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agenc's review against another edition
1.0
Great author well researched well organized she did a fantastic job.
I have to give it One star just because this is not the kind of book for me and I do not want any recommendations for any books that are anything like this.
His treatment of his mother was hard to take which resulted in me putting it down for about a year and I only finished it to cross it off my to do list.
I have to give it One star just because this is not the kind of book for me and I do not want any recommendations for any books that are anything like this.
His treatment of his mother was hard to take which resulted in me putting it down for about a year and I only finished it to cross it off my to do list.
louisejulig's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
This lighthearted yet informative biography of French essayist Montaigne, who lived in the 1500s and is considered the father of the modern essay form, was more engaging than I expected. It gave much-needed context to his life before I set out to read the Complete Works the following year.
hadleysbookshelf's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
laurabrantreads's review against another edition
3.0
When I was reading this book it was great but I lost momentum and because there's no plot to draw me back in I did not finish it.
jasonhensel's review
4.0
Navel-gazing, or the art of self-reflection, hit its high point on the Internet around the turn of the century. Then, every third blog you came across was an exploration of an individual’s daily habits and thoughts. Letting strangers have a glimpse of their lives didn’t bother the authors, because either they wanted the attention or they sincerely wanted to know themselves better. Both options played a role, I’m sure.
In the 16th century, Montaigne was the ultimate navel-gazer. His only aspiration was to learn how to live, the proper way to conduct one’s life. He set out to discover this by writing essays, pieces that are about one subject but would meander or jump to another thought. His goal wasn’t order, but to present life as it is so that he (and the reader) could learn from it. Many readers claim that when they read Montaigne, they feel that he’s writing about them on a personal level. It’s because he was honest with himself, and that we’re all connected, we all feel the same things, experience the same joys and griefs. Many, though, try to rein in their thoughts and feelings, creating a systemic narrative. That’s not life, which really can be compared to a game of Pong. Sometimes you move in a straight line, sometimes you move diagonally. A lot of the time you move back as far as you move forward, and the speed of it all is random. Montaigne knew this and embraced it.
In How to Live: Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer, Sarah Bakewell offers readers a portrait of a man clearly ahead of his time. Even now, Montaigne’s raw honesty would be frown upon or mocked. One only likes a mirror when it’s there to please.
Bakewell organizes the book in 20 chapters, each with such headings as “Q: How to live? Question everything” and “Q: How to live? Give up control.” Each chapter covers a period of Montaigne’s life while at the same time exploring the topic at hand. It’s a clever progression. Throughout the book, you learn a lot about French history, nobility, and philosophy, both Montaigne’s accidental attempts at it and Greek and Roman thoughts.
It’s clear that Bakewell loves Montaigne. The writing is at times energetic, humorous, and balanced, much like her subject’s essays. If you’ve never read any Montaigne, you’ll be inspired to after finishing this book. You may even be inspired to contemplate your own existence, perhaps begin a journal or create a blog. If anything, you’ll definitely think about not only how to live, but what it means to live.
In the 16th century, Montaigne was the ultimate navel-gazer. His only aspiration was to learn how to live, the proper way to conduct one’s life. He set out to discover this by writing essays, pieces that are about one subject but would meander or jump to another thought. His goal wasn’t order, but to present life as it is so that he (and the reader) could learn from it. Many readers claim that when they read Montaigne, they feel that he’s writing about them on a personal level. It’s because he was honest with himself, and that we’re all connected, we all feel the same things, experience the same joys and griefs. Many, though, try to rein in their thoughts and feelings, creating a systemic narrative. That’s not life, which really can be compared to a game of Pong. Sometimes you move in a straight line, sometimes you move diagonally. A lot of the time you move back as far as you move forward, and the speed of it all is random. Montaigne knew this and embraced it.
In How to Live: Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer, Sarah Bakewell offers readers a portrait of a man clearly ahead of his time. Even now, Montaigne’s raw honesty would be frown upon or mocked. One only likes a mirror when it’s there to please.
