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Summary: Makes you think! And people need to think!
Review: Being a Philosophy major, I was fascinated by this book and how it combines the history of phil with a great mystery story. Though I admit some of the Philosophy textbook sections were a bit long winded, and the dialogue was awkward at times (due, I suppose, to it being translated), Sophie's World is an excellent book. Loved the surprise ending! I would recommend this over most any Oprah book.
Rating: 
Summary: Brief yet encompasing
Review: I have rarely read a book that gave so much in so little space. This powerpacked history of philosophy is easy enough for early high school/ middle grade to read while giving a college level overview of the major philosophers in western history.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly boring
Review: I'm interested in philosophy so i thought I might enjoy this book. But it got very boring after a while. It's presented in a very boring fashion.
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Summary: A superficial retrospect of the history of western philosoph
Review: "Sophie's World" by Jostein Gaarder, can be considered to be a cult book. When it was first puplished back in 1992, it gained a great success in Norway, after wich it spread around the world.I've got to admit that making a novel about history and philosophy can't be an easy job. You must make the information interesting, so that the novel works as a story. Has Gaarder succeeded in this? No. "Sophie's World", as is atmitted in the novel itself, is mainly just a philosophy study book for school students. It tells a story of a young girl named Sophie, who starts recieving strange letters from an equally strange philosopher, telling stories about philosophy and history. The content of those letters is taken straight from a highschool philosophy book. They are dry and full of irrelevant trivia and dates, and on the top of that, those segments take approximately 80% of the whole novel, as the actual so-called "plot" advances with painstaikingly minor steps between the endless philosophy lectures. The characters are horribly written. For example, Sophie can be described fully with the words: "a 14 year old Norwegian girl who has never thought of ANYTHING even mildly profound". What I mean by this is that when she resieves the first letter from her instructor, that has only the question: "Who are you?" written on it, it's obvious she has never given one thought to her own identity. Similar questions like "Since when has the world been there?" are equally new to this 14 year old person, who's obviously spent all those years thinking everything but those basic philosophical questions we all start asking when we're little children. Gaarder has written the whole novel to be reader underastimating, trying, in my opinion, desperately to give the impression he's somehow exeedingly smart and creative, when actually he's only achieved this very obvious illusion by breaking basic storytelling rules and creating story structures full of air. On the top of that, the ending of the book appeares to be taken out of nowhere, and doesn't at all seem planned and thought out of, wich frustrates the reader even more. Don't get me wrong. "Sophies World" wasn't a wasted read. It gives loads of precise, if basic information about the history of western philosophy, adding names like Darwin and Freud, who are usually thought of only as groundbreaking scientist to the lot of great thinkers, even if it, to my great suprise, ignores Ockham and his nominalism, wich I personally consider to be quite a fascinating philosophical approach method. "Sophie's World" is garbled and horribly paced, but an interesting book nontheless.
Rating: 
Summary: Teacher's Lesson Plans Masquerading As Novel
Review: This is not a novel; a teacher (the author Gaarder's former profession) opened up his lesson plan book, strung all the philosophy lessons together, added a tepid plot and a protagonist named Sophie, and, well, he somehow got a best-seller! Gaarder must have been a FANTASTIC teacher, but he's a weak novelist. But I might give this book to an academically-inclined junior high schooler who likes to read, for it IS a very accessible introduction to the history of philosophy
Rating:
Summary: Great work Gaarder
Review: It's basically an over view on Western Philosophy wrapped in a cute and whimsical story line. Ever so readable when it comes to philosophy; I can think of no other book to start with as a primer on the subject. The book does seem to dichotomize itself from lesson to story plot, which I liked, because I found myself interested in the history of philosphy in one chapter then interested in the plot in another. The ending seems to divide readers into two camps: Weird and flakey; or well done. I personally enjoyed the book from cover to cover. Besides the dissension in the ending, it is still well worth the purchase and the read.
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Summary: Sophie's World drew me from my own into hers.......
Review: Sophie's World is a deep book, preparing someone for a look at life like never before. Recommended for anyone interested in, say, philosophy, or just an interesting or different way of looking at things, this book would be an excellent choice. It was possible that space had always existed, in which case she would not also need to figure out where it came from. But COULD anything have always existed? Something deep down inside her protested at the idea. Surely everything that exists must have a beginning? So space must sometime have been created out of something else. But if space had come from something else, then that something else must have come from something. Sophie felt she was only deferring the problem.At some point, something must have come from nothing. But was that possible? Wasn't that just as impossible as the idea that the world had always existed?, from the beginning of SOPHIE'S WORLD. A deeper meaning of life, throwing back and forth the ideas of WHO ARE YOU? and WHERE DOES THE WORLD COME FROM?, possibilities are thrown at Sophie from an anonymous being. Placing envelopes inside her mailbox addressed to her with no stamp, this unknown being creates a new life for Sophie... maybe something that would interest you. In fact, almost definitely something. The book is a nice long book(513 pages... thick book), perfect for a nice winter read by the fire for endless hours or a summertime hideaway in the breezes of humid air and chirping birds. It's a good book to cuddle up with and be lost in Sophie's World for eternity. In all terms, an EXCELLENT book that I would recommend to anyone...(besides children, anyways), but anyone say 13 or older could understand the concept and even begin to create their own world, much like Sophie's.
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Summary: This is a novel
Review: That is right this is a novel about the history of philosophy. Now I can not say much about the views of people that realize this is a novel because they are subjective to the reader. I personally found it fun to read and intriguing. Other readers thought the ending was a little strange. I can not see a better one. Yes this is used as a beginning point to philosophy. So it is not nice for someone who already has a background in philosophy to dismiss this as sophomoric. Everyone has to start somewhere. I do not like phonics, yet it works for some people. If you are already a philosopher then it is still an interesting novel with an interesting twist. This makes a good starting point in philosophy and a good stand-alone mystery
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Summary: Sophie's World : A Novel About the History of Philosophy
Review: This book is simply the best I have ever read. While having an intreging plot, it introduces the reader to the basis of Philosophical thought in Europe for the last 3000 years. However, if you are not interested in the philosophy, you can't read it as a novel.
Initially I found the ending unsatisfactory, but re-reading it helped me to understand. In places it can be heavy-going but it quickly picks up the pace again. Do yourself a favour and read it- it's not a book you'll forget.
Rating:
Summary: Surprised
Review: It absolutely bowls me over that so many people thought this was a great book. I must be out of touch with how most people think. I thought this book was silly and now after a few years I hardly remember any of it. The books I have enjoyed remain in my mind for decades as joyous, wondrous vacations. This one was fluff, pure fluff -(in my 'umble opinion).
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