Rating: 
Summary: Watch the font! The good part is in "sans serif".
Review: The review of each philosopher is delightful, instructive,
concise and eminently readable. The "mistery novel" part is
entertaining for a few pages, but then it gets boring,
predictable and repetitive. Fortunately, the good part is printed in Helvetica "sans serif" font. The rest is printed
in Times Roman so that you can skip it, if you are short of
time and/or patience.
Rating:
Summary: The history of philosophy made interesting and enjoyable
Review: Sophie is about to turn 15 when she starts receiving
mysterious letters that contain a brief summary of western philosopher's lives and their thoughts. Sophie tries to
find this mysterious author and then come to grips with
the ideas that are rushing past her. There is some very
clever writing here and a great plot twist in the middle of
the book that demonstrates what all these thinkers are talking
about.
There is a lot of fascinating thoughts and concepts in this book, and I found that
reading the whole book in a week didn't leave me enough time to
digest everything. The book is enjoyable enough to warrant a
second read, though this time I'll go slower so that I can
think more clearly about what is being said.
Rating: 
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is indeed a history of philosophy but is revealed through the interactions of Sophie and her mysterious 'teacher'. There seems to be 3 stories going on at once throughout the book, which keeps it interesting. There is a twist near the end that totally blew me away. The ending was a bit 'out there' for me but overall I loved every bit of this book and plan to read it again. Anyone who has an interest in philosophy, human history, or just interesting stories will like this book. I also enjoyed this book because the characters are not American and the story does not take place in America. New perspectives are always a good thing for me, and Sophie's World is a marvelous window to see the world through.
Rating:
Summary: Philosophy doesn't get easier than this!
Review: Unlike one of the reviewers on the book cover, I read this book while taking a course that dips now and then into western philosophy, and I was glad to report that I got a good grade for it! When one writes a story that can get its readers good grades, that means the book is not only a good one, but also a rewarding read. First of all, we are introduced to Sophie, 14 going on 15, with the problems of a normal teenager would face around the world. Going through her mail, she finds a letter addressed to her. Reading it unwittingly sends her into a headlong lecture of the whole three thousand years' history of western philosophy, from the classical to the modern, from Aristotle to Goethe, from "Politics" to "Faust". In which she discovers who she is, and the mysterious mailer. And they said you have to have encyclopedias in your home. Buy this instead and read it to your sons, daughters, and/or friends. This is a valuable book meant to be read and kept as an heirloom.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I picked up "Sophie's World" on a whim, where it was displayed on a table near the cash register. I don't know have much knowledge about philosophy, and although I realize this book barely scratches the surface of some very deep thoughts, I still feel that Jostein Gaarder did a stupendous job in making philosophy feel accessible to me. It made me curious to know more, and if that's not the sign of a great book, then I guess I don't know what one is. I skimmed through many of the reviews just now, even though I've already read the book, and I was able to see a general pattern: those that were inquisitive, open to new learning and a new way of considering our existence were wild about this book. Conversely, the ones that gave it low marks and unmercifully criticized the philosophical part smacked of former philosophy major flunkies with severe elitist, I'm-such-an-expert-in-the-field-sniff-sniff attitudes. What most of the low-scorers missed was that "Sophie's World" was never intended to be a comprehensive study in Western Philosophy, merely an introduction to waken sleeping minds. And to say things like Gaarder got Kant's ideas all wrong is, to say the very least, highly subjective (and open to philosophical discussion). And for crying out loud, these nasty critics should learn to relax a little and have a good time with a very "novel" novel. Gads, what snobbery. Read the book and enjoy it for the ride it gives. It's much better than the average schlop that's flooding the market.
Rating:
Summary: A great way to get started in philosophy!
Review: "Sophie's World" is a truly unique novel, unlike any other I've read. What Jostein Gaarder has done here is to write a history of philosophy in clear, simple language, and framed the whole thing in one cohesive narrative. Sophie Amundsen, the title character, is a 14-year-old girl in Norway. One day, arriving at home after school, she finds a mysterious letter in her mailbox. The slip of paper inside says only "Who are you?" A short while later she receives another, this one asking "Where does the world come from?" After this she regularly finds such letters, addressed to herself, containing short, written lectures on philosophy. At the same time, however, she begins to receive mail addressed to "Hilde Moller Knag, c/o Sophie Amundsen." But Sophie has never heard of Hilde before. So why is she receiving birthday cards from Hilde's father? The two sets of mysterious letters are linked in some way, but how?
The plot, actually, is a secondary aspect of the book. "Sophie's World" is really an introductory philosophy course, suitable even for students of junior high school age (it is also, however, well worth the time to read for anyone interested in beginning to learn about philosophy, including adults of all ages). But it is really only an introduction - anyone who already has at least a basic knowledge of philosophy will not find anything new here. The book provides an overview of most of the major Western philosophers in easy-to-comprehend language, with plenty of examples. However, "Western" is the key term here. Eastern and other philosophies are occasionally briefly alluded to, but never discussed in any detail at all. Topics covered include the Natural Philosophers, Democritus, the Sophists, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Cynics, the Stoics, the Epicureans, Neoplatonism, Mysticism, Jesus of Nazareth, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Renaissance Humanism, Copernicus and Galileo, Luther, Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Hume, Berkeley, the Deists, Kant, the Romanticists, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Marx, Darwin, Freud, and Existentialism. Other philosophers and movements are mentioned in passing, but not discussed at length.
