A (decent) history of Western philosophy disguised as a (middle of the road) novel, 03 Aug 2008
Jostein Gaarder has written a concise history of Western philosophy, disguised as a novel. The good news is that the 2000 years of Western philosophy is well explained, the bad news is that the fiction that he hangs the story around, isn't that impressive.

For a philistine such as myself, whose understanding of philosophy extends to having read Plato's Republic and Matt Lawrence's Like a Splinter in Your Mind i.e. basically quite ignorant, Sophie's World did what I needed it to do: it successfully encapsulated and chronologically presented a sequence of ideas and modes of thought that have come to define a Western, rationalist school of thinking. This was exactly what I wanted from the book and in that, I can unreservedly recommend this work. As a work of fiction, Sophie's World sticks together quite well for the first half of the book but once its' central conceit has been revealed, the story becomes much less interesting. I'm certainly not the best judge of fiction as I don't read much of it at all but this story borders on the overly-contrived (which may be intentional).

Given it's subject matter, there is only so far that the material can be simplified before it loses its' meaning (Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time is a perfect example). As Sophie's World involves a series of letters and conversations betwixt a philosophy professor and a fourteen year old girl, the intention is that if she can understand it, then you certainly should. Jostein Gaarder has boiled philosophy down to its' fundamentals about as far as you can before it would become a series of aphorisms.

In short, a successful introduction to all the big names and theories of Western thought (perhaps an update might include a section on string theory), kind of Now That's What I Call Philosophy; however, if you are to purchase this for its fictional facet, then I'd suggest thinking twice.

Proof that you can learn in your leisure!, 16 Jul 2008
I read this as an adult and wish it had been around when I was a teenager as well. It appealed to the eternal, wondering child within me and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Whatever its flaws, whether you just want to have fun, be absorbed in an enquiring read or to learn something about philosophy, I reckon you'd read it to the end .. I'll certainly read it again.

Engagingly light, 25 Mar 2008
A happy wander around childlike explanitions of key philosopher's and figures through out history. However its engaging and i'm almost half way through - not bad really!
Thanks to Del for recommending it.

Not great, but still worth a look., 10 Dec 2007
I bought Sophie's World a few years ago and I finally finished reading it. In summary I would say something like this. Weak plot, flat characters, ambitious scope (the entire history of philosophy in a few hundred pages), easy to start but hard to finish, a great idea though, but Gaarder is not a compelling writer. I recently bought a copy of Stargazers: stories of the first philosophers, which means Greco-Roman philosophy, and I found it much more enjoyable to read. The characters are the actual philosophers and they are totally believable, and the prose is beautiful, so it's easy to keep reading and enjoying the book. I found myself wishing it would continue with the whole history of philosophy. But Sophie's World has its good moments and it does give you a good overview of the main trends in the history of philosophy, even though the author leaves out or gives short shrift to some important philosophers and probably includes some who should not be there. On the whole, I think it's not a great book, but it's still worth reading for the content. Just don't expect a compelling plot or beautiful prose. Readers who give this book 5 stars either don't know what to compare this book with or they have a few screws loose. I wanted to give it 3 and a half, but since 4 stars is too high a rating, I'll give it 3. Anyone really interested in reading just for the history of philosophy might want to try Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy in one volume.

A novel to make you look at the world anew, 07 Dec 2007
I can't recommend this book enough. It isn't just a journey through Western philosophy - it is a story which encourages you to think about your reality and your life from angles you may never have looked before. Delivered through the medium of Alberto Knox - an enigmatic philosophy teacher who arrives in the life of Sophie in a mysterious letter, the book gives rise to a completely different view of reality.

It follows the story of Sophie and Hilde. As stranger and stranger things begin to happen in Sophie's world, it becomes a confusing question of what is going on. Alberto finally covers the philosophy of Berkeley, who posited that the world was nothing more than a figment of the mind of God, and then Sophie's world is turned upside down.

I sat thinking about the book long after I had finished it, contemplating the universe, and my reality and my life. It was like I was given the chance to look at in anew, through different philosophies I had not considered before. It was an incredible experience and one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thinking.

A (decent) history of Western philosophy disguised as a (middle of the road) novel, 03 Aug 2008
Jostein Gaarder has written a concise history of Western philosophy, disguised as a novel. The good news is that the 2000 years of Western philosophy is well explained, the bad news is that the fiction that he hangs the story around, isn't that impressive.

For a philistine such as myself, whose understanding of philosophy extends to having read Plato's Republic and Matt Lawrence's Like a Splinter in Your Mind i.e. basically quite ignorant, Sophie's World did what I needed it to do: it successfully encapsulated and chronologically presented a sequence of ideas and modes of thought that have come to define a Western, rationalist school of thinking. This was exactly what I wanted from the book and in that, I can unreservedly recommend this work. As a work of fiction, Sophie's World sticks together quite well for the first half of the book but once its' central conceit has been revealed, the story becomes much less interesting. I'm certainly not the best judge of fiction as I don't read much of it at all but this story borders on the overly-contrived (which may be intentional).

Given it's subject matter, there is only so far that the material can be simplified before it loses its' meaning (Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time is a perfect example). As Sophie's World involves a series of letters and conversations betwixt a philosophy professor and a fourteen year old girl, the intention is that if she can understand it, then you certainly should. Jostein Gaarder has boiled philosophy down to its' fundamentals about as far as you can before it would become a series of aphorisms.

In short, a successful introduction to all the big names and theories of Western thought (perhaps an update might include a section on string theory), kind of Now That's What I Call Philosophy; however, if you are to purchase this for its fictional facet, then I'd suggest thinking twice.

Proof that you can learn in your leisure!, 16 Jul 2008
I read this as an adult and wish it had been around when I was a teenager as well. It appealed to the eternal, wondering child within me and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Whatever its flaws, whether you just want to have fun, be absorbed in an enquiring read or to learn something about philosophy, I reckon you'd read it to the end .. I'll certainly read it again.

Engagingly light, 25 Mar 2008
A happy wander around childlike explanitions of key philosopher's and figures through out history. However its engaging and i'm almost half way through - not bad really!
Thanks to Del for recommending it.

Not great, but still worth a look., 10 Dec 2007
I bought Sophie's World a few years ago and I finally finished reading it. In summary I would say something like this. Weak plot, flat characters, ambitious scope (the entire history of philosophy in a few hundred pages), easy to start but hard to finish, a great idea though, but Gaarder is not a compelling writer. I recently bought a copy of Stargazers: stories of the first philosophers, which means Greco-Roman philosophy, and I found it much more enjoyable to read. The characters are the actual philosophers and they are totally believable, and the prose is beautiful, so it's easy to keep reading and enjoying the book. I found myself wishing it would continue with the whole history of philosophy. But Sophie's World has its good moments and it does give you a good overview of the main trends in the history of philosophy, even though the author leaves out or gives short shrift to some important philosophers and probably includes some who should not be there. On the whole, I think it's not a great book, but it's still worth reading for the content. Just don't expect a compelling plot or beautiful prose. Readers who give this book 5 stars either don't know what to compare this book with or they have a few screws loose. I wanted to give it 3 and a half, but since 4 stars is too high a rating, I'll give it 3. Anyone really interested in reading just for the history of philosophy might want to try Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy in one volume.

A novel to make you look at the world anew, 07 Dec 2007
I can't recommend this book enough. It isn't just a journey through Western philosophy - it is a story which encourages you to think about your reality and your life from angles you may never have looked before. Delivered through the medium of Alberto Knox - an enigmatic philosophy teacher who arrives in the life of Sophie in a mysterious letter, the book gives rise to a completely different view of reality.

It follows the story of Sophie and Hilde. As stranger and stranger things begin to happen in Sophie's world, it becomes a confusing question of what is going on. Alberto finally covers the philosophy of Berkeley, who posited that the world was nothing more than a figment of the mind of God, and then Sophie's world is turned upside down.

I sat thinking about the book long after I had finished it, contemplating the universe, and my reality and my life. It was like I was given the chance to look at in anew, through different philosophies I had not considered before. It was an incredible experience and one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thinking.

refreshingly different, 28 Feb 2008
Unusually the detective doesn't get his man - well not how you might think, anyway. The characterisation is gripping, but you need to concentrate and keep your wits about you. Can't wait for the next one.

A (decent) history of Western philosophy disguised as a (middle of the road) novel, 03 Aug 2008
Jostein Gaarder has written a concise history of Western philosophy, disguised as a novel. The good news is that the 2000 years of Western philosophy is well explained, the bad news is that the fiction that he hangs the story around, isn't that impressive.

