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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
Earlier this year I picked up Russell’s “A History of Western Philosophy” (mistakenly) thinking it would be a good, scholarly but accessible guide through philosophical thought. While I swear I’ll return to it, I found that a) it was less an interesting read than I hoped and b) I’m not terribly interested in the ancient Greek philosophers that for all the obvious reasons start the book. I had the opposite reaction to Bakewell’s “At the Existentialist Cafe.” Driven mostly by the fact that Bakewell is a fabulous writer, capable of making dense themes feel accessible and able to narrate through decades of thought, personalities and themes with an enjoyable ease. While the topic didn’t capture me in the ways it did during my college philosophy class taking years, the book was an delightful read. Particularly at points during the growing German occupation which felt more akin to a spy novel. In the end, a very strong starting point where I’ve already wishlisted the author and her subjects other novels.
I've been trying to get into philosophy for a while, and I've only managed to read a few books and come away feeling like I truly understood what was being said. Trying to read Kafka and Camus proved that I don't have the background yet, but I'm also past the most introductory books. This was really really great for being accessible but also pretty dense, following a few key characters in Existentialism who were alive at largely the same time around the second world war. This was awesome.
fast-paced
informative
medium-paced
A fascinating book. Some of the philosophy went over my head (although more sunk in that I would have assumed!) but the history and examination of the lives and relationships of the philosophers the book covers was very interesting. Maybe I'll even read one of their books in the future, something I didn't think I'd feel informed enough to do - which just shows what a good introduction this book is to the subject!
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Loved the insights on the personal lives of Heidegger,Beauvoir,Sartre etc. Bakewell recaps a lot of dense philosophical ideas in a very approachable way
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
too much of the germans up front but i’ve never enjoyed reading about philosophy before so good job
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Brilliant. Beyond brilliant. Never read such an accessible work discussing such deep philosophy and being so fun while at it! Loved it
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced