Maya |
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Jostein Gaarder
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Pages: 416 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0753811464
Pub: Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
Pub date: 2001-07-05
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 210812
Editorial Review:
Jostein Gaarder is not one to shirk at the larger questions: who are we? and where does the world come from? In his latest novel, Maya, he once again addresses life, the universe and pretty much everything else, concentrating on the existence of God, the evolution of life as we know it, the nature of consciousness and the meaning behind it all. It's weighty stuff for a mere 300 or so pages of prose, and Gaarder is not entirely successful in dealing with these issues in a readable manner.
The novel is set in Madrid and on the unspoiled Fijian island of Taveuini. Frank Andersen, a Norwegian evolutionary biologist who feels "oppressed by the grief that the lack of spirit and permanence in our existence brings", meets up with a beautiful Spanish Flamenco dancer, Ana, her companion Jose, and an English writer from Croydon, John Spoke. They then discuss the big issues. This is where the problem arises; there is too much discussion of ideas and not enough emotional involvement or development of characters. They exist merely as mouthpieces for different theories. Gaarder then adds a bewildering supernatural dimension. There is Ana and Jose's manifesto, a mystical dialogue that describes the creation and evolution process in a series of self-consciously obscure metaphors to consider; hints of past lives; a time-travelling dwarf; and an enigmatic photograph. All this excitement sits uneasily with the almost pedantic prose style.
Gaarder's forte is to incorporate challenging themes into a flowing, imaginative narrative. The author's earlier novel,Sophie's World, has been a phenomenal success; the novel has sold over 16 million copies, been translated into 42 languages and is a whistle-stop tour of philosophy, from Socrates to Sartre. Unfortunately in the case of Maya, the story fails to grip the reader enough and lacks the fluidity of prose that made Sophie's World such a delight to read. --Eithne Farry
Reader Reviews:
Not one of his better works... (1/1 people found this helpful)
Maybe I expected this to be another Sophie's World, but it's very different. I found that it dragged a bit; while the ideas seemed interesting, there were sections where I felt like I just couldn't be bothered to read on.
The ending is good, and the book itself is generally enjoyable enough (with, as I said, some less inspiring bits).
I admit that the area of biology and evolution and so on isn't as interesting to me as philosophy, so that might account for the book seeming dull in comparison with Sophie's World. Additionally, I found parts of the plot very similar to The Solitaire Mystery, but it just didn't engage me as much.
Overall, I found that I struggled to get through this book.
Yet another masterpiece from Jostein Gaarder (1/2 people found this helpful)
After reading The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder and deciding it was probably my favourite book of all time, I did not believe that Gaarder could produce another story which came close, but I was wrong.
Maya is now hot competition for my number 1 book spot. Once more, Gaarder has masterfully combined intriguing fact with an unpredictable and exciting story line. The plot is so thick that you can easily forget which world is reality, and, unlike so many books, the fact does not seem to be there just for the sake of it. Instead of existing alone, it helps to further the story.
A must for all readers, no matter their interests.
Gaarder for beginners (5/5 people found this helpful)
As a Fan of Gaarder I was sort of expecting Maya to be for evolutionary theory what Sophie's World was for philosophy. I was pleasently surprised to fine that this was not the case. As always Gaarder weaves a fairly difficult tale and I'll admit that I could only take this book in short quantities but felt well rewarded by the end. I recommend this book to anyone whoever wondered about the existance of a cosmic plan. The strands of the story are allows to tie up in a very realistic way (relatively speaking)which surprised me. If you like Gaarder you might feel this is a slight break from his previous style. If you haven't read any of his work before, this is probably the best book to ease into it
Gaarder at his best, like sophies world? Love this!! (4/5 people found this helpful)
Gaarder has a habit of enfolding the reader not only in his novels but also in his philosophies. In Maya the reader will think about the big questions of life, the universe and everything as well as be beguiled by the sometimes strange and always compelling narrative of the book. It isn't an easy read but it's certainly a fulfilling one. Great!!
Good use of "dialogue" (8/9 people found this helpful)
It is unfair to criticise J Gaarder for using the characters in this book as "mouthpieces for different theories". This is in fact a style almost as written language, most notably favoured in this genre by Plato, and seems most effective when the book is taken as a view of philosophy in the form of a book rather than a book that tried to deal with philosophy. And if you understood that, your ready to join us.
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Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> World -> Scandinavian
Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> Authors, A-Z -> G -> Gaarder, Jostein
Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> General
Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> Contemporary Fiction: 1970 Onwards -> Literary Fiction
Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> Contemporary Fiction: 1970 Onwards -> Popular Fiction
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