For a philistine such as myself, whose understanding of philosophy extends to having read Plato's Republic and Matt Lawrence's Like a Splinter in Your Mind i.e. basically quite ignorant, Sophie's World did what I needed it to do: it successfully encapsulated and chronologically presented a sequence of ideas and modes of thought that have come to define a Western, rationalist school of thinking. This was exactly what I wanted from the book and in that, I can unreservedly recommend this work. As a work of fiction, Sophie's World sticks together quite well for the first half of the book but once its' central conceit has been revealed, the story becomes much less interesting. I'm certainly not the best judge of fiction as I don't read much of it at all but this story borders on the overly-contrived (which may be intentional).

Given it's subject matter, there is only so far that the material can be simplified before it loses its' meaning (Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time is a perfect example). As Sophie's World involves a series of letters and conversations betwixt a philosophy professor and a fourteen year old girl, the intention is that if she can understand it, then you certainly should. Jostein Gaarder has boiled philosophy down to its' fundamentals about as far as you can before it would become a series of aphorisms.

In short, a successful introduction to all the big names and theories of Western thought (perhaps an update might include a section on string theory), kind of Now That's What I Call Philosophy; however, if you are to purchase this for its fictional facet, then I'd suggest thinking twice.

Proof that you can learn in your leisure!, 16 Jul 2008
I read this as an adult and wish it had been around when I was a teenager as well. It appealed to the eternal, wondering child within me and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Whatever its flaws, whether you just want to have fun, be absorbed in an enquiring read or to learn something about philosophy, I reckon you'd read it to the end .. I'll certainly read it again.

Engagingly light, 25 Mar 2008
A happy wander around childlike explanitions of key philosopher's and figures through out history. However its engaging and i'm almost half way through - not bad really!
Thanks to Del for recommending it.

Not great, but still worth a look., 10 Dec 2007
I bought Sophie's World a few years ago and I finally finished reading it. In summary I would say something like this. Weak plot, flat characters, ambitious scope (the entire history of philosophy in a few hundred pages), easy to start but hard to finish, a great idea though, but Gaarder is not a compelling writer. I recently bought a copy of Stargazers: stories of the first philosophers, which means Greco-Roman philosophy, and I found it much more enjoyable to read. The characters are the actual philosophers and they are totally believable, and the prose is beautiful, so it's easy to keep reading and enjoying the book. I found myself wishing it would continue with the whole history of philosophy. But Sophie's World has its good moments and it does give you a good overview of the main trends in the history of philosophy, even though the author leaves out or gives short shrift to some important philosophers and probably includes some who should not be there. On the whole, I think it's not a great book, but it's still worth reading for the content. Just don't expect a compelling plot or beautiful prose. Readers who give this book 5 stars either don't know what to compare this book with or they have a few screws loose. I wanted to give it 3 and a half, but since 4 stars is too high a rating, I'll give it 3. Anyone really interested in reading just for the history of philosophy might want to try Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy in one volume.

A novel to make you look at the world anew, 07 Dec 2007
I can't recommend this book enough. It isn't just a journey through Western philosophy - it is a story which encourages you to think about your reality and your life from angles you may never have looked before. Delivered through the medium of Alberto Knox - an enigmatic philosophy teacher who arrives in the life of Sophie in a mysterious letter, the book gives rise to a completely different view of reality.

It follows the story of Sophie and Hilde. As stranger and stranger things begin to happen in Sophie's world, it becomes a confusing question of what is going on. Alberto finally covers the philosophy of Berkeley, who posited that the world was nothing more than a figment of the mind of God, and then Sophie's world is turned upside down.

I sat thinking about the book long after I had finished it, contemplating the universe, and my reality and my life. It was like I was given the chance to look at in anew, through different philosophies I had not considered before. It was an incredible experience and one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thinking.

refreshingly different, 28 Feb 2008
Unusually the detective doesn't get his man - well not how you might think, anyway. The characterisation is gripping, but you need to concentrate and keep your wits about you. Can't wait for the next one.

Keeping the fire burning, 25 Sep 2008
As the Russian army moves into Finland in December 1939, the people of the village of Suomussalmi flee, leaving their homes and possessions behind them to be burnt by the retreating Finnish forces. Only one person remains, Timo Vatanen, a simple logger regarded by most as lacking intelligence. It's certainly an act of madness to remain in the village as it is taken over by 50,000 Russian troops who use it as a base camp to fight the war in the surrounding districts.

Disregarding questions of collaboration as the village is alternately occupied by Russian and Finnish troops, Timo attempts to remain in favour with both, doing whatever is necessary, working with other prisoners and deserters as a logger, cutting wood to keep the fires going in a brutally cold winter, and trying to maintain a semblance of home in one house that hasn't been burnt-out. Despite differences with language and personality, Timo forms deep bonds with several of the men has come to know in extreme adverse conditions.

Viewed entirely from the perspective of Timo (though curiously varying from a first to third person perspective), with little indication about the wider ebb and flow of the war, it's a narrow perspective from a person with a very limited awareness and the novel can consequently be rather dry and dull. Essentially however it's about survival. It does raise some interesting psychological questions and the marks left on Timo from the experience are certainly deep.

A (decent) history of Western philosophy disguised as a (middle of the road) novel, 03 Aug 2008
Jostein Gaarder has written a concise history of Western philosophy, disguised as a novel. The good news is that the 2000 years of Western philosophy is well explained, the bad news is that the fiction that he hangs the story around, isn't that impressive.

For a philistine such as myself, whose understanding of philosophy extends to having read Plato's Republic and Matt Lawrence's Like a Splinter in Your Mind i.e. basically quite ignorant, Sophie's World did what I needed it to do: it successfully encapsulated and chronologically presented a sequence of ideas and modes of thought that have come to define a Western, rationalist school of thinking. This was exactly what I wanted from the book and in that, I can unreservedly recommend this work. As a work of fiction, Sophie's World sticks together quite well for the first half of the book but once its' central conceit has been revealed, the story becomes much less interesting. I'm certainly not the best judge of fiction as I don't read much of it at all but this story borders on the overly-contrived (which may be intentional).

Given it's subject matter, there is only so far that the material can be simplified before it loses its' meaning (Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time is a perfect example). As Sophie's World involves a series of letters and conversations betwixt a philosophy professor and a fourteen year old girl, the intention is that if she can understand it, then you certainly should. Jostein Gaarder has boiled philosophy down to its' fundamentals about as far as you can before it would become a series of aphorisms.

In short, a successful introduction to all the big names and theories of Western thought (perhaps an update might include a section on string theory), kind of Now That's What I Call Philosophy; however, if you are to purchase this for its fictional facet, then I'd suggest thinking twice.

Proof that you can learn in your leisure!, 16 Jul 2008
I read this as an adult and wish it had been around when I was a teenager as well. It appealed to the eternal, wondering child within me and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Whatever its flaws, whether you just want to have fun, be absorbed in an enquiring read or to learn something about philosophy, I reckon you'd read it to the end .. I'll certainly read it again.

Engagingly light, 25 Mar 2008
A happy wander around childlike explanitions of key philosopher's and figures through out history. However its engaging and i'm almost half way through - not bad really!
Thanks to Del for recommending it.

Not great, but still worth a look., 10 Dec 2007
I bought Sophie's World a few years ago and I finally finished reading it. In summary I would say something like this. Weak plot, flat characters, ambitious scope (the entire history of philosophy in a few hundred pages), easy to start but hard to finish, a great idea though, but Gaarder is not a compelling writer. I recently bought a copy of Stargazers: stories of the first philosophers, which means Greco-Roman philosophy, and I found it much more enjoyable to read. The characters are the actual philosophers and they are totally believable, and the prose is beautiful, so it's easy to keep reading and enjoying the book. I found myself wishing it would continue with the whole history of philosophy. But Sophie's World has its good moments and it does give you a good overview of the main trends in the history of philosophy, even though the author leaves out or gives short shrift to some important philosophers and probably includes some who should not be there. On the whole, I think it's not a great book, but it's still worth reading for the content. Just don't expect a compelling plot or beautiful prose. Readers who give this book 5 stars either don't know what to compare this book with or they have a few screws loose. I wanted to give it 3 and a half, but since 4 stars is too high a rating, I'll give it 3. Anyone really interested in reading just for the history of philosophy might want to try Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy in one volume.

A novel to make you look at the world anew, 07 Dec 2007
I can't recommend this book enough. It isn't just a journey through Western philosophy - it is a story which encourages you to think about your reality and your life from angles you may never have looked before. Delivered through the medium of Alberto Knox - an enigmatic philosophy teacher who arrives in the life of Sophie in a mysterious letter, the book gives rise to a completely different view of reality.

It follows the story of Sophie and Hilde. As stranger and stranger things begin to happen in Sophie's world, it becomes a confusing question of what is going on. Alberto finally covers the philosophy of Berkeley, who posited that the world was nothing more than a figment of the mind of God, and then Sophie's world is turned upside down.

I sat thinking about the book long after I had finished it, contemplating the universe, and my reality and my life. It was like I was given the chance to look at in anew, through different philosophies I had not considered before. It was an incredible experience and one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thinking.

refreshingly different, 28 Feb 2008
Unusually the detective doesn't get his man - well not how you might think, anyway. The characterisation is gripping, but you need to concentrate and keep your wits about you. Can't wait for the next one.

Keeping the fire burning, 25 Sep 2008
As the Russian army moves into Finland in December 1939, the people of the village of Suomussalmi flee, leaving their homes and possessions behind them to be burnt by the retreating Finnish forces. Only one person remains, Timo Vatanen, a simple logger regarded by most as lacking intelligence. It's certainly an act of madness to remain in the village as it is taken over by 50,000 Russian troops who use it as a base camp to fight the war in the surrounding districts.

Disregarding questions of collaboration as the village is alternately occupied by Russian and Finnish troops, Timo attempts to remain in favour with both, doing whatever is necessary, working with other prisoners and deserters as a logger, cutting wood to keep the fires going in a brutally cold winter, and trying to maintain a semblance of home in one house that hasn't been burnt-out. Despite differences with language and personality, Timo forms deep bonds with several of the men has come to know in extreme adverse conditions.

Viewed entirely from the perspective of Timo (though curiously varying from a first to third person perspective), with little indication about the wider ebb and flow of the war, it's a narrow perspective from a person with a very limited awareness and the novel can consequently be rather dry and dull. Essentially however it's about survival. It does raise some interesting psychological questions and the marks left on Timo from the experience are certainly deep.

Weaves together many influences, 26 Oct 2008
Another reviewer is right - it turns into an Alistair Maclean. And an episode of the X Files. And the end of Frankenstein and a story by H.P. Lovecraft. At the end of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein the Monster catches up Victor Frankenstein in his ship. Victor transfers willingly to the Monster's sled, and together they set off towards the Utter North. For H.P. Lovecraft the Great Unknown was the Antarctic where a living meteorite might well have lain dreaming.

slushy mushy fillings , 01 Jan 2008
Initially this seemed an intriguing atmospheric thriller of some subtlety. In the end it degenerated into a farce...Lara Croft meets Mission Impossible. Even the central character - intially interesting -became unbelievable especially after the bizarre and ridiculous sex act.

A struggle from start to finish, 28 Dec 2007
I found this book incredibly hard going. It promised a lot from the reviews I had read and I was keen for something a little out of the ordinary. It certainly scored highly on that score! A lonely Greenlander living in Denmark sets about investigating the death of her only friend - a young boy, also with Greenlandic blood, neglected by his alcoholic mother - and discovers intriguing connections with a serious of mysterious expeditions to Greenland dating back more than 30 years.

On the positive side in many places the writing is extraordinary and incredibly vivid. The book is clearly thoroughly researched and the central premise - that someone's in-depth knowledge of snow, ice and the benefits of intuition can be used to solve a murder mystery - is a refreshing change from other novels of this ilk. There are many interesting characters and Smilla herself is likeable and tenacious, despite objectively seeming to be someone who would be very difficult to like in real life.

However, as with other readers, I found it difficult to keep track of the characters and by the final third of the book was so lost in the geography of the action (knowing nothing about ships or their layout and nothing of the history between Denmark and Greenland) that it was a laborious effort to work out what was going on and where. It felt like wading waist-deep through snow (without any thought to how it was formed or what type it was!).

The final death knell was the disappointment of the ending, especially after having worked so hard to get there. I won't ruin it; it ruins itself.

As a work of literature, this book is fantastic. But as a thriller, it's appalling.

A book to be read in winter!, 11 Dec 2007
This is a complex crime novel. At its heart is Smilla, a feisty independent woman. Her Inuit ancestry makes her very much an outsider in Denmark - the iciness of the winter is reflected in her perceived coldness of the Danes around her. When her seven year old Greenlander neighbour, Isaiah dies she is convinced it is not an accident and sets out to find the truth.

There are some great characters in the book - all well drawn: Jakkelson, Lukas, Isaiah. The dialogue is sparky and often funny. The descriptions of ice and snow are brilliant, as are the flashbacks to life with her mother in Greenland. The pages are scattered with Inuit words which gave an added layer of authenticity and there are some wonderful descriptions of ice and snow (and Smilla's affinity to them both)

The earlier parts of the book are brilliant and made compelling reading. Unfortunately as the plot becomes more and more convoluted it developed into a sort of sci-fi thriller and the ending is a bit of an anti-climax.

A book to be read in winter curled up in a warm place drinking hot chocolate!



Different and interesting, 13 Sep 2007
I liked this because of the descriptions and fine details. Obviously this does not appeal to a lot of people who demand more than that from a thriller. Although it moves along at a slow pace I still was interested in the story. The plot does require concentration. The story really is an old one, about a bunch of guys hiding a secret and bumping off those that find out. More or less. The story does slide into X- files territory at the end. In fact there is an X-files episode set in the arctic about some nasty worms. The end could have been better.

A (decent) history of Western philosophy disguised as a (middle of the road) novel, 03 Aug 2008
Jostein Gaarder has written a concise history of Western philosophy, disguised as a novel. The good news is that the 2000 years of Western philosophy is well explained, the bad news is that the fiction that he hangs the story around, isn't that impressive.

For a philistine such as myself, whose understanding of philosophy extends to having read Plato's Republic and Matt Lawrence's Like a Splinter in Your Mind i.e. basically quite ignorant, Sophie's World did what I needed it to do: it successfully encapsulated and chronologically presented a sequence of ideas and modes of thought that have come to define a Western, rationalist school of thinking. This was exactly what I wanted from the book and in that, I can unreservedly recommend this work. As a work of fiction, Sophie's World sticks together quite well for the first half of the book but once its' central conceit has been revealed, the story becomes much less interesting. I'm certainly not the best judge of fiction as I don't read much of it at all but this story borders on the overly-contrived (which may be intentional).

Given it's subject matter, there is only so far that the material can be simplified before it loses its' meaning (Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time is a perfect example). As Sophie's World involves a series of letters and conversations betwixt a philosophy professor and a fourteen year old girl, the intention is that if she can understand it, then you certainly should. Jostein Gaarder has boiled philosophy down to its' fundamentals about as far as you can before it would become a series of aphorisms.

In short, a successful introduction to all the big names and theories of Western thought (perhaps an update might include a section on string theory), kind of Now That's What I Call Philosophy; however, if you are to purchase this for its fictional facet, then I'd suggest thinking twice.

Proof that you can learn in your leisure!, 16 Jul 2008
I read this as an adult and wish it had been around when I was a teenager as well. It appealed to the eternal, wondering child within me and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Whatever its flaws, whether you just want to have fun, be absorbed in an enquiring read or to learn something about philosophy, I reckon you'd read it to the end .. I'll certainly read it again.

Engagingly light, 25 Mar 2008
A happy wander around childlike explanitions of key philosopher's and figures through out history. However its engaging and i'm almost half way through - not bad really!
Thanks to Del for recommending it.

Not great, but still worth a look., 10 Dec 2007
I bought Sophie's World a few years ago and I finally finished reading it. In summary I would say something like this. Weak plot, flat characters, ambitious scope (the entire history of philosophy in a few hundred pages), easy to start but hard to finish, a great idea though, but Gaarder is not a compelling writer. I recently bought a copy of Stargazers: stories of the first philosophers, which means Greco-Roman philosophy, and I found it much more enjoyable to read. The characters are the actual philosophers and they are totally believable, and the prose is beautiful, so it's easy to keep reading and enjoying the book. I found myself wishing it would continue with the whole history of philosophy. But Sophie's World has its good moments and it does give you a good overview of the main trends in the history of philosophy, even though the author leaves out or gives short shrift to some important philosophers and probably includes some who should not be there. On the whole, I think it's not a great book, but it's still worth reading for the content. Just don't expect a compelling plot or beautiful prose. Readers who give this book 5 stars either don't know what to compare this book with or they have a few screws loose. I wanted to give it 3 and a half, but since 4 stars is too high a rating, I'll give it 3. Anyone really interested in reading just for the history of philosophy might want to try Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy in one volume.

A novel to make you look at the world anew, 07 Dec 2007
I can't recommend this book enough. It isn't just a journey through Western philosophy - it is a story which encourages you to think about your reality and your life from angles you may never have looked before. Delivered through the medium of Alberto Knox - an enigmatic philosophy teacher who arrives in the life of Sophie in a mysterious letter, the book gives rise to a completely different view of reality.

