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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
informative
fast-paced
This book is exhausting.
The whole thing is an excuse for preaching. The characters are there so the author has a chance to speak his mind. It kind of makes sense that religious books are filled with metaphors - it makes people reflect on the meaning, and, sure, gives it an air of depth. The author knows this. But this is just too on your face.
And the preaching is for a kind of religion where it's all about the glory of God. It's an obsession. The "human world", so to speak, has no value. There's no advice how to treat other people, how to become better, etc. The message is "you're a sinner, now go sacrifice everything and praise God till the end of times". And if you have a misstep here or there you may end up walking aimlessly with your eyes plucked out, burned alive or eaten by a giant. And if you do everything right and get to the gates of heaven, but forget your passport, you get shoved right into hell.
I guess this book was important at the time, when puritans weren't being treated well in England. A few years after this they were involved in beheading the king. I guess that's easily justifiable when
you're inspired by metaphors that excuse anything in the name of God.
The whole thing is an excuse for preaching. The characters are there so the author has a chance to speak his mind. It kind of makes sense that religious books are filled with metaphors - it makes people reflect on the meaning, and, sure, gives it an air of depth. The author knows this. But this is just too on your face.
And the preaching is for a kind of religion where it's all about the glory of God. It's an obsession. The "human world", so to speak, has no value. There's no advice how to treat other people, how to become better, etc. The message is "you're a sinner, now go sacrifice everything and praise God till the end of times". And if you have a misstep here or there you may end up walking aimlessly with your eyes plucked out, burned alive or eaten by a giant. And if you do everything right and get to the gates of heaven, but forget your passport, you get shoved right into hell.
I guess this book was important at the time, when puritans weren't being treated well in England. A few years after this they were involved in beheading the king. I guess that's easily justifiable when
you're inspired by metaphors that excuse anything in the name of God.
tengo questo libro solo per ricordarmi di quanto sono stata forte nel leggerlo tutto
I read half of it and didn’t finish.
Was really into it at first, but after the first part was over, it started to feel like a chore.
Don’t get me wrong! I do love the message. Just couldn’t bring myself to finish it.
Maybe I will someday.
Was really into it at first, but after the first part was over, it started to feel like a chore.
Don’t get me wrong! I do love the message. Just couldn’t bring myself to finish it.
Maybe I will someday.
The allegory can be a little daunting and tiring, but overall I did enjoy this book and the lessons that it was intended to teach.
Little Pilgrim’s Progress by Helen Taylor was one of my most-beloved books as a child. It took me well over a year to make it through the "grown up" version, but I’m glad I’ve finally finished.
This book is tough. If you don’t like older books, get the updated modern English version. I enjoy reading classics and still found the language difficult to follow (not as tough as Beowulf but that's not saying much). TPP is poetic and beautifully written—all accolades given are well-deserved. I loved this book from a literary analysis perspective. But without diving into all of the nerdy reasons TPP is a worthwhile read, at face value, the lack of subtlety is offputting. In our modern society, this reads like a very, very challenging children's fable. I hate to admit I much preferred Little Pilgrim's Progress.
This book is tough. If you don’t like older books, get the updated modern English version. I enjoy reading classics and still found the language difficult to follow (not as tough as Beowulf but that's not saying much). TPP is poetic and beautifully written—all accolades given are well-deserved. I loved this book from a literary analysis perspective. But without diving into all of the nerdy reasons TPP is a worthwhile read, at face value, the lack of subtlety is offputting. In our modern society, this reads like a very, very challenging children's fable. I hate to admit I much preferred Little Pilgrim's Progress.
This isn't easy for me to do, but I admit it. I give up. I can't make myself slog through this anymore.
I picked this up as part of my ongoing project to read classics I've somehow missed out on in the first 31 years of my life. Also, an old friend listed it as one of her 20 Most Memorable Books on facebook, so I was expecting to be moved. Or instructed. Or touched. Maybe that was part of the problem. But I've had it out from the library for 6 weeks, renewed it once already, the due date is looming ever closer and it's not getting any better.
It's an Allegory with a capital "A" and the moralizing is of far more importance than plot or characterization, so it's difficult to find a through story line. Basically, Christian is on a journey and meets with various weakness, temptations, and sins along the way personified as characters. There are interesting insights into human nature and the path to Heaven/The Celestial City, but it's so wordy that the reader has to wade through a whole lot to find those nuggets. I'm sure it's valuable as a Christian text, perhaps similar in its day to C.S. Lewis in ours, but I'm laying it down.
For more book reviews, visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.
I picked this up as part of my ongoing project to read classics I've somehow missed out on in the first 31 years of my life. Also, an old friend listed it as one of her 20 Most Memorable Books on facebook, so I was expecting to be moved. Or instructed. Or touched. Maybe that was part of the problem. But I've had it out from the library for 6 weeks, renewed it once already, the due date is looming ever closer and it's not getting any better.
It's an Allegory with a capital "A" and the moralizing is of far more importance than plot or characterization, so it's difficult to find a through story line. Basically, Christian is on a journey and meets with various weakness, temptations, and sins along the way personified as characters. There are interesting insights into human nature and the path to Heaven/The Celestial City, but it's so wordy that the reader has to wade through a whole lot to find those nuggets. I'm sure it's valuable as a Christian text, perhaps similar in its day to C.S. Lewis in ours, but I'm laying it down.
For more book reviews, visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.
challenging
tense
slow-paced
I think I read this book incorrectly, because I didn't fully grasp everything. Mostly, it seemed to be Christian meeting people who reflect their name exactly, and then the same story with Christiana. I didn't find this very interesting, but maybe I will like it more in the future.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced