paul

Very Little Analysis - mostly retells the stories

Revisado: 09-07-16

Any additional comments?

Being a recent college grad, I think professors are getting used to the idea that their students aren't going to read the assigned literature. Instead of teaching the books at a deep level, connecting themes and ideas, the professor simply summarizes the stories. There is a bit of historical and cultural background, and that part is appreciated, but too little is provided.

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Prof Weinstein pushes his perspective on the books

Revisado: 08-20-16

Would you try another book from The Great Courses and/or Professor Arnold Weinstein?

.

Any additional comments?

Professor Weinstein is learned and entertaining, but he tends to be a bit tone-deaf to the transcendent or spiritual themes and authors. He doesn't seem able to follow an author to the spiritual heights. He always wants to deflate the symbols of transcendence with a kind of materialist reductionism. He's not an angry atheist type who wants to insult everything spiritual, but religious themes of Uncle Tom's Cabin for instance seem closed to him as if he is numb to ecstatic moral moments that lay the Truth bare before a reader. When discussing the moment of death in an Emily Dickenson poem, he insists that the poet is noting how people "bring out their myths" to cope with the loss. Reading the poem without that reduction gives no such impression. For me, the professor flattened the very high spiritual peaks of American literature. I hesitate to recommend this program.

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I bought the book, now I'm hoping...

Revisado: 09-04-15

Any additional comments?

Can anyone tell me if this winds up being a smear of clergy, the church, or religious thinking in general? I don't wish to waste my time if it's just another anti-Christian story.

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Lacks depth. The ending is a tired cliche.

Revisado: 08-06-15

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Young adults might like this book more, but it isn't fit for minors. There is gratuitous, explicit content.

What was most disappointing about John Green’s story?

The characters come through a terrible loss, but the author writes a hackneyed old thought about the meaning of life, and tries oh-so-hard to put it in poetic terms. You could rewrite the ending with better epiphanies, deeper wisdom, more profound insight, and the book would be worth the read. As it is, some decent characters invite you to not give up on the story, only to disappoint.

Any additional comments?

I regret the time spent on this selection.

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This is no schoolboy vision of our faith.

Revisado: 08-06-12

Would you consider the audio edition of Perelandra to be better than the print version?

Yes.

Who was your favorite character and why?

God is my favorite character. Even though Lewis doesn't render Him overtly, the story contains a vision of how God intended things to be. It would be impossible not to love Him if we understood Him the way Lewis did.

What does Geoffrey Howard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Howard has the whole range of intangibles that separate mediocre readers from very good ones. He can carry the tone and mood of each situation without making himself the object in place of the text.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

This is a masterful novel. Those of us who were raised in the Christian faith often find that we begin with a "Jesus Loves Me" kind of understanding of Christianity. When we outgrow that understanding, we need a deeper, more personal knowledge of God. Thank God for C.S. Lewis. I hesitated to read this series at first because, having read the Narnia books, I was afraid these wouldn't be satisfying to adults. They are. They exceeded my expectations in every way. They surpass my own grasp of Christianity and leave me "older" in the faith with many new, profound things to take back to the Bible. Read Lewis. Deepen your faith.

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Good beyond hope...

Revisado: 07-09-12

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to everyone high school age and older. It's a book full of honesty and wisdom.

What other book might you compare Till We Have Faces to and why?

I would compare this book to The Lord of the Rings. It is a book about Western Civilization with the familiar Christian ethos and Greek wisdom. It isn't high adventure like LOTR, but the charactes are lovable and memorable.

Which scene was your favorite?

The best scene is when the protagonist has to stand before an almighty court and make her complaint against the gods. She realizes that her own will has been the thing that made what could have been a beautiful and meaningful life into a petty and difficult one.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Time for reflection is really helpful with this book. One chapter per night was good.

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A Big Let Down

Revisado: 05-06-12

What disappointed you about The Modern Scholar?

The selection was not informative. It amounted mostly to discussing the scholarly names for mannerisms and tendencies that everyone already recognizes in their day to day communications.

Has The Modern Scholar turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

I've read several Modern Scholar selections and enjoyed most of them, but not this one. The professor had very little practical information to offer. Most of it was examples of miscommunication to which the narrator supplied the linguistic terms. This selection might be of use if you are Sheldon Cooper or Mr. Data from Star Trek. Anyone who has good communication skills will find almost nothing valuable here. Worst of all, the professor tries to tell us that those who simply wait for their turn to talk instead of trying to listen actively, ask questions and be engaged in what we are saying are not really rude, they just have a different conversational style. Ya, I'll say. Don't waste a credit on this one.

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Good Storytelling, banal ending.

Revisado: 10-01-05

Never mind that stuff about the temporal shifts and breaks making the story hard to follow. If you're paying attention it isn't a problem. Stylistically, this book doesn't disappoint; so if you like a page-turner, this is pulp with a little extra. The claims to wisdom that the several stories make, lead you to think that the ending will be the kind of enlightening summation you get from, say, Janet Fitch or Margaret Atwood. Instead, it falls flat. The book is over quite a bit before it actually ends if you know what I mean. This is the kind of award-winning let-down we got from Sue Monk Kidd. I don't recommend it.

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