It follows the story of Sophie and Hilde. As stranger and stranger things begin to happen in Sophie's world, it becomes a confusing question of what is going on. Alberto finally covers the philosophy of Berkeley, who posited that the world was nothing more than a figment of the mind of God, and then Sophie's world is turned upside down.

I sat thinking about the book long after I had finished it, contemplating the universe, and my reality and my life. It was like I was given the chance to look at in anew, through different philosophies I had not considered before. It was an incredible experience and one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thinking.

refreshingly different, 28 Feb 2008
Unusually the detective doesn't get his man - well not how you might think, anyway. The characterisation is gripping, but you need to concentrate and keep your wits about you. Can't wait for the next one.

Keeping the fire burning, 25 Sep 2008
As the Russian army moves into Finland in December 1939, the people of the village of Suomussalmi flee, leaving their homes and possessions behind them to be burnt by the retreating Finnish forces. Only one person remains, Timo Vatanen, a simple logger regarded by most as lacking intelligence. It's certainly an act of madness to remain in the village as it is taken over by 50,000 Russian troops who use it as a base camp to fight the war in the surrounding districts.

Disregarding questions of collaboration as the village is alternately occupied by Russian and Finnish troops, Timo attempts to remain in favour with both, doing whatever is necessary, working with other prisoners and deserters as a logger, cutting wood to keep the fires going in a brutally cold winter, and trying to maintain a semblance of home in one house that hasn't been burnt-out. Despite differences with language and personality, Timo forms deep bonds with several of the men has come to know in extreme adverse conditions.

Viewed entirely from the perspective of Timo (though curiously varying from a first to third person perspective), with little indication about the wider ebb and flow of the war, it's a narrow perspective from a person with a very limited awareness and the novel can consequently be rather dry and dull. Essentially however it's about survival. It does raise some interesting psychological questions and the marks left on Timo from the experience are certainly deep.

Weaves together many influences, 26 Oct 2008
Another reviewer is right - it turns into an Alistair Maclean. And an episode of the X Files. And the end of Frankenstein and a story by H.P. Lovecraft. At the end of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein the Monster catches up Victor Frankenstein in his ship. Victor transfers willingly to the Monster's sled, and together they set off towards the Utter North. For H.P. Lovecraft the Great Unknown was the Antarctic where a living meteorite might well have lain dreaming.

slushy mushy fillings , 01 Jan 2008
Initially this seemed an intriguing atmospheric thriller of some subtlety. In the end it degenerated into a farce...Lara Croft meets Mission Impossible. Even the central character - intially interesting -became unbelievable especially after the bizarre and ridiculous sex act.

A struggle from start to finish, 28 Dec 2007
I found this book incredibly hard going. It promised a lot from the reviews I had read and I was keen for something a little out of the ordinary. It certainly scored highly on that score! A lonely Greenlander living in Denmark sets about investigating the death of her only friend - a young boy, also with Greenlandic blood, neglected by his alcoholic mother - and discovers intriguing connections with a serious of mysterious expeditions to Greenland dating back more than 30 years.

On the positive side in many places the writing is extraordinary and incredibly vivid. The book is clearly thoroughly researched and the central premise - that someone's in-depth knowledge of snow, ice and the benefits of intuition can be used to solve a murder mystery - is a refreshing change from other novels of this ilk. There are many interesting characters and Smilla herself is likeable and tenacious, despite objectively seeming to be someone who would be very difficult to like in real life.

However, as with other readers, I found it difficult to keep track of the characters and by the final third of the book was so lost in the geography of the action (knowing nothing about ships or their layout and nothing of the history between Denmark and Greenland) that it was a laborious effort to work out what was going on and where. It felt like wading waist-deep through snow (without any thought to how it was formed or what type it was!).

The final death knell was the disappointment of the ending, especially after having worked so hard to get there. I won't ruin it; it ruins itself.

As a work of literature, this book is fantastic. But as a thriller, it's appalling.

A book to be read in winter!, 11 Dec 2007
This is a complex crime novel. At its heart is Smilla, a feisty independent woman. Her Inuit ancestry makes her very much an outsider in Denmark - the iciness of the winter is reflected in her perceived coldness of the Danes around her. When her seven year old Greenlander neighbour, Isaiah dies she is convinced it is not an accident and sets out to find the truth.

There are some great characters in the book - all well drawn: Jakkelson, Lukas, Isaiah. The dialogue is sparky and often funny. The descriptions of ice and snow are brilliant, as are the flashbacks to life with her mother in Greenland. The pages are scattered with Inuit words which gave an added layer of authenticity and there are some wonderful descriptions of ice and snow (and Smilla's affinity to them both)

The earlier parts of the book are brilliant and made compelling reading. Unfortunately as the plot becomes more and more convoluted it developed into a sort of sci-fi thriller and the ending is a bit of an anti-climax.

A book to be read in winter curled up in a warm place drinking hot chocolate!



Different and interesting, 13 Sep 2007
I liked this because of the descriptions and fine details. Obviously this does not appeal to a lot of people who demand more than that from a thriller. Although it moves along at a slow pace I still was interested in the story. The plot does require concentration. The story really is an old one, about a bunch of guys hiding a secret and bumping off those that find out. More or less. The story does slide into X- files territory at the end. In fact there is an X-files episode set in the arctic about some nasty worms. The end could have been better.


Enjoyable lies, 28 Feb 2008
When I first read Hassel in the 70's I was really hooked. Then having read all the then available books I forgot about him. A couple of months ago I came across him here at Amazon and bought the first 3 to re-read and also "The Bloody Road To Death" as the setting for this one mentions Greece (where I live). I was appalled at the gross inaccuracy of this book's setting! They should have used a geographical atlas and done some research...

Conclusion: Hassel is enjoyable to read but the "historical facts" are really too fictional to even ignore! Research about Hassel verifies in my mind that the accusations of a fake are all true. His "autobiography" as presented in his books is as true as.... Lobsang Rampa's!

However I must concede that his descriptions of war are very realistic and accurate enough (i.e. horrifically realistic although historically very inaccurate) and make for enjoyable reading - for which reason I will probably be getting the next batch in the near future.

Hassel? Enjoy the reading but don't believe a word !

The Bloody Road to Death, 26 Oct 2006
Any book by Sven Hassel is well worth reading. He tells how it was in WW11 as a Danish soldier who was recruited into the Nazi cause against his will. He was there at the savage end fighting a lost Nazi cause. Once you start reading, it's very hard to put down until the last page is reached.
Do read his many other books,very worthwhile. All are 5 star Books!

The Bloody Road To Death, 03 Mar 2003
The book is the best Sven Hassel book I have ever read. It has some of the oddest bits in it and I could not put it down when I read it.

A (decent) history of Western philosophy disguised as a (middle of the road) novel, 03 Aug 2008
Jostein Gaarder has written a concise history of Western philosophy, disguised as a novel. The good news is that the 2000 years of Western philosophy is well explained, the bad news is that the fiction that he hangs the story around, isn't that impressive.

For a philistine such as myself, whose understanding of philosophy extends to having read Plato's Republic and Matt Lawrence's Like a Splinter in Your Mind i.e. basically quite ignorant, Sophie's World did what I needed it to do: it successfully encapsulated and chronologically presented a sequence of ideas and modes of thought that have come to define a Western, rationalist school of thinking. This was exactly what I wanted from the book and in that, I can unreservedly recommend this work. As a work of fiction, Sophie's World sticks together quite well for the first half of the book but once its' central conceit has been revealed, the story becomes much less interesting. I'm certainly not the best judge of fiction as I don't read much of it at all but this story borders on the overly-contrived (which may be intentional).

Given it's subject matter, there is only so far that the material can be simplified before it loses its' meaning (Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time is a perfect example). As Sophie's World involves a series of letters and conversations betwixt a philosophy professor and a fourteen year old girl, the intention is that if she can understand it, then you certainly should. Jostein Gaarder has boiled philosophy down to its' fundamentals about as far as you can before it would become a series of aphorisms.

In short, a successful introduction to all the big names and theories of Western thought (perhaps an update might include a section on string theory), kind of Now That's What I Call Philosophy; however, if you are to purchase this for its fictional facet, then I'd suggest thinking twice.

Proof that you can learn in your leisure!, 16 Jul 2008
I read this as an adult and wish it had been around when I was a teenager as well. It appealed to the eternal, wondering child within me and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Whatever its flaws, whether you just want to have fun, be absorbed in an enquiring read or to learn something about philosophy, I reckon you'd read it to the end .. I'll certainly read it again.

Engagingly light, 25 Mar 2008
A happy wander around childlike explanitions of key philosopher's and figures through out history. However its engaging and i'm almost half way through - not bad really!
Thanks to Del for recommending it.

