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Sunday, February 21, 2010

Book Review - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values by Robert Pirsig


Title:
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
Author: Robert Pirsig
Year: 1974
Page: 464
Genre: Fiction - autobiographical

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? No
Tearjerker? Not with what I read
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):
A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions on how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reckoning; the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and humanism. Resonant with the confusions of existence, this classic is a touching and transcendent book of life.

First Sentence:
I can see my watch, without taking my hand from the left grip of the cycle, that it is eight-thirty in the morning.

Why did I pick this book?
Book Club choice for February.

My thoughts:
  • I only read 3 chapters and couldn't finish, for several reasons... the 3 chapters I read bored me... I had other books I really wanted to read... the edition I got had really small font and was an old copy, which made it rather difficult to read... yes excuses, excuses, excuses... but hey I did read 3 other more fun books :)

  • Only 1 person from the book club (out of 7 people there) finished the book, but we had a lively discussion. The host talked more about the author's life, which was more interesting than the 3 chapters I read! Other editions of the book also included some more updated info about what happened to the author and son, and again, it was more interesting...

  • I think if I had a better version of the book, and if I didn't have other books waiting for me to read, I may have read a few more chapters. But now since I know what happened in the end or just knowing the gist of the story, I am happy enough that I don't feel like I need to read it

Rating:
 
Did Not Finish


Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think!
I'll link your review here if you wish!

1 comment:

  1. I tried reading this book because my boyfriend swears by it, and a lot of my guy friends. I commend you for making it to three chapters--I only made it midway of the first!

    I concluded that it was a guy thing, because all of the people who recommended it to me were fanboys. Boys. Sigh.

    Sasha
    Sasha & The Silverfish

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