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How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at An Answer by Sarah Bakewell
dogfood's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
Did not finish.
Ich weiß nicht wie und wo, aber irgendwie hatte ich aufgeschnappt, dass Sarah Bakewell in diesem Buch die Essays von Montaigne auf unsere heutige Zeit überträgt und fragt, was wir daraus für unser Handeln ableiten können.
Ja, so ein bisschen passiert das auch. Der Einstieg des Buches erweist sich als interessante Mischung aus Biographie von Montaigne und seiner Zeit und den Essays-Inhalten Montaignes zu einem Themenschwerpunkt.
Aber im Laufe der Zeit ist es mir zu repetitiv geworden. Irgendwo in der Mitte des Buches kam bei mir das Gefühl auf, dass es nicht mehr zu Montaigne und zu seinen Essays zu sagen gibt. Und das war der Moment, wo ich mich nicht mehr weiter durchquälen wollte.
Ich weiß nicht wie und wo, aber irgendwie hatte ich aufgeschnappt, dass Sarah Bakewell in diesem Buch die Essays von Montaigne auf unsere heutige Zeit überträgt und fragt, was wir daraus für unser Handeln ableiten können.
Ja, so ein bisschen passiert das auch. Der Einstieg des Buches erweist sich als interessante Mischung aus Biographie von Montaigne und seiner Zeit und den Essays-Inhalten Montaignes zu einem Themenschwerpunkt.
Aber im Laufe der Zeit ist es mir zu repetitiv geworden. Irgendwo in der Mitte des Buches kam bei mir das Gefühl auf, dass es nicht mehr zu Montaigne und zu seinen Essays zu sagen gibt. Und das war der Moment, wo ich mich nicht mehr weiter durchquälen wollte.
ribeirofrio's review against another edition
2.0
Era un libro consigliato da Nick Hornby, e mi è proprio venuta voglia di capire di cosa si trattasse, avendo solo una vaga idea di chi fosse Montaigne.
Questo libro forse non è un buon punto di partenza per gli ignari come me, visto che l'autrice tratta la biografia in via discontinua, facendo riferimento a fatti che vengono menzionati qualche capitolo dopo, e trattando la critica testuale non in ordine cronologico, ma di importanza, saltando dall'Illuminismo ai contemporanei di Montaigne con poco preavviso.
Il quadro che ne emerge è abbastanza noioso e caotico, che forse non rende giustizia né a Montaigne né al lavoro di Bakewell.
Questo libro forse non è un buon punto di partenza per gli ignari come me, visto che l'autrice tratta la biografia in via discontinua, facendo riferimento a fatti che vengono menzionati qualche capitolo dopo, e trattando la critica testuale non in ordine cronologico, ma di importanza, saltando dall'Illuminismo ai contemporanei di Montaigne con poco preavviso.
Il quadro che ne emerge è abbastanza noioso e caotico, che forse non rende giustizia né a Montaigne né al lavoro di Bakewell.
hagbard_celine's review against another edition
3.0
In retrospect, it probably would have been better to just go read Montaigne.
jdintr's review
3.0
How to live. It's an intriguing question--one which led me to this book, despite a rather shallow background of reading in philosophy or early European writers.
Montaigne's life emerges from the pages as one that was worth examining (and how many 16th-century personages could we say that about?). His essays explore distinct personal challenges: a near brush with death, the consciousness of the cat in his room, matters of sexuality and attractiveness. What Bakewell adds is the external challenges--plague, religious wars, a perilous political situation--that shaped the man. People of Montaigne's day would have honored him for reasons which are lost to modern readers.
Montaigne's life emerges from the pages as one that was worth examining (and how many 16th-century personages could we say that about?). His essays explore distinct personal challenges: a near brush with death, the consciousness of the cat in his room, matters of sexuality and attractiveness. What Bakewell adds is the external challenges--plague, religious wars, a perilous political situation--that shaped the man. People of Montaigne's day would have honored him for reasons which are lost to modern readers.
lindsayharmon's review
3.0
3.5. Now I want to read Montaigne, although I have a feeling I won't enjoy it as much as reading a book about reading Montaigne. I'm weird like that.
jwilliamson5795's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
Great read. But I love the subject matter, so it may have flowed easier for me than others that don’t.
Informative, with a great framing of the life of Montaigne and the lessons of his Essays.
Informative, with a great framing of the life of Montaigne and the lessons of his Essays.
liberrydude's review
4.0
A rather unique and innovative biographical approach to an amazing man. I'm not sure I need to rush out and read the Essays as I've gleaned a lot from this book about the man and what he said and what's been intrepeted about what he said. Amazing how his reception bounced back and forth from banning to adulation and really ironic that the English loved him and trumpted him much to the chagrin of the French and Catholic intelligentsia, at least for a time. We can consider Montaigne the first blogger to some extent according to Bakewell. Bakewell also at the end of the book ponders the role of Montaigne's cat in his writings. Now that would be an idea for a book; the cat writing about how he or she molded Montaigne. So I guess I'm going to have to add the Essays to my reading list.
jenmcmaynes's review
4.0
Part biography, part history, part literary analysis. A bit of an uneven mixture that somehow was still very satisfying in terms of conveying the life, times, and personality of Montaigne without actually reading all of the Essays. I did not find the structure very useful (asking “how to live?” and answering in 20 different chapters with examples from the Essays) as Montaigne’s philosophy probably would not have let him give a definitive answer to the question. :) But the writing was direct and easy to read, I learned quite a bit, and am considering reading the Essays now. Recommended.
tik_fak_teau's review
challenging
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Perspective-shifting book. Little long in some places but I’ll be re-reading this