Not great, but still worth a look., 10 Dec 2007
I bought Sophie's World a few years ago and I finally finished reading it. In summary I would say something like this. Weak plot, flat characters, ambitious scope (the entire history of philosophy in a few hundred pages), easy to start but hard to finish, a great idea though, but Gaarder is not a compelling writer. I recently bought a copy of Stargazers: stories of the first philosophers, which means Greco-Roman philosophy, and I found it much more enjoyable to read. The characters are the actual philosophers and they are totally believable, and the prose is beautiful, so it's easy to keep reading and enjoying the book. I found myself wishing it would continue with the whole history of philosophy. But Sophie's World has its good moments and it does give you a good overview of the main trends in the history of philosophy, even though the author leaves out or gives short shrift to some important philosophers and probably includes some who should not be there. On the whole, I think it's not a great book, but it's still worth reading for the content. Just don't expect a compelling plot or beautiful prose. Readers who give this book 5 stars either don't know what to compare this book with or they have a few screws loose. I wanted to give it 3 and a half, but since 4 stars is too high a rating, I'll give it 3. Anyone really interested in reading just for the history of philosophy might want to try Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy in one volume.

A novel to make you look at the world anew, 07 Dec 2007
I can't recommend this book enough. It isn't just a journey through Western philosophy - it is a story which encourages you to think about your reality and your life from angles you may never have looked before. Delivered through the medium of Alberto Knox - an enigmatic philosophy teacher who arrives in the life of Sophie in a mysterious letter, the book gives rise to a completely different view of reality.

It follows the story of Sophie and Hilde. As stranger and stranger things begin to happen in Sophie's world, it becomes a confusing question of what is going on. Alberto finally covers the philosophy of Berkeley, who posited that the world was nothing more than a figment of the mind of God, and then Sophie's world is turned upside down.

I sat thinking about the book long after I had finished it, contemplating the universe, and my reality and my life. It was like I was given the chance to look at in anew, through different philosophies I had not considered before. It was an incredible experience and one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thinking.

refreshingly different, 28 Feb 2008
Unusually the detective doesn't get his man - well not how you might think, anyway. The characterisation is gripping, but you need to concentrate and keep your wits about you. Can't wait for the next one.

Keeping the fire burning, 25 Sep 2008
As the Russian army moves into Finland in December 1939, the people of the village of Suomussalmi flee, leaving their homes and possessions behind them to be burnt by the retreating Finnish forces. Only one person remains, Timo Vatanen, a simple logger regarded by most as lacking intelligence. It's certainly an act of madness to remain in the village as it is taken over by 50,000 Russian troops who use it as a base camp to fight the war in the surrounding districts.

Disregarding questions of collaboration as the village is alternately occupied by Russian and Finnish troops, Timo attempts to remain in favour with both, doing whatever is necessary, working with other prisoners and deserters as a logger, cutting wood to keep the fires going in a brutally cold winter, and trying to maintain a semblance of home in one house that hasn't been burnt-out. Despite differences with language and personality, Timo forms deep bonds with several of the men has come to know in extreme adverse conditions.

Viewed entirely from the perspective of Timo (though curiously varying from a first to third person perspective), with little indication about the wider ebb and flow of the war, it's a narrow perspective from a person with a very limited awareness and the novel can consequently be rather dry and dull. Essentially however it's about survival. It does raise some interesting psychological questions and the marks left on Timo from the experience are certainly deep.

Weaves together many influences, 26 Oct 2008
Another reviewer is right - it turns into an Alistair Maclean. And an episode of the X Files. And the end of Frankenstein and a story by H.P. Lovecraft. At the end of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein the Monster catches up Victor Frankenstein in his ship. Victor transfers willingly to the Monster's sled, and together they set off towards the Utter North. For H.P. Lovecraft the Great Unknown was the Antarctic where a living meteorite might well have lain dreaming.

slushy mushy fillings , 01 Jan 2008
Initially this seemed an intriguing atmospheric thriller of some subtlety. In the end it degenerated into a farce...Lara Croft meets Mission Impossible. Even the central character - intially interesting -became unbelievable especially after the bizarre and ridiculous sex act.

A struggle from start to finish, 28 Dec 2007
I found this book incredibly hard going. It promised a lot from the reviews I had read and I was keen for something a little out of the ordinary. It certainly scored highly on that score! A lonely Greenlander living in Denmark sets about investigating the death of her only friend - a young boy, also with Greenlandic blood, neglected by his alcoholic mother - and discovers intriguing connections with a serious of mysterious expeditions to Greenland dating back more than 30 years.

On the positive side in many places the writing is extraordinary and incredibly vivid. The book is clearly thoroughly researched and the central premise - that someone's in-depth knowledge of snow, ice and the benefits of intuition can be used to solve a murder mystery - is a refreshing change from other novels of this ilk. There are many interesting characters and Smilla herself is likeable and tenacious, despite objectively seeming to be someone who would be very difficult to like in real life.

However, as with other readers, I found it difficult to keep track of the characters and by the final third of the book was so lost in the geography of the action (knowing nothing about ships or their layout and nothing of the history between Denmark and Greenland) that it was a laborious effort to work out what was going on and where. It felt like wading waist-deep through snow (without any thought to how it was formed or what type it was!).

The final death knell was the disappointment of the ending, especially after having worked so hard to get there. I won't ruin it; it ruins itself.

As a work of literature, this book is fantastic. But as a thriller, it's appalling.

A book to be read in winter!, 11 Dec 2007
This is a complex crime novel. At its heart is Smilla, a feisty independent woman. Her Inuit ancestry makes her very much an outsider in Denmark - the iciness of the winter is reflected in her perceived coldness of the Danes around her. When her seven year old Greenlander neighbour, Isaiah dies she is convinced it is not an accident and sets out to find the truth.

There are some great characters in the book - all well drawn: Jakkelson, Lukas, Isaiah. The dialogue is sparky and often funny. The descriptions of ice and snow are brilliant, as are the flashbacks to life with her mother in Greenland. The pages are scattered with Inuit words which gave an added layer of authenticity and there are some wonderful descriptions of ice and snow (and Smilla's affinity to them both)

The earlier parts of the book are brilliant and made compelling reading. Unfortunately as the plot becomes more and more convoluted it developed into a sort of sci-fi thriller and the ending is a bit of an anti-climax.

A book to be read in winter curled up in a warm place drinking hot chocolate!



Different and interesting, 13 Sep 2007
I liked this because of the descriptions and fine details. Obviously this does not appeal to a lot of people who demand more than that from a thriller. Although it moves along at a slow pace I still was interested in the story. The plot does require concentration. The story really is an old one, about a bunch of guys hiding a secret and bumping off those that find out. More or less. The story does slide into X- files territory at the end. In fact there is an X-files episode set in the arctic about some nasty worms. The end could have been better.


Enjoyable lies, 28 Feb 2008
When I first read Hassel in the 70's I was really hooked. Then having read all the then available books I forgot about him. A couple of months ago I came across him here at Amazon and bought the first 3 to re-read and also "The Bloody Road To Death" as the setting for this one mentions Greece (where I live). I was appalled at the gross inaccuracy of this book's setting! They should have used a geographical atlas and done some research...

Conclusion: Hassel is enjoyable to read but the "historical facts" are really too fictional to even ignore! Research about Hassel verifies in my mind that the accusations of a fake are all true. His "autobiography" as presented in his books is as true as.... Lobsang Rampa's!

However I must concede that his descriptions of war are very realistic and accurate enough (i.e. horrifically realistic although historically very inaccurate) and make for enjoyable reading - for which reason I will probably be getting the next batch in the near future.

Hassel? Enjoy the reading but don't believe a word !

The Bloody Road to Death, 26 Oct 2006
Any book by Sven Hassel is well worth reading. He tells how it was in WW11 as a Danish soldier who was recruited into the Nazi cause against his will. He was there at the savage end fighting a lost Nazi cause. Once you start reading, it's very hard to put down until the last page is reached.
Do read his many other books,very worthwhile. All are 5 star Books!

The Bloody Road To Death, 03 Mar 2003
The book is the best Sven Hassel book I have ever read. It has some of the oddest bits in it and I could not put it down when I read it.

His Best Novel, 05 May 2002
This has to be the best Sven Hassel novel. Having said that it's also his most bloody. His series of short stories of Tiny, Porta, the Old Man, the Legionnaire and the rest fighting on the Eastern Front will keep you up at night. If you like to put a book down and forget it then this is not something you should read, the stories will get into your head and never leave you. I should know I've read this multiple times over the last 15 years since I first picked up a copy of it.

A (decent) history of Western philosophy disguised as a (middle of the road) novel, 03 Aug 2008
Jostein Gaarder has written a concise history of Western philosophy, disguised as a novel. The good news is that the 2000 years of Western philosophy is well explained, the bad news is that the fiction that he hangs the story around, isn't that impressive.