What makes "Sophie's World" so accessible, however, is the plot framing it. Without a plot to keep things moving, a subject like this could easily become dry. But Gaarder's book is anything but dry. Not only does Sophie continue to get mysterious cards and letters from Hilde's father, but she also begins to find items belonging to this unknown girl. Some of them even show up right in Sophie's bedroom! The tension increases as these incidents become more frequent, and progressively stranger. It becomes apparent that Sophie and her philosophy teacher must work together to unravel the mystery in a very short time, or face disastrous consequences. About halfway through the book, there is a radical twist that will initially set your head spinning, and then make you start to question your own reality!
I was not entirely pleased with the way the book is wrapped up. It almost seemed to get a little too fanciful, less plausible and less based in solid philosophy. The last few chapters seemed somewhat anticlimactic, almost as if Gaarder himself wasn't sure how best to bring the book to a close. However, he really does make you look at the world and think about the concept of existence in what, for most of us, is a totally revolutionary way. And, of course, it is a great way for those new to philosophy to get their feet wet without being too overwhelmed. The book is long - more than 500 pages - but it is easy reading. The language is not difficult, and the philosophical concepts have been greatly simplified (you will want to move on to other sources for a fuller understanding of these concepts if you find you are still interested in philosophy upon completing this book). And if you need time to digest any of the information, the book is conveniently layed out so as to provide plenty of good stopping places. On the whole, a solid and worthwhile book for beginning philosophers.
Rating:
Summary: Great Intro to Philosophy and Great Plot
Review: I Loved this book! I read it for fun when i was in high school, enamored by the fantasy-like plot. However when I was in college I actually found myself referencing this book when i needed a concise but brief introduction to various philosophers for various classes. I still reference it! It would be a great supplement and a great introduction to various philosophers, however it should not be used instead of a philosophy textbook as that would provide more detail. However if you are looking for a fun story and a brief intro to philsophy this is a great book to use.
Rating:
Summary: So I think...
Review: Sophie's World is a facinating book with a twist in the tail, but only if you are interested in Philosophy. My dad couldn't get into it but I did! What does this say about our relationship!?!
I love stuff like Philosophy and found this really good. There is also a surprise ending which I loved.
Rating:
Summary: Changed my outlook on the world...
Review: One of my teachers in high school recommended this book to me. I bought it but did not expect much, especially because I had very little "experience" in philosophy.
I finished the book in several days, and to say the least, I was pleasantly surprised.
From a literary standpoint, Gaarder's use of didactic fiction keeps things interesting, and the philosopher's points come across quite clear. While some may find certain bits of the narrative boring, these "bits" culminate in a spectacular ending, which forced me to go back and look over several sections once more to see what I had missed.
More importantly, this book has changed the way I see the world and the way I interpret the events around me. I have found myself questioning things more and more each day--not to criticize them but simply to understand them.
Seeing the progression of humanity through a philosophical perspective, has changed my outlook on the world (for the better, of course), and I recommend this book without reservation.
Rating: 
Summary: Western Philosophy in a nutshell
Review: Imagine, walking home on day to find an blank white envelope with no postage and the question of "who are you?" written inside. After the initial shock you start to think, questioning your reality. Welcome to Sophie's World, where 14 year old Sophie Amundsen received such an envelope, the first of many in her philosophy course with the mysterious Philosophy professor Alberto Knox.
Sophie's World offers a complete review of western philosophy including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle as the delectable appetizer. Moving on to a scrumptious course of medieval and renaissance philosophers and scientists such as Galileo, Newton, and Descartes. And finishing with a desert of more modern times including people such as Darwin, Marx, and theories such as the big bang.
One of the other beauties of Sophie's World is the way in which the descriptions of complex thoughts and ideas are first stated plainly and confusingly, then simplified into a more understandable description, then to make sure you still aren't lost, they are presented yet again using simple examples that ether make the subject comprehensible, or drive the point home. At times this can be annoying; like a little sibling always replying to all your explanations with "why?" but for the times that you do need it your glad its there.
The dialogue in the book is forced and is never believable, even when they are not talking about philosophy. Most of the time it is just Alberto rambling about philosophy with Sophie occasionally chiming in to question something allowing Gaarder to present the explanations that I was talking about. At times Sophie will be very insightful, and then the next second she will not have a clue what is being talked about, which is to say the least an extremely annoying inconsistency. Such unnatural details can keep you from getting into the book and always makes it feel like you are only reading the book and not living the experience as many good novels do.
In conclusion, Sophie's World is an intriguing novel covering a great deal of great philosophers, but it has little else. With dialogue that is anything but believable and little to no comprehendible plot it is not one of the greatest books ever written, but it still covers concepts that get the gears in your head turning if you let it.
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