adamz24's review against another edition
4.0
I was expecting this to be okay, but it turned out to be pretty great. It's a philosophical novel, but very emotional and stylistically assured as well. And thankfully, as Goldstein is a Philosophy PhD who has written books on Spinoza and Godel, all of the content is also intellectually valid and interesting, though the novel also functions as an academic satire. It's not a great novel, but it clearly comes from a worthy voice in contemporary literature. The final two chapters are amazing.
Ooh, and it comes with an appendix detailing 36 (actual) arguments for the existence of God, and refutations of them. Very handy for theological discussions when the book is on a shelf nearby, though the novel's literary treatment of such issues is probably more interesting.
Ooh, and it comes with an appendix detailing 36 (actual) arguments for the existence of God, and refutations of them. Very handy for theological discussions when the book is on a shelf nearby, though the novel's literary treatment of such issues is probably more interesting.
kjboldon's review against another edition
4.0
For Gods and Monsters. A 400+ page novel with a 60 page appendix of the 36 arguments of the title. I found the appendix and the parts of the book that were very philosophically argumentative less interesting, and the morality tale of the characters involving and fascinating. I look forward to discussing this with the group.
leighnonymous's review against another edition
3.0
I only give this three stars because the appendix (literally 36 arguments for the existence of a god and their flaws) deserves one all of its own. The story, itself, was boring and dull. I didn't really like any of the characters but Roz.
I was hoping this was going to be more about an atheist man living in a hostile world, that his atheism would be part of the book. Instead, it veered off into weird Jewish areas - gematria, for one.
Loved the clever taking apart of the Pascal's Wager argument - my favorite of the existence arguments.
I was just hoping for more.
I was hoping this was going to be more about an atheist man living in a hostile world, that his atheism would be part of the book. Instead, it veered off into weird Jewish areas - gematria, for one.
Loved the clever taking apart of the Pascal's Wager argument - my favorite of the existence arguments.
I was just hoping for more.
cosmicvulture's review against another edition
4.0
It's 500 pages of great reading. I got exactly what I expected and more. Academia, philosophy, religion (lots of Judaism), relationships, the concept of genius, mathematics. And yet somehow it managed to surprise me. The book jumps back in forth in time rather a lot, but it's never really confusing, and I found myself sliding right back into the storylines with no trouble. I liked The Mind-Body Problem better, but this one was great. Goldstein writes characters that I identify with in ways I haven't experienced in a lot of other books. You know when you read a thought or a thought process and it just resonates so deeply because it verbalizes something you feel, that you've never seen written out before? Yeah, that.
angarena's review
4.0
It's not clear to me why some of the folks who have reviewed this on goodreads feel it was short on plot and character. I enjoyed the plot and I loved the characters including protagonist, Cass (the soulful atheist), Roz (the ex girlfriend), Jonas Elijah Klapper (buffoonish mentor to Cass), and Azarya (the child prodigy). OK there was some theory...but also a lot of humor.
readbyrose's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
This book did that awful thing books do where the author inserts chunks of text unrelated to the narrative or characters just to prove how smart they are. I hated the main guy and all the women were so 2 dimensional
bitterindigo's review
4.0
I loved her non fiction book about Spinoza, and then felt quite tepid about the novel I read, so I wasn't sure, but this was highly enjoyable -- maybe because it combined a lot of the concepts from philosophy with the fiction. The language play and the exuberance of the writing reminded me (somewhat inexplicably) of The Ground Beneath her Feet by Salman Rushdie,
emscji's review
3.0
6/9/2011: Endearing, hilarious, thought-provoking, and clunky, 36 Arguments is a great read. Goldstein is a philosopher first (and an amazing and articulate one at that!), a novelist, well, somewhere else down the line. The plot is actually negligible; though the characters and their relationships and behavior are fun to read about, the story line is fractured and confusing. Goldstein jumps around in space and time; I think this has something to do with her trying to match up each scene/chapter with one of her Arguments, theme-wise--but it doesn't really work; instead she just loses the continuity of the story. And she jumps too quickly between straight up slapstick, describing Jonas Elijah Klapper, and an almost reverent mysticism, describing Azarya Sheiner. Sometimes this can be disconcerting.
Still, she may not have a way with the larger novel, but she writes sentences and scenes that make you laugh out loud, even in retrospect. Cass Seltzer, the protagonist, is a professor of the psychology of religion at a small university (Frankfurter) in Weedham, MA, outside Boston. He has become suddenly famous due to his book, also called 36 Arguments(...) because the American culture has suddenly become so interested in atheism. (He is known as "the atheist with a soul".) So he gets invited to join the Harvard faculty. Goldstein manages to hit the details just right, sending up academia, philosophers, Cambridge types--among others. But she also manages to impart a lot of interesting information on topics that I know little about: game theory, Jewish philosophy, and the math of prime numbers. And, of course, the Appendix, which lists the actual 36 arguments and their flaws, is fascinating. I recommend this book, even though I had to give it only three stars!
Still, she may not have a way with the larger novel, but she writes sentences and scenes that make you laugh out loud, even in retrospect. Cass Seltzer, the protagonist, is a professor of the psychology of religion at a small university (Frankfurter) in Weedham, MA, outside Boston. He has become suddenly famous due to his book, also called 36 Arguments(...) because the American culture has suddenly become so interested in atheism. (He is known as "the atheist with a soul".) So he gets invited to join the Harvard faculty. Goldstein manages to hit the details just right, sending up academia, philosophers, Cambridge types--among others. But she also manages to impart a lot of interesting information on topics that I know little about: game theory, Jewish philosophy, and the math of prime numbers. And, of course, the Appendix, which lists the actual 36 arguments and their flaws, is fascinating. I recommend this book, even though I had to give it only three stars!
lisagray68's review
1.0
I couldn't finish it, really couldn't even get very far. If I wanted to read philosophy, I'd take a philosophy class.