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How To Live: A Life Of Montaigne In One Question And Twenty Attempts At An Answer (2010)

by Sarah Bakewell(Favorite Author)

4.08 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0701178922 (ISBN13: 9780701178925)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Chatto & Windus

review 1: If you want to read about the life of Montaigne, best stick to his autobiographical musings straight from the horse's mouth as it were: his "essays".But if you really want to know all about his life, and EVERYTHING that was going on around him, putting his observations into historic context, this is The Book! Ms. Bakewell presents Montaigne's life and times as a time traveler. I have to agree with the superlatives slathered on the cover (MARVELLOUS, SUPERB, EXQUISITE) for the extent of research and smooth presentation. For entertainment purposes, I'd rate this a 3-star, but the overflowing fascination of the author for her subject earns her a bushel of stars.
review 2: This is less a book about "how to live" than it is a pleasant biography of the French philoso... morepher Montaigne. The conceit here is that each stage of Montaigne's life is framed as a response to the question "how to live?", each a separate chapter. Sarah Bakewell does a good job interweaving the facts of Montaigne's life (interesting enough in themselves) with his approach to the quandary of existence pondered by all individuals who take the time to look inward. Having never read Montaigne's "Essays," this book feels like a great introduction to absorb before plunging in to his profound contribution to western thought. less

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