For a philistine such as myself, whose understanding of philosophy extends to having read Plato's Republic and Matt Lawrence's Like a Splinter in Your Mind i.e. basically quite ignorant, Sophie's World did what I needed it to do: it successfully encapsulated and chronologically presented a sequence of ideas and modes of thought that have come to define a Western, rationalist school of thinking. This was exactly what I wanted from the book and in that, I can unreservedly recommend this work. As a work of fiction, Sophie's World sticks together quite well for the first half of the book but once its' central conceit has been revealed, the story becomes much less interesting. I'm certainly not the best judge of fiction as I don't read much of it at all but this story borders on the overly-contrived (which may be intentional).

Given it's subject matter, there is only so far that the material can be simplified before it loses its' meaning (Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time is a perfect example). As Sophie's World involves a series of letters and conversations betwixt a philosophy professor and a fourteen year old girl, the intention is that if she can understand it, then you certainly should. Jostein Gaarder has boiled philosophy down to its' fundamentals about as far as you can before it would become a series of aphorisms.

In short, a successful introduction to all the big names and theories of Western thought (perhaps an update might include a section on string theory), kind of Now That's What I Call Philosophy; however, if you are to purchase this for its fictional facet, then I'd suggest thinking twice.

Proof that you can learn in your leisure!, 16 Jul 2008
I read this as an adult and wish it had been around when I was a teenager as well. It appealed to the eternal, wondering child within me and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Whatever its flaws, whether you just want to have fun, be absorbed in an enquiring read or to learn something about philosophy, I reckon you'd read it to the end .. I'll certainly read it again.

Engagingly light, 25 Mar 2008
A happy wander around childlike explanitions of key philosopher's and figures through out history. However its engaging and i'm almost half way through - not bad really!
Thanks to Del for recommending it.

Not great, but still worth a look., 10 Dec 2007
I bought Sophie's World a few years ago and I finally finished reading it. In summary I would say something like this. Weak plot, flat characters, ambitious scope (the entire history of philosophy in a few hundred pages), easy to start but hard to finish, a great idea though, but Gaarder is not a compelling writer. I recently bought a copy of Stargazers: stories of the first philosophers, which means Greco-Roman philosophy, and I found it much more enjoyable to read. The characters are the actual philosophers and they are totally believable, and the prose is beautiful, so it's easy to keep reading and enjoying the book. I found myself wishing it would continue with the whole history of philosophy. But Sophie's World has its good moments and it does give you a good overview of the main trends in the history of philosophy, even though the author leaves out or gives short shrift to some important philosophers and probably includes some who should not be there. On the whole, I think it's not a great book, but it's still worth reading for the content. Just don't expect a compelling plot or beautiful prose. Readers who give this book 5 stars either don't know what to compare this book with or they have a few screws loose. I wanted to give it 3 and a half, but since 4 stars is too high a rating, I'll give it 3. Anyone really interested in reading just for the history of philosophy might want to try Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy in one volume.

A novel to make you look at the world anew, 07 Dec 2007
I can't recommend this book enough. It isn't just a journey through Western philosophy - it is a story which encourages you to think about your reality and your life from angles you may never have looked before. Delivered through the medium of Alberto Knox - an enigmatic philosophy teacher who arrives in the life of Sophie in a mysterious letter, the book gives rise to a completely different view of reality.

It follows the story of Sophie and Hilde. As stranger and stranger things begin to happen in Sophie's world, it becomes a confusing question of what is going on. Alberto finally covers the philosophy of Berkeley, who posited that the world was nothing more than a figment of the mind of God, and then Sophie's world is turned upside down.

I sat thinking about the book long after I had finished it, contemplating the universe, and my reality and my life. It was like I was given the chance to look at in anew, through different philosophies I had not considered before. It was an incredible experience and one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thinking.

refreshingly different, 28 Feb 2008
Unusually the detective doesn't get his man - well not how you might think, anyway. The characterisation is gripping, but you need to concentrate and keep your wits about you. Can't wait for the next one.

Keeping the fire burning, 25 Sep 2008
As the Russian army moves into Finland in December 1939, the people of the village of Suomussalmi flee, leaving their homes and possessions behind them to be burnt by the retreating Finnish forces. Only one person remains, Timo Vatanen, a simple logger regarded by most as lacking intelligence. It's certainly an act of madness to remain in the village as it is taken over by 50,000 Russian troops who use it as a base camp to fight the war in the surrounding districts.

Disregarding questions of collaboration as the village is alternately occupied by Russian and Finnish troops, Timo attempts to remain in favour with both, doing whatever is necessary, working with other prisoners and deserters as a logger, cutting wood to keep the fires going in a brutally cold winter, and trying to maintain a semblance of home in one house that hasn't been burnt-out. Despite differences with language and personality, Timo forms deep bonds with several of the men has come to know in extreme adverse conditions.

Viewed entirely from the perspective of Timo (though curiously varying from a first to third person perspective), with little indication about the wider ebb and flow of the war, it's a narrow perspective from a person with a very limited awareness and the novel can consequently be rather dry and dull. Essentially however it's about survival. It does raise some interesting psychological questions and the marks left on Timo from the experience are certainly deep.

Weaves together many influences, 26 Oct 2008
Another reviewer is right - it turns into an Alistair Maclean. And an episode of the X Files. And the end of Frankenstein and a story by H.P. Lovecraft. At the end of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein the Monster catches up Victor Frankenstein in his ship. Victor transfers willingly to the Monster's sled, and together they set off towards the Utter North. For H.P. Lovecraft the Great Unknown was the Antarctic where a living meteorite might well have lain dreaming.

slushy mushy fillings , 01 Jan 2008
Initially this seemed an intriguing atmospheric thriller of some subtlety. In the end it degenerated into a farce...Lara Croft meets Mission Impossible. Even the central character - intially interesting -became unbelievable especially after the bizarre and ridiculous sex act.

A struggle from start to finish, 28 Dec 2007
I found this book incredibly hard going. It promised a lot from the reviews I had read and I was keen for something a little out of the ordinary. It certainly scored highly on that score! A lonely Greenlander living in Denmark sets about investigating the death of her only friend - a young boy, also with Greenlandic blood, neglected by his alcoholic mother - and discovers intriguing connections with a serious of mysterious expeditions to Greenland dating back more than 30 years.

On the positive side in many places the writing is extraordinary and incredibly vivid. The book is clearly thoroughly researched and the central premise - that someone's in-depth knowledge of snow, ice and the benefits of intuition can be used to solve a murder mystery - is a refreshing change from other novels of this ilk. There are many interesting characters and Smilla herself is likeable and tenacious, despite objectively seeming to be someone who would be very difficult to like in real life.

However, as with other readers, I found it difficult to keep track of the characters and by the final third of the book was so lost in the geography of the action (knowing nothing about ships or their layout and nothing of the history between Denmark and Greenland) that it was a laborious effort to work out what was going on and where. It felt like wading waist-deep through snow (without any thought to how it was formed or what type it was!).

The final death knell was the disappointment of the ending, especially after having worked so hard to get there. I won't ruin it; it ruins itself.

As a work of literature, this book is fantastic. But as a thriller, it's appalling.

A book to be read in winter!, 11 Dec 2007
This is a complex crime novel. At its heart is Smilla, a feisty independent woman. Her Inuit ancestry makes her very much an outsider in Denmark - the iciness of the winter is reflected in her perceived coldness of the Danes around her. When her seven year old Greenlander neighbour, Isaiah dies she is convinced it is not an accident and sets out to find the truth.

There are some great characters in the book - all well drawn: Jakkelson, Lukas, Isaiah. The dialogue is sparky and often funny. The descriptions of ice and snow are brilliant, as are the flashbacks to life with her mother in Greenland. The pages are scattered with Inuit words which gave an added layer of authenticity and there are some wonderful descriptions of ice and snow (and Smilla's affinity to them both)

The earlier parts of the book are brilliant and made compelling reading. Unfortunately as the plot becomes more and more convoluted it developed into a sort of sci-fi thriller and the ending is a bit of an anti-climax.

A book to be read in winter curled up in a warm place drinking hot chocolate!



Different and interesting, 13 Sep 2007
I liked this because of the descriptions and fine details. Obviously this does not appeal to a lot of people who demand more than that from a thriller. Although it moves along at a slow pace I still was interested in the story. The plot does require concentration. The story really is an old one, about a bunch of guys hiding a secret and bumping off those that find out. More or less. The story does slide into X- files territory at the end. In fact there is an X-files episode set in the arctic about some nasty worms. The end could have been better.


