Brit Boy:
I really don’t know what to expect with this book, it does look kind of intriguing and I guess it can’t be a bad book being on the list. What I am curious about is whether it’s actually about a seagull which doesn’t really sound plausible, however stranger things have happened. At least it’s a fairly short book and we will get another notch on our belt quickly. These short books have certainly got me refocussed.
American Girl:
I have always thought this book was related to the “Little Prince” somehow, in fact for a long time I thought Jonathan Livingston Seagull was actually the author of the “Little Prince”. Not until starting this quest did I realize that these books are not related in any way, but I find it very coincidental that they fall after each other in the list! Ironically, the quote on the back of the book shows that I am not the only person that has linked these two books…
“This book is a new and valuable citizen in that very wondrous world ruled by St. Exupery’s LITTLE PRINCE. I suspect all of us who visit the worlds of Jonathan Seagull will never want to return again”.
After reading the Little Prince, and it becoming one of my all time favorite books, I am looking forward to jumping into this little story.
EditorialI read this short number in two easy sittings (and if Brit Boy and I didn’t have nine children keeping us constantly busy I would have been able to read it in one). It is definitely an easy read, based solely on the quest of a Seagull (“Jonathan Livingston”) trying to achieve the greatness of flying well outside the standard ability of seagull. He is ostracized from his flock for not following the norm of most seagulls, which is simply a constant quest to find food.
I also found this an easy read, and yes I was wrong it is just about a seagull, I say just.. it’s very philosophical, well actually incredibly philosophical, almost religious. Writing this I’m still thinking about exactly what it meant to me, The Little Prince was an equally philosophical read but seemed a lot easier to interpret, and maybe just more relevant to me. Maybe I’m more of a Prince than a seagull…..
This book was highly philosophical and almost a little too mystical, spiritual, and touchy feely for me. It almost felt so basic, a book that should be given to middle school students to show them how stories can have clear themes and personally translate to your own life. The connections were too clear for me, and the story not intriguing enough to thoroughly grasp my attention. It felt like a mediocre self-help/inspirational book to inspire people to try to achieve more in their lives.
My copy of this book has an inscription stating it was donated to the Huntington Vista Retirement Hotel (by Mrs. Rohing and family). It does not surprise me that this book has been donated to a retirement center, as it speaks a lot about life after death, you can live limitless if you believe, etc., etc…
“Oh, Fletch, come on. Think. If you are talking to me now, then obviously you didn’t die, did you? What you did manage to do was to change your level of consciousness rather abruptly. It’s your choice now. You can stay here and learn on this level – which is quite a bit higher than the one you left, by the way – or you can go back and keep working with the Flock. The Elders were hoping for some kind of disaster, but they’re startled that you obliged them so well.”
The more we discuss it American Girl the more I think it is more of a religious themed book, life after death, you are only learning in this ‘life’ in order to be better in the next. I think it may be worth a little research…. maybe I’m just a little jaded but the only thing that I could find that was interesting was that the original score for the film, written by Neil Diamond actually grossed more money than the film itself, it also won a Grammy for Best Original Score.
The thing I found really unusual about this book were the pictures of various flying seagulls throughout. It has almost as many pages of pictures as it does in text! While I personally did not read much into the pictures, I can recognize it as being unique, a picture book and short story in one. Some of the pictures were even done in thick vellum, giving the flying seagulls an iridescent look, which I have never seen before in a book.
I agree that the pictures of seagulls were an interesting addition to the book, but I must admit, I actually rejoiced in them being there because it made the book go faster. I don’t mean that necessarily in a bad way, I just didn’t know how much of the story that was unfurling could actually fit into the 93 pages of the book.
Maybe I have just missed the importance of this story, but I just don’t feel like it deserves a spot on this list. While it has a good message, it is over-the-top and too “out there”. I couldn’t personally relate to a seagull. I seriously wonder if the person that wrote this was high.
Well I think we both missed the point, because I am with you that it wasn’t a great book. However this may be because it happened to be straight after the Little Prince which had similar themes but resonated much more deeply with you and I. I definitely think that it shouldn’t be regarded more highly than The Little Prince, and I wonder whether it is one of these books that language professors and theologians rave about and people agree without quite knowing why. Or maybe I’m just doing it a great disservice. Oh well on to Lolita which is a very different sort of book.
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