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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
It's almost like Hatchet meets The Obstacle Is the Way. (Similar narrative tone as in Hatchet, with witty quotes and sage advice as in The Obstacle Is the Way). It's an interesting look at American society from Thoreau's perspective. Lots of differences from today's time; lots of similarities. Some, true wisdom. Some, I'll take with a grain of salt.
Slllooooowwww but so beautifully written. Granted i’ve wanted to read this for a long time that’s why i was probably able to finish it — if i were just handed this randomly i might have hated it
Jag skulle ljuga om jag sade att jag helt förstod den här boken. Både innebörden och de skrivna orden. Men det fanns delar jag gillade ganska skarpt bland alla meningar som jag inte förstod syftet av. De delarna jag gillade mest var de som fick en att tänka i nya banor. De som speglade Henrys tro på en annan livssyn.
Gillar att han använder de första 248 sidorna till att beskriva sitt första år i vildmarken bredvid Walden och en mening till det andra året. Det var som om alla de många långa beskrivningarna av de mest självklara sakerna, som en hares skutt eller vattnets rörelser, var tillräckliga. De beskrev allt han ville ha sagt och därför behövdes inget sägas om det andra året. Det är kanske det han är ute efter; sanningen. En sådan ärlig beskrivning av verkligheten att inget behövs tilläggas.
Gillar att han använder de första 248 sidorna till att beskriva sitt första år i vildmarken bredvid Walden och en mening till det andra året. Det var som om alla de många långa beskrivningarna av de mest självklara sakerna, som en hares skutt eller vattnets rörelser, var tillräckliga. De beskrev allt han ville ha sagt och därför behövdes inget sägas om det andra året. Det är kanske det han är ute efter; sanningen. En sådan ärlig beskrivning av verkligheten att inget behövs tilläggas.
3 stars. There were some profound portions. I can see why it is historically important in American culture. But I can't call it a great book. I only have so much patience for endless bean-counting (or ice thickness measuring) and multi-sentence metaphors relating to some dull aspect of living in a cabin in the woods, especially in verbose 19th century prose with all of its commas and semicolons and lofty language.
Read it if you must, or if you just want to, but don't go out of your way.
Read it if you must, or if you just want to, but don't go out of your way.
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
I read this because I grew up in southern New England and have visited the towns around Concord MA. All my life, Walden Pond was a reference point. And yet, I somehow circumvented the reading of Thoreau's chronicle of his time in the woods. The Reads Good Book Challenge for June suggested we read a book that either we are ashamed to read or that we are ashamed to have never read. Walden fit the latter criterion perfectly.
So now I have read it. Every. Preachy. Word.
I completely agree with every observation Thoreau makes about industry vs rest; about creativity; about civilization; about the differences between peoples; about the small miracles of nature; about the joys of quiet existance; about vegetarianism; about New England. He's correct. And in many long, delightful passages his poetic leanings make for evocative prose.
Perhaps because I agreed with him, I found his evangelizing to be overbearing. Mel Foster, the narrator of this audiobook, reads the text without enlivening it. The memoir of Thoreau's time living in a self-made cabin at the edge of Walden Pond droned on.
He built his cabin on land owned by his friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson agreed to let him live on his land if he built a cabin that Emerson could later use as a writing studio. I enjoyed the chapter on ponds in which he describes the differences between Walden and two other nearby ponds. And from that point until the end of the book, I enjoyed the book more than during the first half.
Because I had grown up surrounded by Walden and Thoreau's legacies, I didn't learn much from reading the book. Thoreau's homesteading story is overshadowed by his desire to convert his reader to his progressive mindset. And the quiet details he describes make for a very slow reading experience. I'm glad to have read it. Thoreau must have been quite an interesting fellow.
So now I have read it. Every. Preachy. Word.
I completely agree with every observation Thoreau makes about industry vs rest; about creativity; about civilization; about the differences between peoples; about the small miracles of nature; about the joys of quiet existance; about vegetarianism; about New England. He's correct. And in many long, delightful passages his poetic leanings make for evocative prose.
Perhaps because I agreed with him, I found his evangelizing to be overbearing. Mel Foster, the narrator of this audiobook, reads the text without enlivening it. The memoir of Thoreau's time living in a self-made cabin at the edge of Walden Pond droned on.
He built his cabin on land owned by his friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson agreed to let him live on his land if he built a cabin that Emerson could later use as a writing studio. I enjoyed the chapter on ponds in which he describes the differences between Walden and two other nearby ponds. And from that point until the end of the book, I enjoyed the book more than during the first half.
Because I had grown up surrounded by Walden and Thoreau's legacies, I didn't learn much from reading the book. Thoreau's homesteading story is overshadowed by his desire to convert his reader to his progressive mindset. And the quiet details he describes make for a very slow reading experience. I'm glad to have read it. Thoreau must have been quite an interesting fellow.
This was a really interesting read for the sheer fact that it is so deeply embedding in America's teaching without the actual implication of its ideas; moreover, it was fascinating to finally read a text in-full which I had only merely heard about. This book, on the other hand, is a rollercoaster between Thoreau's audacity, beautiful lyricism, captivating points, and boring, seemingly repetitive, musings. While each chapter supposedly covers new material, it frequently feels like Thoreau is beating a dead horse. And while there are many points that I really enjoyed the language, there were even more times where I groaned at Thoreau's audacity and whined at how bored I was. This is, therefore, a book you have to take with its ups and downs, and it makes sense why many educators only have you read selections from the whole text. However, if you are up for it, it is important to read this text in its full context because of how pinnacle it was for a lot of American thought.
reflective
slow-paced
I will come back to this, there are just other things I want to read right now.
"Simplify, simplify"
I would personally not recommend reading this book fully from beginning to end as I feel it extremely boring that way. I've had this book for YEARS and honestly probably have not read it fully but I've kept it in my bag or next to me all these years, opening it for comfort and reading a few lines. That is how I feel it is best read and that's why I love it so much.
I would personally not recommend reading this book fully from beginning to end as I feel it extremely boring that way. I've had this book for YEARS and honestly probably have not read it fully but I've kept it in my bag or next to me all these years, opening it for comfort and reading a few lines. That is how I feel it is best read and that's why I love it so much.