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tamarasbooknook's review against another edition
4.0
Literary fiction on the nature of love, friendship, history and biography, in which Neil recounts his experiences of meeting Elizabeth Finch when she teaches an adult education class on Culture and Civilisation.
Neil is enthralled by Elizabeth and they continue their discussions over lunch for a further 20 years until her death. He is surprised to learn that she has bequeathed her personal papers to him and sets about trying to understand more about this erudite and enigmatic woman.
He recalls her teaching about the nature of history, the way history has been re-written over time depending on who is telling the story, and follows her notes to consider an alternative path without religious wars and the dominance of Christianity.
He contemplates whether he could or should write some kind of biography, which this book ultimately turns out to be. But even after immersing himself and reading all her personal papers, he learns that other people think of her very differently and that there is much more to her than he realises. Inevitably, the history he has written is just as subjective as the texts he has pondered over.
Neil is enthralled by Elizabeth and they continue their discussions over lunch for a further 20 years until her death. He is surprised to learn that she has bequeathed her personal papers to him and sets about trying to understand more about this erudite and enigmatic woman.
He recalls her teaching about the nature of history, the way history has been re-written over time depending on who is telling the story, and follows her notes to consider an alternative path without religious wars and the dominance of Christianity.
He contemplates whether he could or should write some kind of biography, which this book ultimately turns out to be. But even after immersing himself and reading all her personal papers, he learns that other people think of her very differently and that there is much more to her than he realises. Inevitably, the history he has written is just as subjective as the texts he has pondered over.
denz292's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
janeta12's review against another edition
3.0
Ok - giving a 3.5 to parts 1 and 3. Both interesting and thoughtful. I give a 2 to part 2, although a disclaimer that I skipped about 25-30 pages of it due to lack of interest. Funny to like 2/3s of the book but be a but over the other 3rd. It was like I was ok to get the gist of the points on Julian the Apostate without the in depth section. Learned some vocabulary though
draganana's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
georgiacassandra's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
sydneylynn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
alibengali's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
dbluminberg's review against another edition
2.0
DNF—-this was much to much of a slog and chore for me, Julian the Apostate just doesn’t do it for me. I had borrowed this from the library and there are lots of people waiting for it, so I’m giving it up.