Enjoyable lies, 28 Feb 2008
When I first read Hassel in the 70's I was really hooked. Then having read all the then available books I forgot about him. A couple of months ago I came across him here at Amazon and bought the first 3 to re-read and also "The Bloody Road To Death" as the setting for this one mentions Greece (where I live). I was appalled at the gross inaccuracy of this book's setting! They should have used a geographical atlas and done some research...

Conclusion: Hassel is enjoyable to read but the "historical facts" are really too fictional to even ignore! Research about Hassel verifies in my mind that the accusations of a fake are all true. His "autobiography" as presented in his books is as true as.... Lobsang Rampa's!

However I must concede that his descriptions of war are very realistic and accurate enough (i.e. horrifically realistic although historically very inaccurate) and make for enjoyable reading - for which reason I will probably be getting the next batch in the near future.

Hassel? Enjoy the reading but don't believe a word !

The Bloody Road to Death, 26 Oct 2006
Any book by Sven Hassel is well worth reading. He tells how it was in WW11 as a Danish soldier who was recruited into the Nazi cause against his will. He was there at the savage end fighting a lost Nazi cause. Once you start reading, it's very hard to put down until the last page is reached.
Do read his many other books,very worthwhile. All are 5 star Books!

The Bloody Road To Death, 03 Mar 2003
The book is the best Sven Hassel book I have ever read. It has some of the oddest bits in it and I could not put it down when I read it.

His Best Novel, 05 May 2002
This has to be the best Sven Hassel novel. Having said that it's also his most bloody. His series of short stories of Tiny, Porta, the Old Man, the Legionnaire and the rest fighting on the Eastern Front will keep you up at night. If you like to put a book down and forget it then this is not something you should read, the stories will get into your head and never leave you. I should know I've read this multiple times over the last 15 years since I first picked up a copy of it.

The lighter side of War, 09 Sep 2002
As usual, Sven Hassel manages to combine the horrors of WWII with the lighter moments. It wasn't all explosions and death, the soldiers on both sides were human, not just killing machines.
In this continuing story of life in the Wermacht, Sven, Tiny, Porta and the rest become involved in one of Porta's latest scams, the tracking down of a fortune in gold!
The only problem is, the gold is in the middle of Russia and the only person who knows where it is is a Russian Commissar!
More light-hearted than Hassels earlier accounts, although he never strays far from the realities of War.
En extremely enjoyable read

Jostein Gaarder is not one to shirk at the larger questions: who are we? and where does the world come from? In his latest novel, Maya, he once again addresses life, the universe and pretty much everything else, concentrating on the existence of God, the evolution of life as we know it, the nature of consciousness and the meaning behind it all. It's weighty stuff for a mere 300 or so pages of prose, and Gaarder is not entirely successful in dealing with these issues in a readable manner.

The novel is set in Madrid and on the unspoiled Fijian island of Taveuini. Frank Andersen, a Norwegian evolutionary biologist who feels "oppressed by the grief that the lack of spirit and permanence in our existence brings", meets up with a beautiful Spanish Flamenco dancer, Ana, her companion Jose, and an English writer from Croydon, John Spoke. They then discuss the big issues. This is where the problem arises; there is too much discussion of ideas and not enough emotional involvement or development of characters. They exist merely as mouthpieces for different theories. Gaarder then adds a bewildering supernatural dimension. There is Ana and Jose's manifesto, a mystical dialogue that describes the creation and evolution process in a series of self-consciously obscure metaphors to consider; hints of past lives; a time-travelling dwarf; and an enigmatic photograph. All this excitement sits uneasily with the almost pedantic prose style.

Gaarder's forte is to incorporate challenging themes into a flowing, imaginative narrative. The author's earlier novel,Sophie's World, has been a phenomenal success; the novel has sold over 16 million copies, been translated into 42 languages and is a whistle-stop tour of philosophy, from Socrates to Sartre. Unfortunately in the case of Maya, the story fails to grip the reader enough and lacks the fluidity of prose that made Sophie's World such a delight to read. --Eithne Farry

A (decent) history of Western philosophy disguised as a (middle of the road) novel, 03 Aug 2008
Jostein Gaarder has written a concise history of Western philosophy, disguised as a novel. The good news is that the 2000 years of Western philosophy is well explained, the bad news is that the fiction that he hangs the story around, isn't that impressive.

For a philistine such as myself, whose understanding of philosophy extends to having read Plato's Republic and Matt Lawrence's Like a Splinter in Your Mind i.e. basically quite ignorant, Sophie's World did what I needed it to do: it successfully encapsulated and chronologically presented a sequence of ideas and modes of thought that have come to define a Western, rationalist school of thinking. This was exactly what I wanted from the book and in that, I can unreservedly recommend this work. As a work of fiction, Sophie's World sticks together quite well for the first half of the book but once its' central conceit has been revealed, the story becomes much less interesting. I'm certainly not the best judge of fiction as I don't read much of it at all but this story borders on the overly-contrived (which may be intentional).

Given it's subject matter, there is only so far that the material can be simplified before it loses its' meaning (Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time is a perfect example). As Sophie's World involves a series of letters and conversations betwixt a philosophy professor and a fourteen year old girl, the intention is that if she can understand it, then you certainly should. Jostein Gaarder has boiled philosophy down to its' fundamentals about as far as you can before it would become a series of aphorisms.

In short, a successful introduction to all the big names and theories of Western thought (perhaps an update might include a section on string theory), kind of Now That's What I Call Philosophy; however, if you are to purchase this for its fictional facet, then I'd suggest thinking twice.

Proof that you can learn in your leisure!, 16 Jul 2008
I read this as an adult and wish it had been around when I was a teenager as well. It appealed to the eternal, wondering child within me and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Whatever its flaws, whether you just want to have fun, be absorbed in an enquiring read or to learn something about philosophy, I reckon you'd read it to the end .. I'll certainly read it again.

Engagingly light, 25 Mar 2008
A happy wander around childlike explanitions of key philosopher's and figures through out history. However its engaging and i'm almost half way through - not bad really!
Thanks to Del for recommending it.

Not great, but still worth a look., 10 Dec 2007
I bought Sophie's World a few years ago and I finally finished reading it. In summary I would say something like this. Weak plot, flat characters, ambitious scope (the entire history of philosophy in a few hundred pages), easy to start but hard to finish, a great idea though, but Gaarder is not a compelling writer. I recently bought a copy of Stargazers: stories of the first philosophers, which means Greco-Roman philosophy, and I found it much more enjoyable to read. The characters are the actual philosophers and they are totally believable, and the prose is beautiful, so it's easy to keep reading and enjoying the book. I found myself wishing it would continue with the whole history of philosophy. But Sophie's World has its good moments and it does give you a good overview of the main trends in the history of philosophy, even though the author leaves out or gives short shrift to some important philosophers and probably includes some who should not be there. On the whole, I think it's not a great book, but it's still worth reading for the content. Just don't expect a compelling plot or beautiful prose. Readers who give this book 5 stars either don't know what to compare this book with or they have a few screws loose. I wanted to give it 3 and a half, but since 4 stars is too high a rating, I'll give it 3. Anyone really interested in reading just for the history of philosophy might want to try Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy in one volume.

A novel to make you look at the world anew, 07 Dec 2007
I can't recommend this book enough. It isn't just a journey through Western philosophy - it is a story which encourages you to think about your reality and your life from angles you may never have looked before. Delivered through the medium of Alberto Knox - an enigmatic philosophy teacher who arrives in the life of Sophie in a mysterious letter, the book gives rise to a completely different view of reality.

It follows the story of Sophie and Hilde. As stranger and stranger things begin to happen in Sophie's world, it becomes a confusing question of what is going on. Alberto finally covers the philosophy of Berkeley, who posited that the world was nothing more than a figment of the mind of God, and then Sophie's world is turned upside down.

I sat thinking about the book long after I had finished it, contemplating the universe, and my reality and my life. It was like I was given the chance to look at in anew, through different philosophies I had not considered before. It was an incredible experience and one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thinking.

refreshingly different, 28 Feb 2008
Unusually the detective doesn't get his man - well not how you might think, anyway. The characterisation is gripping, but you need to concentrate and keep your wits about you. Can't wait for the next one.

Keeping the fire burning, 25 Sep 2008
As the Russian army moves into Finland in December 1939, the people of the village of Suomussalmi flee, leaving their homes and possessions behind them to be burnt by the retreating Finnish forces. Only one person remains, Timo Vatanen, a simple logger regarded by most as lacking intelligence. It's certainly an act of madness to remain in the village as it is taken over by 50,000 Russian troops who use it as a base camp to fight the war in the surrounding districts.

Disregarding questions of collaboration as the village is alternately occupied by Russian and Finnish troops, Timo attempts to remain in favour with both, doing whatever is necessary, working with other prisoners and deserters as a logger, cutting wood to keep the fires going in a brutally cold winter, and trying to maintain a semblance of home in one house that hasn't been burnt-out. Despite differences with language and personality, Timo forms deep bonds with several of the men has come to know in extreme adverse conditions.

