Marcel Proust?
Na minha resenha, eu dividi um pouco sobre o impacto que 'Em Busca do Tempo Perdido' teve sobre mim.
Alain de Botton fez diferente — e escreveu todo um livro sobre o assunto.
Diferente do livro que o inspirou, 'Como Proust Pode Mudar Sua Vida' é um livro curto, curtíssimo. Não vai mudar a sua vida, como o título promete, mas vai introduzir, para aqueles que tem curiosidade, um pouco acerca da vida do gênio Proust, tratando de algumas de suas filosofias de vida, pensamentos e curiosidades. É particularmente interessante nos pequenos fatos.
Após entender um pouco de sua vida, é possível enxergar um pouco dele mesmo em muitos dos personagens de 'Em Busca do Tempo Perdido'. Especialmente, ao sabermos das dificuldades que ele enfrentou para escrever a obra, podemos contrastar a beleza de sua escrita com a falta de beleza de sua vida nos últimos anos, a qual De Botton descreve:
"Não foram as pessoas felizes e bem-sucedidas que deixaram os testemunhos mais profundos sobre o que significa estar vivo. Parece que este conhecimento tem sido reservado aos extremamente angustiados — e talvez essa seja a única benção a eles destinada."
Para mim, foi interessante entender mais sobre a família Proust, sobre a recepção a 'Em Busca do Tempo Perdido' na época (como no trecho colocado no início da resenha), sobre as dificuldades de saúde do escritor e as raízes de sua observação aguçada. É um arranhão na superfície do tema Proust, mas é um passo dentro de um mundo incrivelmente rico de pensamentos. Para quem se interessar, após lê-lo, é possível planejar o passo para Proust. Um passo longo, mas inesquecível.
upforacookie's review against another edition
5.0
Sans être nécessairement ultra révélateur à chaque fois, le livre a le mérite de donner de bonnes clefs de lecture pour se préparer à la lecture de Proust ou à en apprécier de nouveaux les finesses. En plus il est drôle donc que demander de plus
elenap's review
medium-paced
2.0
This was pretty forgettable. It took me a while to finish it, and only managed to do so when I forced myself to read 10 pages every morning.
There were a few interesting points in there (pretty basic about appreciating art and life and whatnot), but for most of the book, I wondered if the author is trying to dissuade me from reading Proust.
Will I read Proust? I will give it a go because I already bought Swann's Way. But now thanks to Botton I kind of dread it.
There were a few interesting points in there (pretty basic about appreciating art and life and whatnot), but for most of the book, I wondered if the author is trying to dissuade me from reading Proust.
Will I read Proust? I will give it a go because I already bought Swann's Way. But now thanks to Botton I kind of dread it.
roxanamalinachirila's review against another edition
2.0
How can Proust change my life? Well, he probably can't.
I read this book with one purpose in mind: to determine whether to start reading Proust at all. You see, I find it difficult to abandon books, and if a book is famous, the problem is even greater: whenever someone mentions it, I'll remember I haven't finished it and maybe I should.
Luckily, Alain de Botton saved me: I vaguely remembered him as being a "famous philosopher" or something of the sort, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and have someone I might want to read explain an author whom I wasn't sure I wanted to pick up.
Alas, my life would have been so much better if I'd read the wikipedia entry on Botton first, to confirm my preconceptions of him, because he may have studied philosophy, but he became a "self-help guru" after abandoning his studies. It shows! The book is either spewing banalities or praising Proust as if he could do no wrong. If Proust had farted in the wind, I'm quite sure Botton would have explained how Proust's fart is a commentary on the effect small things have on our lives, encouraging us to appreciate the wonderfulness of clean air when we do have it.
I'm not sure whether to blame Botton or Proust, but as far as I could gather from this book, the latter seems to have been a genuinely unpleasant person. Meanwhile, Botton's ideas on life and humans are weird indeed.
For example, he says Proust constantly thought himself ill, and acted ill, although it all seemed to be in his head. Hypochondriac? No, Botton tells us - as in the end he caught a disease and died, he must have been right about being ill all along! (I wonder if hypochondria is supposed to make you immune to all diseases in this scenario)
Proust, Botton tells us, was modest. He was so modest that he praised the texts of his friends even if they didn't deserve praise. (I... rather hope my friends aren't 'modest' like that) He was also an amazing friend, buying expensive dinners for people and then listening to them talk. (I'm... not sure that's what a good friend is, Botton?)