Bakewell organizes the book in 20 chapters, each with such headings as “Q: How to live? Question everything” and “Q: How to live? Give up control.” Each chapter covers a period of Montaigne’s life while at the same time exploring the topic at hand. It’s a clever progression. Throughout the book, you learn a lot about French history, nobility, and philosophy, both Montaigne’s accidental attempts at it and Greek and Roman thoughts.
It’s clear that Bakewell loves Montaigne. The writing is at times energetic, humorous, and balanced, much like her subject’s essays. If you’ve never read any Montaigne, you’ll be inspired to after finishing this book. You may even be inspired to contemplate your own existence, perhaps begin a journal or create a blog. If anything, you’ll definitely think about not only how to live, but what it means to live.
heyhawk's review against another edition
4.0
This is an excellent combination of biography of Montaigne, an examination of the ideas in the essays, and a history of how those ideas were received and changed in the years since his death. I first read this back in 2013 to provide context to my first reading of Montaigne's essays. Returning to it as context for my second reading, it stands as a strong work in its own right. If you want to get a sense of the essays and their ideas without plowing through all 1000 pages, you could do far worse.
I also loved Bakewell's similar treatment of the existenialists in At The Existentialist Cafe, which I've also read twice. I also just found out she wrote a crime novel, which I'll have to get to soon.
I also loved Bakewell's similar treatment of the existenialists in At The Existentialist Cafe, which I've also read twice. I also just found out she wrote a crime novel, which I'll have to get to soon.
adamjcalhoun's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know, somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars?
This book is not about "How to Live". The How to Live framing is a loose structure to cover a range of material. It, eh, kind of works, kind of doesn't. It probably makes the book different from other Montaigne biographies but doesn't really provide many answers or even much exploration.
What the book DOES do well is explore Montaigne's life and his various (beloved) contradictions. You get a good sense of who the man is, what he wrote about, and what his life was like.
At times I was pretty bored with the book. It seems to retread territory frequently and, honestly, the framing was a bit of a drag.
This book is not about "How to Live". The How to Live framing is a loose structure to cover a range of material. It, eh, kind of works, kind of doesn't. It probably makes the book different from other Montaigne biographies but doesn't really provide many answers or even much exploration.
What the book DOES do well is explore Montaigne's life and his various (beloved) contradictions. You get a good sense of who the man is, what he wrote about, and what his life was like.
At times I was pretty bored with the book. It seems to retread territory frequently and, honestly, the framing was a bit of a drag.
ludicucek's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant book about an old fart who was larger than life.
bowienerd_82's review
4.0
I have to admit that I'd never heard of Montaigne prior to reading this (I only have a smattering of learning when it comes to philosophy), and it was only because I'd just read the author's more recent book ([b:At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails|25658482|At the Existentialist Café Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails|Sarah Bakewell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456742264s/25658482.jpg|45480464]) that I stumbled upon How to Live, but I'm glad that I did, as I have discovered myself in Montaigne's Essays (like so many others before me).
I found the start of the book a little slow, and I wound up putting it aside in favor of some other books for a time, but when I finally picked it up again, I read straight through to the end.
The section I found most meaningful was Chapter 12: Guard Your Humanity, which is about how people maintain their best selves in times of chaos and war. It's rather terrifying how relevant this has again become, and yet, strangely comforting to find some solace in words written by someone who died almost 400 years before I was born.
I still prefer At the Existentialist Cafe as the more interesting book, but How to Live is certainly worth a look, and I'm glad to be aware of Montaigne, and look forward to investigating his essays more myself.
I found the start of the book a little slow, and I wound up putting it aside in favor of some other books for a time, but when I finally picked it up again, I read straight through to the end.
The section I found most meaningful was Chapter 12: Guard Your Humanity, which is about how people maintain their best selves in times of chaos and war. It's rather terrifying how relevant this has again become, and yet, strangely comforting to find some solace in words written by someone who died almost 400 years before I was born.
I still prefer At the Existentialist Cafe as the more interesting book, but How to Live is certainly worth a look, and I'm glad to be aware of Montaigne, and look forward to investigating his essays more myself.