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- Deliciously Readable philosophy,
May 11, 2004
Reviewer: tophermn (see more about me) from Deephaven, MN USA
Alain de Botton's book furthers his exploration of philosophical
issues in our every day lives. Travelling for the author becomes
a way to discuss our pursuit of happiness as well as they way
our expectations affect how we live. While the questions that
he raises are sophisticated and he draws on his background as
an exquisitely trained philosopher for this book, the narrative
is incredibly readable:his anecdotes are witty, the prose flows
well, and seemingly a high school freshman could comprehend and
digest much of what he is saying.
- By no means however does
this mean that it is not a challenging and enlightening read.
de Botton relates a series of his journeys from comical moments
of deciding to travel thousands of miles across the globe from
the inspiration of a picture of palm trees to the anxiety we
experience when we discover that not only does our destination
have palm trees but also dirty streets, traffic, and bureacracy.
His personal experiences are sprinkled with insight from other
famous travellers from european colonial painters to influential
french novelists. The end result is a witty, personal, and thorough
exploration of travel and what it tells us about the way we live
our lives.
- As a side note seeing
Alain de Botton read and discuss his work in Oxford displayed
his depth of knowledge and comfort in his field. He is truly
a philosopher who cares about communicating and discussing ideas
about how we can better live our lives in an intelligent and
coherent manner for any willing reader which is an admirable
task. Do not pass this book up!
-
- From Library Journal
An experienced traveler and the author of five books, including
How Proust Can Change Your Life, De Botton here offers nine essays
concerning the art of travel. Divided into five sections "Departure,"
"Motives," "Landscape," "Art,"
and "Return" the essays start with one of the author's
travel experiences, meander through artists or writers related
to it, and then intertwine the two. De Botton's style is very
thoughtful and dense; he considers events of the moment and relates
them to his internal dialog, showing how experiences from the
past affect the present. In "On Curiosity," for example,
which describes a weekend in Madrid, De Botton compares his reliance
on a very detailed guidebook to the numerous systematic measurements
Alexander von Humboldt made during his 1799 travels in South
America. De Botton compares Humboldt's insatiable desire for
detail with his own ennui and wish that he were home. There are
also details about a fight over dessert, the van Gogh trail in
Provence, and Wordsworth's vision of nature. Although well written
and interesting, this volume will have limited popular appeal.
Recommended for larger public libraries. Alison Hopkins, Brantford
P.L., ON
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text
refers to the Hardcover edition.
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