All in all, Botton paints the picture of Proust as a momma's boy, a hypochondriac, a hypocrite in his personal relationships, but the conclusion he draws is that the writer could do no wrong, and write no wrong.
But the bulk of the book is about bland life advice - live life! learn to look at the beauty of everyday objects! the details are more interesting than the summary of the story! don't just suffer, learn something from your suffering! The rest of the book, on the other hand, is grating.
I think I ought to give it five stars for ridding me of any impulse to read either Proust or Botton, but I'll be honest: it's worth two stars at best.
I read this book with one purpose in mind: to determine whether to start reading Proust at all. You see, I find it difficult to abandon books, and if a book is famous, the problem is even greater: whenever someone mentions it, I'll remember I haven't finished it and maybe I should.
Luckily, Alain de Botton saved me: I vaguely remembered him as being a "famous philosopher" or something of the sort, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and have someone I might want to read explain an author whom I wasn't sure I wanted to pick up.
Alas, my life would have been so much better if I'd read the wikipedia entry on Botton first, to confirm my preconceptions of him, because he may have studied philosophy, but he became a "self-help guru" after abandoning his studies. It shows! The book is either spewing banalities or praising Proust as if he could do no wrong. If Proust had farted in the wind, I'm quite sure Botton would have explained how Proust's fart is a commentary on the effect small things have on our lives, encouraging us to appreciate the wonderfulness of clean air when we do have it.
I'm not sure whether to blame Botton or Proust, but as far as I could gather from this book, the latter seems to have been a genuinely unpleasant person. Meanwhile, Botton's ideas on life and humans are weird indeed.
For example, he says Proust constantly thought himself ill, and acted ill, although it all seemed to be in his head. Hypochondriac? No, Botton tells us - as in the end he caught a disease and died, he must have been right about being ill all along! (I wonder if hypochondria is supposed to make you immune to all diseases in this scenario)
Proust, Botton tells us, was modest. He was so modest that he praised the texts of his friends even if they didn't deserve praise. (I... rather hope my friends aren't 'modest' like that) He was also an amazing friend, buying expensive dinners for people and then listening to them talk. (I'm... not sure that's what a good friend is, Botton?)
All in all, Botton paints the picture of Proust as a momma's boy, a hypochondriac, a hypocrite in his personal relationships, but the conclusion he draws is that the writer could do no wrong, and write no wrong.
But the bulk of the book is about bland life advice - live life! learn to look at the beauty of everyday objects! the details are more interesting than the summary of the story! don't just suffer, learn something from your suffering! The rest of the book, on the other hand, is grating.
I think I ought to give it five stars for ridding me of any impulse to read either Proust or Botton, but I'll be honest: it's worth two stars at best.
themtj's review
5.0
I wasn't sure what to make of this book when I began. It's it biography? Is it an analysis of In Search Of Lost Time? Is it self-help? The answer to all the is, "yes, well, erm, sort of."
The layout certainly takes the form of self help, the wisdom comes primarily from the writing of Proust and is painted with the backdrop of his biography. But Botton's hand isn't invisible, in fact one walks away with nearly as much respect for the author as the subject.
I don't agree with all the self help advice, but I appreciate it nonetheless. It gives a coherent picture based on the life of Marcel Proust.
I have never read Proust, though he is always on my to-do list. This book has encouraged me toward that goal and I hope to begin Swann's Way next summer.
The layout certainly takes the form of self help, the wisdom comes primarily from the writing of Proust and is painted with the backdrop of his biography. But Botton's hand isn't invisible, in fact one walks away with nearly as much respect for the author as the subject.
I don't agree with all the self help advice, but I appreciate it nonetheless. It gives a coherent picture based on the life of Marcel Proust.
I have never read Proust, though he is always on my to-do list. This book has encouraged me toward that goal and I hope to begin Swann's Way next summer.
literarianist's review
4.0
“As long as reading is for us the instigator whose magic keys have opened the door to those dwelling-places deep within us that we would not have known how to enter, its role in our lives is salutary. It becomes dangerous on the other hand, when, instead of awakening us to the personal life of the mind, reading tends to take its place, when the truth no longer appears to us as an ideal which we can realize only by the intimate progress of our own thought and the efforts of our heart, but as something material, deposited between the leaves of books like a honey fully prepared by others and which we need only take the trouble to reach down from the shelves of libraries and then sample passively in a perfect repose of mind and body.”
coreyk's review against another edition
Obviously, I already knew how Proust can change your life since I've read "In Search of Lost Time" (ahem...), but this was an enjoyable read!