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hypnagogue 's review for:
Ishmael
by Daniel Quinn
Ishmael certainly presents some interesting and thought provoking ideas. In particular, there's a rather compelling take on a popular creation myth that I had never encountered or thought of prior to reading this that I am now almost certain is correct.
Quinn's writing style is neither all that sophisticated nor particularly interesting, but he does present his ideas in a clear and concise way, so it's hard to find fault with him.
My biggest complaint is that the titular character, Ishmael, is hard to like at times. He's kind of a jerk, to be honest. Really, there is an event at the very end of the book which probably explains his demeanor and urgency, but it doesn't make him any more relatable or likeable--at least not for me. He's clearly meant to be a Socrates surrogate and Quinn nails the his rhetorical style perfectly, but Ishmael himself doesn't possess 1/10 of the charm we see in Socrates in Plato's dialogues.
Quinn's writing style is neither all that sophisticated nor particularly interesting, but he does present his ideas in a clear and concise way, so it's hard to find fault with him.
My biggest complaint is that the titular character, Ishmael, is hard to like at times. He's kind of a jerk, to be honest. Really, there is an event at the very end of the book which probably explains his demeanor and urgency, but it doesn't make him any more relatable or likeable--at least not for me. He's clearly meant to be a Socrates surrogate and Quinn nails the his rhetorical style perfectly, but Ishmael himself doesn't possess 1/10 of the charm we see in Socrates in Plato's dialogues.