Reviews

Vita di Galileo by Bertolt Brecht

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pizzabrot's review against another edition

4.0

Okay, this book is a problem to review. Not because I didn't like it (*swinging the 4 stars banner here*) but because after so many books I can hardly remember anything more about it than the mere essence (it doesn't help it was so short and therefore a quick read as well)
I'm going to be honest, I had expected a bit more originally. But I think that's because I'm used to reading classics and plays by Friedrich Dürrenmatt and you just can't beat this guy. I did really enjoy reading the book though, especially because I have a very weak spot for plays (reading plays, at the very least) and this one hit all the marks. The dialogues were, at times, absolutely hilarious and the church's falsehood just beyond ridiculous and shocking (much like Trump) in how they refuse to acknowledge every truth that doesn't serve them. Brecht depicted that incredibly well. Such powerhungry, greedy and deceitful bastards, only looking out for themselves and not giving a shit about anything than staying on top and having people slaving away from them in the name of God. The church isn't even one bit better today, but let's ignore my hate for religious institutions at this point (I'm totally fine with everyone believing in what they want, but get institutions away from me; I'm just glad they lost a lot of power in the last years) All of that wasn't very surprising though. I mean, we're all familiar with the church's atrocities as well as with the life of Galileo (unlike you have the same problem as me, because for some embarrassing reason I thought that Galileo had been executed for his scientific findings...which is not true, so why would I think that? Maybe because the church executed almost everyone else) (or maybe we have a parallel world or "the Doctor from Doctor Who changed history"-situation here? More likely than even the mere thought that I could've remembered it wrong, obviously), so none of that can be a big revelation to anyone but maybe Trump-voters. I do understand why Galileo did sell himself out to church in some way, but I'm not really sure I can respect it (I'm with original Andrea there). Though all in all, what he did - cowering before the church officially but continuing his research in secrecy - definitely made more sense, you know, surviving- and scientific-wise, and history can be lucky he made that decision. All I'm saying is, good thing it wasn't me who was Galileo! Altogether, the play was a very fine and entertaining read, but it missed the big "OOOMPH"-effect for me (despite my personal plot twist of Galileo not dying); hence, "only" four stars. But those are well-deserved for Brecht's impeccable quality of writing and and the depiction of the church's duplicity and inherently scheming nature in times when I'm sure it still wasn't an all-too-appreciated-move (go rebel Brecht!)

PS: It's not like politicians are better than the church, but maybe I'm being too cynic again.

abrandle's review against another edition

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informative inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

lizardluvr's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

genuinely couldn’t bring myself to care about the story :(

reasie's review against another edition

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3.0

I think I had this because it was Brian's from school. Brecht obviously has a Marxist axe to grind - so you know I liked that!

But I wasn't sure this was a very good play - a lot of characters for fourteen scenes and a lot of really confusing stage directions. Maybe it's something to do with being translated from German.

I enjoyed Brecht's essay at the end on five obstacles to telling the truth - full of pithy one-liners like "When every radio station is blaring that man without knowledge or education is better than one who has studied, it takes courage to ask: better for whom?"

The lengthy introduction wasn't so thrilling, though. Still not quite sure what his point was, except "Brecht is cool, but like, this so isn't history."

dropout's review against another edition

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inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

melinum's review against another edition

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5.0

4,5 - 5 Stars!

Man, this book really changed my perspective on reading plays in general. Can you believe I wanted to read Shakespear before tackling this banger? I gave up after trying to understand the first page and then went through my pile and found this gem hiding under the literal rocks of German books housing my shelf.

It was perfect - from how the plot line was structured to how the conversations flowed and always introduced a thought provoking approach to science and astrology in the 17th century. It was a beautiful balance of wanting to root for the scientists, seeing as they discovered so many interesting facts about the world and the universe, whereas there were instances in which the church intervened and made sure to suppress this new outlet of information. Connections to today’s politics and scientific research were easy to make, that’s for sure.

I truly recommend this to people who would usually not pick up plays. It is so easy to understand and follow, especially if you listen to the audiobook which features different voices for the roles as well! Don’t let this gem pass you by - pick it up and let yourself be surprised by its story!

As for the end I have a quote that made me grin: “See, a question has surfaced, on which we cannot agree upon, probably because we have read too many books.”