Mahfouz is a very gifted writer, but this book is essentially a writing scrapbook of content not really meant for the public eye. Some vignettes chronMahfouz is a very gifted writer, but this book is essentially a writing scrapbook of content not really meant for the public eye. Some vignettes chronicle dreams; others, memories; still others read like proverbs, parables, or poetry. Most are too oblique to be meaningful, and most have pivotal English word choices (either by Mahfouz or more likely a translator) that don't really fit, rendering key sentences obscure or incomplete.
The good passages, of which there somewhat less than a dozen, are really good. Would very much like to read Mahfouz' other work, and wish that the professor had selected one of those instead for my undergraduate Arabic literature class....more
An under-realized book on a consequential subject. About 50% "fluff." Would benefit greatly from very stern style editing.
That said, the fluff makes An under-realized book on a consequential subject. About 50% "fluff." Would benefit greatly from very stern style editing.
That said, the fluff makes for smooth reading. At least the book introduces why & how Christianity emphasizes the cultivation of quality friendships....more
I'm overdue for a reread of this short, well-written trio of essays. Hauerwas overturns 1st-world expectations that modern medicine will be godlike inI'm overdue for a reread of this short, well-written trio of essays. Hauerwas overturns 1st-world expectations that modern medicine will be godlike in its ability to hold back death and relieve suffering. He argues that holding drugs, devices, and doctors to a divine standard, while limiting recognition of divine activity to medical intervention, means missing out on the good work both are really doing....more
It's been a long time since I read this, and it will probably a lot longer before I read it again (I'd revisit War and Peace first, no contest), but IIt's been a long time since I read this, and it will probably a lot longer before I read it again (I'd revisit War and Peace first, no contest), but I'm still impressed that Tolstoy wrote a whole novel about two tragic-romantic protagonists readers aren't supposed to like, and managed to pull it off.
Unquestionably a book to read for its journey, not its destination....more
Update: Attentive rereads are not always kind. That "friendly blur" mentioned in my original review glossed over how little Gustafson said, at length,Update: Attentive rereads are not always kind. That "friendly blur" mentioned in my original review glossed over how little Gustafson said, at length, during the four-part lecture series collected into this book (I do pity the students who were actually present!). He offers little in the way of positive suggestions, let alone assertions, and any hint of substance shies away from taking any definite form other than an oblique reference to his definitive work on theocentric ethics.
The anticipated rating upgrade has become a downgrade, and I've shuffled my copy off to the used-book store.
*** A friendly blur during a bibliographically-crowded undergraduate Ecology & Ethics course.
Overdue for rereading; looking forward to it. I anticipate upgrading my rating at that time....more
Someday I will write a mini-essay titled "Terry Brooks, the original Shannara trilogy is bad, and you should feel badDNF - abandoned after 5 chapters.
Someday I will write a mini-essay titled "Terry Brooks, the original Shannara trilogy is bad, and you should feel bad."
From its first pages, this story was obviously an ill-done LotR ripoff, clumsy in both story and prose, that I can only assume found publication and audience because of its timing (a few years after LotR's first legal U.S. release).
However, Brooks' proliferation leads me to presume that his writing and his fictional world must have improved with time and development. Perhaps one of these days I'll give it a second chance....more
I don't often give one-star reviews; I try not to waste time reading books that might merit them.
I didn't like the excerpts of Gulliver's Travels thaI don't often give one-star reviews; I try not to waste time reading books that might merit them.
I didn't like the excerpts of Gulliver's Travels that were assigned in grade school; when assigned the whole thing at university, I thought perhaps my capacity to appreciate it might have grown.
Nope.
Despite numerous juvenile adaptations, this is most definitely NOT a story fit for children. It's scarcely fit for anyone: its "story" gets in the way of its satire, and its satire gets in the way of its story. Swift should have stuck to essays.
