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Summary: The open-gate for philosophy matters...!!!
Review: I'd been reading the reviews, and it's so sad to see there are still people that didn't get Gaarder's message at all. This book wasn't intended to be a 'masterpiece' in philosophy, it was simply a young oriented piece of work to introduce them to philosophy, and it works!!! This ain't just the philosophies of the most famous 'thinking' men, but is really a guide to how to be interested in your own person and place on time and space... A good reading for those who like not just strange stories or sex stories.. KEEP THE GOOD WORK GARDEER... By the way, if you don't care about discovering the real meaning of philosophy (that is not only reading about history and ways of thinking), why on earth did you read it????
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Summary: Sophie's World can be understood by 8 year old
Review: My daughter is 8. I was getting a little tired of the early reader material for bedtime stories, so we launched into the children's classics, for example, Alice in Wonderland, Secret Garden, Little Lord Fontleroy, Treasure Island, and so on. This was great for me because I missed most of these as a child. We bought Sophie's World in early '96 when my daughter was still six. She's eight now and it's hard going sometimes, but with my background in philosophy, I find it fairly easy to explain. Some nights we can only get through a couple of pages, and even though it is difficult for her, she wants to keep reading it; she likes the story. It should be kept in mind that the story is intended for the 13 to 15 year old range. I think it will provide excellent background for understanding other classics. Soon we're going to read Don Quixote.
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Summary: Original, instructive and entertaining! Read and re-read it!
Review: In an age of thrillers and best-sellers, Gaardner did a remarkable thing: He wrote an original novel, which is both entertaining and highly instructive. Sophie is about to turn 15 years old when she finds herself involved in a misterious correspondence course on Western Philosophy. At the same time, strange events relate her to an unknown girl, Hilde. Sophie's teacher happens to be the best philosophy teacher one can imagine, a man any reader should yearn to meet and to learn from. More than two thousand years of philosophy are covered in a smooth and rational way, and if this book doesn't get you thinking, maybe you should see someone. The only weak point in the book is the plot, that could be a little better, but maybe that is to demand too much from a book which is already a masterpiece. Thank you, Mr. Gaarder, I learnt a lot!
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Summary: maybe I can get some of my 7th grade essays published
Review: I can't NOT finish a book, so I trudged through this one. And when I got to page 285, I'm glad I did. The writing was mediocre at best, the characters pathetic. But Whoa! I won't give away what happens then, but what Gaarder does is brilliant! What an amazing way to illustrate the relationship between author, character and reader. That, in and of itself, could constitute a lengthy book.
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Summary: very poor and boring plot
Review: This is a feable attempt to teach philosophy and in the same time build an interesting plot. The parts of the book regarding history and philosophy are generally o.k. (although too simplistic), but the story itself is pathetic.
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Summary: sophie's world changes your whole perspective on life
Review: sophie's world is one of those few books that acually affects the life of the person reading it. unlike many novels, which only exist for entertainment purpopses, sophies world not only entertains, but educates as well. Basically, 99% of western philosophy is covered, chapter by chapter, giving the reader an overview of western thought, enlightening while still staying engrossing, sophie's world is a "must read" for anyone out there who actually cares about the world thier living in.
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Summary: Sophie's World is so wonderful and immaginative-delightful!
Review: I am just around Sophie's age and I can feel what it must have been like to start receiving these strange messages! Switching from awe to fear to curiosity to anger is only natural for one in her position. I was equally impressed by the courses her teacher gave to her and the bizarre twists the author worked in. Altogether, a thoroughly satifying novel!
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Summary: Hold the garnish, I'll just take the meat
Review: Frustrating! While enlightening in weaving the historical thread of philosophy, the story which frames this mini-course is frail, erratic and finally ludicrous. While I enjoyed the philosophy, which truly broadened my perspective on the thinking life of we humans, the story itself made me cringe.
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Summary: I purposely read it slowly so that it would not end so soon!
Review: I learned more about philosophy in this book than I learned in four years of college. And I enjoyed it! Jostein Gaarder is an intellectual masseuse. My mind felt stronger, comforted, and refreshed when I finished this book.
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Summary: Philosophy overview good, story bad. Disappointing!
Review: The story interwoven with the philosophy course is silly, boring, and stupid. Read the book for the philosophy, skip the dumb story.
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