Reviews

Interpreting Dreams by Sigmund Freud, John Forrester, J.A. Underwood

dannymason_1's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Probably would have been fine reading an abridged version of this and might not have got through the whole thing without jumping between the book, audiobook and secondary resources, but reading the whole thing was definitely rewarding and I'm glad I did it.

As someone who's just starting to dip their toes into psychoanalysis I'm not really qualified to judge how good this is on an ideas level, but what I can say is that Freud argues his case well and that even when he's most likely wrong he still manages to be really interesting.

What impressed me most is how good a writer Freud is. This isn't anywhere near as dry or academic as you might expect it to be, Freud is funny, witty, endearing and personable. He loves to go on a tangent or tell a long anecdote to prove his point, a lot of the book is surprisingly conversational and easy-going.

I don't see myself ever reading the full thing again and would lean towards recommending an abridged version to anyone who's interested, but I'm really glad I've done it the once and will definitely be reading more Freud.

rlse's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

I didn't get too far in this one, as it completely failed to grab me. Also, since Freud wrote it in first person, my brain wouldn't stop reading with an Austrian accent, which I found terribly slow and annoying. Silly brain. Also, the fact that this version was illustrated did absolutely nothing to enrich the reading experience. Just lots of surrealistic paintings.

goroshyna's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Книжка затягує з самого початку, але, як на мене, стає дедалі заплутанішою та складнішою для сприйняття. Зрозуміло, що написано від початку не для широкого загалу.

Я не ставила собі за мету навчитися тлумачити чужі сновидіння, хоча Фройд дає для цього чіткі вказівки. Мені хотілося краще розбиратися з тим, що наснилося мені, і я це отримала.

Єдине, що мене трохи збентежило, — це самовпевненість Фройда, із якою він викладає матеріал. В одному місці, як мені здалося, він підганяє результат під свою теорію замість того, аби переглянути свої погляди (коли, наприклад, пояснює всі сновидіння, які суперечать його теорії, бажанням людей довести помилковість його тез).

ivan_tabacci's review against another edition

Go to review page

It's not for beginners. If you're looking for an introduction to this field and to Freud's work start with some research before reading this.
More...