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Title: The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton ISBN: 0-375-42082-7 Publisher: Pantheon Books Pub. Date: 30 July, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.77 (22 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Deliciously Readable philosophy
Comment: 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!
Rating: 5
Summary: A must-read for the traveller
Comment: In his chapter called "On Eye-opening Art", Alain de Botton describes his lukewarm initial reaction to the much-extolled Provence, France. Then, in a sleepless first night there, he happened to read chapters in a book about Vincent Van Gogh that focussed on Van Gogh's Arles period. Van Gogh's art opened de Botton's eyes to the beauty of the landscape, because he started to see it as that great artist had. I mention this detail in particular because what Van Gough did for de Botton, de Botton does for the reader. "The Art of Travel" introduces the reader to an attitude toward and practice of travel that allows him or her to enjoy it more fully. de Botton's suggestions and observations are surprising, of the "Huh, I never thought about that" variety.
de Botton is well read, and he draws upon his knowledge of artists, philosophers, naturalists and poets, combined with first-person narrative, to illuminate his points. If you take the author's suggestions to heart, wherever you go -- across the globe or in your own neighborhood -- you will immerse yourself in your wanderings to a greater and more satisfying degree.
Having said that, I should add that this book is not just a means to an end. The journey itself is enjoyable. de Botton's writing is as engaging as his philosophy is attractive.
Rating: 1
Summary: Unbearably BAD
Comment: Never have I been more proud of America's independence from Britain than after struggling to read the horridly bad ramblings of this dry, boring book written in the most pompous British style. This book goes against every principle of a good book that I believe in, most notably, GET TO THE POINT! Here are a couple of examples:
"I was where I lay, but I, that is the conscious part of myself, had in truth abandoned the physical envelope in which it dwelt in order to worry about the future, or more specifically whether lunches would be included in the price of the room."
"If fidelity to a place had seemed possible from home it was perhaps because I had never tried to stare at a picture of Barbados for any length of time. Had I laid on the table and forced myself to look at it for twenty-five minutes, my mind and body would have naturally migrated toward a range of extrinsic concerns and I might thereby gained a more accurate sense of how little the place I stood had the power to influence what traveled through my mind."
UUGGGHHH!!! Some people should stay in the University "institution" where they belong!
You are not going to be "enlightened" by reading this book, learn anything about traveling, nor be inspired to do anything except pondering the choice between burning the book or donating it to the goats at your local museum.
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Title: How Proust Can Change Your Life: Not a Novel by Alain De Botton ISBN: 0679779159 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 28 April, 1998 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: The Consolations of Philosophy by ALAIN DE BOTTON ISBN: 0679779175 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 03 April, 2001 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: On Love by Alain de Botton, Alain Botton, Alain de Botton ISBN: 0802134092 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: January, 1995 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
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Title: The Romantic Movement : Sex, Shopping, and the Novel by Alain De Botton ISBN: 0312144032 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 15 May, 1996 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Kiss & Tell by Alain De Botton ISBN: 0312155611 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 15 May, 1997 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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