Gulliver's Travels is interesting as a historical work, but as an example of "classic English fiction" it has been grossly misfiled....more
A running joke at the English department from which I undergraduated was that Christianity has in fact three Testaments: Old, New, and Paradise Lost. A running joke at the English department from which I undergraduated was that Christianity has in fact three Testaments: Old, New, and Paradise Lost. It's funny because it's (almost) true: Milton's influence on popular imagination is hard to overstate. He was inordinately successful at synthesizing, narrativizing, and propagating "extra-Biblical" European Medieval tradition.
But he would not have been so successful if his art were anything less than excellent. It takes the modern eye and inner ear a little while to acclimate to Milton's style and use of language - some research may be required for full appreciation - but his poetry rewards effort. I have found myself returning regularly to reread certain passages, especially Lucifer's soliloquy in Book IV. Paradise Lost is as packed with genius as the palace of Pandaemonium is packed with Heaven's rebels; and if Christians have responded to that wealth by deriving doctrine where Milton meant "merely" to give pleasure, it is not the poet who should be blamed....more
Stellar nonfiction, exceptionally well-written. Technical enough to satisfy those who want the details; lucid enough for the non-technical to compreheStellar nonfiction, exceptionally well-written. Technical enough to satisfy those who want the details; lucid enough for the non-technical to comprehend the central problem and its attempted solutions; engaging enough to draw in all kinds of readers. This book could get practically anyone excited about applied science through real-world problem solving....more
A very odd book, dealing with ideas about altering history, causality, family lineage, destiny, and so on (but not with a multiverse approach, so far A very odd book, dealing with ideas about altering history, causality, family lineage, destiny, and so on (but not with a multiverse approach, so far as I remember). The story was exciting enough but I don't recall enjoying its philosophy, which is quite overt.
I do think A Swiftly Tilting Planet could produce valuable discussions in, say, a middle-grade classroom setting. Students will need guidance navigating the nuances of L'Engle's "what-if" material.
Also, what a beautiful title! One of my favorites....more
Very much enjoyed this book. It's a lot like a children's version of C.S. Lewis' Ransom Trilogy (especially his original, unfinished second entry, TheVery much enjoyed this book. It's a lot like a children's version of C.S. Lewis' Ransom Trilogy (especially his original, unfinished second entry, The Dark Tower), which I began reading too young to enjoy. I ought to have started with L'Engle's Time stories and gone on to the Ransom Trilogy afterwards....more
Originally read as assigned in undergrad, but upon re-reading realized that the Lais are much subtler than I had allotted time to appreciate. Good stoOriginally read as assigned in undergrad, but upon re-reading realized that the Lais are much subtler than I had allotted time to appreciate. Good stories of courtly romance and observations about love - as experienced, pursued, and idealized by that particularly chivalric wedge of medieval society....more
I wasn't ready for Lao Tzu as an undergrad; I think if one grows up in the U.S. or anywhere still essentially in the grip of , one nI wasn't ready for Lao Tzu as an undergrad; I think if one grows up in the U.S. or anywhere still essentially in the grip of , one needs a primer in the basic concepts and verbal building blocks of Far Eastern wisdom literature before a Taoist primary text becomes accessible.
This is now my third reading of Tao Te Ching, and I hit upon my favorite technique so far: Day 1: Read Chapter 1 (chapters are a page or less in length). Day 2: Read Chapters 1 and 2. Day 3: Chapters 1-3 Day 4: 2-4. And so on. This sort of circling technique provides the space to meditate on each chapter throughout the day, gives one the opportunity to revisit it again after a day of active and passive consideration, and place it in context alongside its adjacent proverbs.
Lao Tzu's ostensible focus is on political administration of a relatively small area, a township and surrounding lands, but his writing achieved recognition because he correctly understood that successfully governing anything first requires governing yourself; and if you can manage that, it doesn't matter what or whom you manage: the principles are the same. As Miyamoto Musashi would later put it, "From [knowing] one thing, know ten thousand things."...more
J. Aleksandr
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