AnyBook4Less.com	Find the Best Price on the Web Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money Keyword AuthorISBN

Title: The Plato Papers: A Prophesy by Peter Ackroyd ISBN: 0-385-49769-5 Publisher: Anchor Books/Doubleday Pub. Date: 20 March, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00

Your Country USA Canada United Kingdom Australia Austria Belgium France Germany Italy Netherlands Switzerland Currency AutoUSD CAD GBP EUR AUD CHF Delivery Only cheapest delivery All delivery options Include Used Books Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 3.25 (20 reviews)

Rating: 2
Summary: Disappointing
Comment: This book aspires to cleverness by having a character from the future named "Plato" whose life bears some similarities to the lives of the historical Plato and Socrates: "Plato" is an orator prone to confusing his audience who urges each person to "know thyself," he's put on trial for corrupting the young, etc. Yet Ackroyd's "Plato" lacks personality and philosophical depth. Unlike the Socrates of Plato's dialogs, whose wit, intelligence, and force of personality grab you immediately, this "Plato" gives us only ponderous and pretentious twaddle. And unlike Plato's dialogs, the dreary dialogs in this novel go nowhere and involve indistinguishable people with names like "Sparkler" and "Madrigal."

The future world of this novel never comes to life -- a distinct drawback for a fantasy novel.

Part of the humor of the novel is supposed to be "Plato's" mistaken interpretations of our age, based upon his examination of the archeological record, but Ackroyd overreaches by often making "Plato" give far-fetched interpretations when more plausible ones easily are at hand. (He even misinterprets what a bird in a film is. What, they don't have birds in the 38th century?) There are times when the misinterpretations are humorous (as in attributing The Origin of the Species to Charles Dickens), which is what saves this novel from one-star status.

One further point: don't let the length fool you. If this were an average hardback and didn't start every chapter (some of which are only a few lines long) on a new page, this "novel" might run to 35 pages.

Rating: 4
Summary: Worth Your Time - Read It Slowly, Over Time
Comment: Rather than argue with other reviewers, I would suggest that the reader of The Plato Papers relax, and read this work, not as a novel (which in the classic sense it is not, conforming neither to plot nor character development) but a poet experience akin to the best in modern dance. The work is evocative, and summons, rather then explicates. A few pages a night refreshes, and provokes thought. I recommend it.

Rating: 5
Summary: Life Beyound Us
Comment: I can think of no real words to describe this novel, but I was drawn to the depth of the writing. Even the shortest sentence would provoke a kind of moral battle of the mind. When some say it was confusing, they are right in a way, but beyound the confusion there was really a simpicity to all the philosophy being said. When you thought about it, suddenly the world would seem clearer. I highly reccommend this novel to anyone.

Similar Books:

	Title: Living to Tell the Tale by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Edith Grossman ISBN: 1400041341 Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Pub. Date: 04 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.95
	Title: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown ISBN: 0385504209 Publisher: Doubleday Books Pub. Date: 18 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95