Reviews

This book is about obsession. About the struggle to get out of it. And the despair that entails while trying to avert such an obsession.

But aside from that, the to and fro dialogue between Nietzsche and Breuer, the notes that they write, the friendship that they have; all this was really heart-touching.

I get that it is intended as a teaching novel but it is really enjoyable.

jbmorgan86's review against another edition

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3.0

What would happen if Josef Breuer (mentor of Sigmund Freud) psychoanalyzed Friedrich Nietzsche? What would it be like if Friedrich Nietzsche attempted to help Josef Breuer understand authority, love, life, death, and despair? A really long book, that's what.

When Nietzsche Wept imagines what would happen if these luminaries of 19th century psychology and philosophy had met face-to-face (though, of course, they never actually did). As psychoanalysis was founded on talking therapy, the entire novel is dialogue with very little plot. Overall, there are some interesting ideas here. The book prompted me to look more into the historical lives of Breuer, Freud (who makes an appearance), and Nietzsche.

jimmy1087's review against another edition

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5.0

Life is full of irony. We often find no trouble advising our dears what to do, yet, we quickly fail in some degree to follow the same advice when similar situations occur to us. And there is a simple explanation for it; we are just not walking the path of that same struggle. There is close to zero feelings when looking at things from afar.

Am I saying that you will be more coherent by reading this book and walk the talk more easily? Well, likely, as with every stage in life, that depends on you. I believe this excellent historical fiction book can take you through a journey at 10,000 feet high-ride or 10,000 feet deep dive. It all comes down to putting yourself into the characters shoes. Let me explain.

[a:Yalom D. Irvin|5741750|Yalom D. Irvin|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] from Stanford University has written an engaging novel around Nietzsche, Freud, and Joseph Breuer (Freud's teacher). The story is simple. Nietzsche is having a physical break down. His body is no longer responding to the speed of his mind. He is suffering from anxiety because he has not yet achieved his grand plans. Feel related? Or you might feel closer to Dr. Joseph Breuer, Nietzsche therapist, who has achieved a great deal in his professional and personal life. However, he still struggles to find peace inside his mind, which causes him to hinder himself from being fully present with his family and friends. Two sides of the same coin. Neither one of them has gain tranquillity, and both will traverse the journey of therapy.

The mind is not simple, and so, healing can be quite a bitch. If not correctly address, it can trick you into thinking that you are getting better when you might be reinforcing a wrong idea. Alike when you genuinely hear the problems of a dear friend, you want to understand their thoughts and context to give them "wise" advice. Or whenever you ask for guidance to the wrong person, it is relatively easy to take only the suggestions that reinforce our original ideas.

It happened to both Nietzsche and Dr. Joseph B. Both struggled to convey their way of thinking, and not by lack of trying. As with life, the problem comes around principles, and the way characters look at life. When you try to convince someone to look at life with a different lens, what do you do? Do you insist, or do you try other techniques? How do you separate symptoms versus beliefs and meaning? And most important, how do you encourage them to keep on going with treatments.

Because let us be clear, concepts work in the theory's realm, and such do suggestions. However, deconstructing the real meaning of an idea and putting it into practice, well, that level of understanding comes from experience and deliberate hard work.

And so, I am convinced that in my next encounter with the book, some years ahead, I will find additional value. Life is complicated, and so my life and the life of my beloved ones. In this book, I have found tools that help me better understand the people around me and myself. Like in the story, to hold yourself as a trustworthy candor friend, you must first learn to respect others' perspectives.