Viewed entirely from the perspective of Timo (though curiously varying from a first to third person perspective), with little indication about the wider ebb and flow of the war, it's a narrow perspective from a person with a very limited awareness and the novel can consequently be rather dry and dull. Essentially however it's about survival. It does raise some interesting psychological questions and the marks left on Timo from the experience are certainly deep.

Weaves together many influences, 26 Oct 2008
Another reviewer is right - it turns into an Alistair Maclean. And an episode of the X Files. And the end of Frankenstein and a story by H.P. Lovecraft. At the end of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein the Monster catches up Victor Frankenstein in his ship. Victor transfers willingly to the Monster's sled, and together they set off towards the Utter North. For H.P. Lovecraft the Great Unknown was the Antarctic where a living meteorite might well have lain dreaming.

slushy mushy fillings , 01 Jan 2008
Initially this seemed an intriguing atmospheric thriller of some subtlety. In the end it degenerated into a farce...Lara Croft meets Mission Impossible. Even the central character - intially interesting -became unbelievable especially after the bizarre and ridiculous sex act.

A struggle from start to finish, 28 Dec 2007
I found this book incredibly hard going. It promised a lot from the reviews I had read and I was keen for something a little out of the ordinary. It certainly scored highly on that score! A lonely Greenlander living in Denmark sets about investigating the death of her only friend - a young boy, also with Greenlandic blood, neglected by his alcoholic mother - and discovers intriguing connections with a serious of mysterious expeditions to Greenland dating back more than 30 years.

On the positive side in many places the writing is extraordinary and incredibly vivid. The book is clearly thoroughly researched and the central premise - that someone's in-depth knowledge of snow, ice and the benefits of intuition can be used to solve a murder mystery - is a refreshing change from other novels of this ilk. There are many interesting characters and Smilla herself is likeable and tenacious, despite objectively seeming to be someone who would be very difficult to like in real life.

However, as with other readers, I found it difficult to keep track of the characters and by the final third of the book was so lost in the geography of the action (knowing nothing about ships or their layout and nothing of the history between Denmark and Greenland) that it was a laborious effort to work out what was going on and where. It felt like wading waist-deep through snow (without any thought to how it was formed or what type it was!).

The final death knell was the disappointment of the ending, especially after having worked so hard to get there. I won't ruin it; it ruins itself.

As a work of literature, this book is fantastic. But as a thriller, it's appalling.

A book to be read in winter!, 11 Dec 2007
This is a complex crime novel. At its heart is Smilla, a feisty independent woman. Her Inuit ancestry makes her very much an outsider in Denmark - the iciness of the winter is reflected in her perceived coldness of the Danes around her. When her seven year old Greenlander neighbour, Isaiah dies she is convinced it is not an accident and sets out to find the truth.

There are some great characters in the book - all well drawn: Jakkelson, Lukas, Isaiah. The dialogue is sparky and often funny. The descriptions of ice and snow are brilliant, as are the flashbacks to life with her mother in Greenland. The pages are scattered with Inuit words which gave an added layer of authenticity and there are some wonderful descriptions of ice and snow (and Smilla's affinity to them both)

The earlier parts of the book are brilliant and made compelling reading. Unfortunately as the plot becomes more and more convoluted it developed into a sort of sci-fi thriller and the ending is a bit of an anti-climax.

A book to be read in winter curled up in a warm place drinking hot chocolate!



Different and interesting, 13 Sep 2007
I liked this because of the descriptions and fine details. Obviously this does not appeal to a lot of people who demand more than that from a thriller. Although it moves along at a slow pace I still was interested in the story. The plot does require concentration. The story really is an old one, about a bunch of guys hiding a secret and bumping off those that find out. More or less. The story does slide into X- files territory at the end. In fact there is an X-files episode set in the arctic about some nasty worms. The end could have been better.


Enjoyable lies, 28 Feb 2008
When I first read Hassel in the 70's I was really hooked. Then having read all the then available books I forgot about him. A couple of months ago I came across him here at Amazon and bought the first 3 to re-read and also "The Bloody Road To Death" as the setting for this one mentions Greece (where I live). I was appalled at the gross inaccuracy of this book's setting! They should have used a geographical atlas and done some research...

Conclusion: Hassel is enjoyable to read but the "historical facts" are really too fictional to even ignore! Research about Hassel verifies in my mind that the accusations of a fake are all true. His "autobiography" as presented in his books is as true as.... Lobsang Rampa's!

However I must concede that his descriptions of war are very realistic and accurate enough (i.e. horrifically realistic although historically very inaccurate) and make for enjoyable reading - for which reason I will probably be getting the next batch in the near future.

Hassel? Enjoy the reading but don't believe a word !

The Bloody Road to Death, 26 Oct 2006
Any book by Sven Hassel is well worth reading. He tells how it was in WW11 as a Danish soldier who was recruited into the Nazi cause against his will. He was there at the savage end fighting a lost Nazi cause. Once you start reading, it's very hard to put down until the last page is reached.
Do read his many other books,very worthwhile. All are 5 star Books!

The Bloody Road To Death, 03 Mar 2003
The book is the best Sven Hassel book I have ever read. It has some of the oddest bits in it and I could not put it down when I read it.

His Best Novel, 05 May 2002
This has to be the best Sven Hassel novel. Having said that it's also his most bloody. His series of short stories of Tiny, Porta, the Old Man, the Legionnaire and the rest fighting on the Eastern Front will keep you up at night. If you like to put a book down and forget it then this is not something you should read, the stories will get into your head and never leave you. I should know I've read this multiple times over the last 15 years since I first picked up a copy of it.

The lighter side of War, 09 Sep 2002
As usual, Sven Hassel manages to combine the horrors of WWII with the lighter moments. It wasn't all explosions and death, the soldiers on both sides were human, not just killing machines.
In this continuing story of life in the Wermacht, Sven, Tiny, Porta and the rest become involved in one of Porta's latest scams, the tracking down of a fortune in gold!
The only problem is, the gold is in the middle of Russia and the only person who knows where it is is a Russian Commissar!
More light-hearted than Hassels earlier accounts, although he never strays far from the realities of War.
En extremely enjoyable read

Not one of his better works..., 10 May 2007
Maybe I expected this to be another Sophie's World, but it's very different. I found that it dragged a bit; while the ideas seemed interesting, there were sections where I felt like I just couldn't be bothered to read on.
The ending is good, and the book itself is generally enjoyable enough (with, as I said, some less inspiring bits).
I admit that the area of biology and evolution and so on isn't as interesting to me as philosophy, so that might account for the book seeming dull in comparison with Sophie's World. Additionally, I found parts of the plot very similar to The Solitaire Mystery, but it just didn't engage me as much.
Overall, I found that I struggled to get through this book.

Yet another masterpiece from Jostein Gaarder, 20 Jul 2005
After reading The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder and deciding it was probably my favourite book of all time, I did not believe that Gaarder could produce another story which came close, but I was wrong.

Maya is now hot competition for my number 1 book spot. Once more, Gaarder has masterfully combined intriguing fact with an unpredictable and exciting story line. The plot is so thick that you can easily forget which world is reality, and, unlike so many books, the fact does not seem to be there just for the sake of it. Instead of existing alone, it helps to further the story.

A must for all readers, no matter their interests.

Gaarder for beginners, 20 Apr 2003
As a Fan of Gaarder I was sort of expecting Maya to be for evolutionary theory what Sophie's World was for philosophy. I was pleasently surprised to fine that this was not the case. As always Gaarder weaves a fairly difficult tale and I'll admit that I could only take this book in short quantities but felt well rewarded by the end. I recommend this book to anyone whoever wondered about the existance of a cosmic plan. The strands of the story are allows to tie up in a very realistic way (relatively speaking)which surprised me. If you like Gaarder you might feel this is a slight break from his previous style. If you haven't read any of his work before, this is probably the best book to ease into it

Gaarder at his best, like sophies world? Love this!!, 11 Oct 2001
Gaarder has a habit of enfolding the reader not only in his novels but also in his philosophies. In Maya the reader will think about the big questions of life, the universe and everything as well as be beguiled by the sometimes strange and always compelling narrative of the book. It isn't an easy read but it's certainly a fulfilling one. Great!!

Good use of "dialogue", 26 Jul 2001
It is unfair to criticise J Gaarder for using the characters in this book as "mouthpieces for different theories". This is in fact a style almost as written language, most notably favoured in this genre by Plato, and seems most effective when the book is taken as a view of philosophy in the form of a book rather than a book that tried to deal with philosophy. And if you understood that, your ready to join us.