Sophie’s World

by Jostein Gaarder
Sophie’s World cover
Good Books rating 3.5
Buy online
Amazon
Format/Price Check
Technical
  • ID: 5380
  • Added: 2025-10-23
  • Updated: 2025-10-23
  • Reviews: 4
Reviews
thecourieronline.co.uk · Unknown · 2025-10-24
thought-provoking 4.00

Sophie's World is a captivating journey through the history of philosophy, blending storytelling with intellectual depth. The novel's engaging narrative makes complex ideas accessible, though some may find the pacing uneven.

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder is a unique blend of a coming-of-age story and an introduction to philosophy. The novel follows Sophie Amundsen, a young girl who receives mysterious letters introducing her to the history of philosophical thought. The narrative is engaging and makes complex ideas accessible to a wide audience. However, the pacing can be uneven, with some sections feeling rushed while others delve deeply into philosophical concepts. The book's strength lies in its ability to spark curiosity and encourage readers to think critically about the world around them. While it may not be a perfect read for everyone, those interested in philosophy or looking for a thought-provoking story will find much to appreciate.

Quick quotes

    Sophie's World is a captivating journey through the history of philosophy

    The novel's engaging narrative makes complex ideas accessible

    The book's strength lies in its ability to spark curiosity and encourage readers to think critically about the world around them

ethicsandculture.com · Unknown · 2021-02-23
insightful 4.50

The reviewer found 'The War of Art' by Steven Pressfield to be a powerful and motivational book that addresses the internal resistance to creativity. They appreciated the book's insights on overcoming resistance through discipline and professionalism, but also offered a more flexible approach to writing, emphasizing the importance of self-care and sustainability.

The reviewer recently reread 'The War of Art' by Steven Pressfield and found it to be a powerhouse of motivational gems. The book introduces the concept of 'resistance' as the primary obstacle to creativity, which is internal and often manifests as excuses. The reviewer appreciated Pressfield's advice on overcoming resistance by 'going pro' and treating writing as a job, but also offered a more flexible approach, emphasizing the importance of self-care and sustainability. They highlighted the book's insights on the value of discipline and the need to distance oneself from one's work to make creativity sustainable. Overall, the reviewer found the book highly recommendable and valuable for writers.

Quick quotes

    Resistance is internal. It’s not the laundry list of external obstacles we often cite as the forces that keep us from writing. Those are excuses — they’re the external manifestation, if you will, of the real enemy, which is…us.

    The professional knows that fear can never be overcome. He knows there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist.

    We are so much more than any one thing we do, and it’s easy to forget that. Pressfield’s reminder is, to me, liberating. “The professional loves her work. She is invested in it wholeheartedly. But she does not forget that the work is not her.

joelseath.wordpress.com · Unknown · 2020-06-12
mixed 2.50

The book is criticized for its absolutist views and lack of originality, with some reviewers finding it useful for its insights on procrastination and creativity, while others dismiss it as derivative and filled with pseudoscience.

The book is a mixed bag of reviews. Some readers appreciate its insights into procrastination and the creative process, finding it dense, wise, and low on bullshit. They particularly like the distinction between professional and amateur artists and the Jungian analysis of internal resistance. However, others find the book derivative, unnecessarily characterizing the creative process as a struggle, and filled with pseudoscientific claims. The book is criticized for its absolutist views, lack of originality, and the author's tendency to blame the reader for everything. Some reviewers also find the book condescending and incoherent, while others appreciate its occasional nuggets of wisdom.

Quick quotes

    Reading this book is like fishing through a landfill site for diamonds; they're there, just buried under mountains of crap.

    Personally, I found this book pretty useful. It's dense, wise, and low-bullshit.

    This book is lightweight, derivative crap, written in the style of a self-hating self-help guru with blame the victim issues eighteen ways from Sunday.

theguardian.com · Unknown · 2012-06-11
mixed 3.00

The reviewer found 'The War of Art' underwhelming due to high expectations and familiarity with similar concepts from Julia Cameron's works. However, they appreciated Pressfield's tenacity and found some passages resonate with them later, particularly on resistance and procrastination.

The reviewer had high hopes for 'The War of Art', expecting it to significantly impact their creative pursuits. However, they found the book underwhelming as they had encountered similar ideas in Julia Cameron's works. Despite this, they admired Pressfield's tenacity in delivering his message. The reviewer noted that some passages resonated with them later, particularly those on resistance and procrastination. They appreciated the book's insights on overcoming creative blocks and the concept of resistance, which they found applicable to their own life. The reviewer also highlighted specific passages that they found particularly impactful, such as those on resistance and self-dramatization, resistance and procrastination, and resistance and self-doubt.

Quick quotes

    Creating soap opera in our lives is a symptom of Resistance. Why put in years of work designing a new software interface when you can get just as much attention by bringing home a boyfriend with a prison record?

    Procrastination is the most common manifestation of Resistance because it’s the easiest to rationalize. We don’t tell ourselves, “I’m never going to write my symphony.” Instead we say, “I am going to write my symphony; I’m just going to start tomorrow.

    Self-doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as San indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it.

Appears in Lists