So, I’ve finally started reading this. I went in with an open mind, but completely expected it to be a piece of crap. Much to my surprise, I’m actually finding it really engaging and fairly enjoyable, even with the two-dimensional characters and inherently boring subject matter (architecture!).
I started reading this after an anarchist (in the traditional sense, not in the “Antifa” sense) writer I respect a lot recently recommended this book on a podcast before coming out as an Ayn Rand fan. This surprised me because she’s more associated with the libertarian right than she is with anarchism. But, that said, I’ve long assumed that anarchism and libertarianism have more in common with than they do in opposition to one another.
I’ll wait until I’m further into the book before commenting on Ayn Rand’s philosophy, as I understand that this book, alongside Atlas Shrugged, are essentially vehicles for her to expound that philosophy.
Which translation if I may ask ?
The Rabassa’s ? I found it quite heavy in the begining but more colorful and it does helps enjoying “the ambiance”. Also whenever he had the choice, he apparently tried to always choose a latin origin word rather than the “germanic” one. It surely must have helped me quite quite quite a lot in the long run…
I would say in some ways, yes. For example, when the aging of vascular and muscular health is reversed, you should see signs of healthier muscle and skin tissue. But if we are talking about wrinkles, I don’t think so.
I’ve just finished Dune, which I read once when I was a kid and didn’t really enjoy. Since the new movie is coming out (eventually!) I gave it another go and enjoyed it. As much as he appropriated (as authors are wont to do) there is still a very original world build here, and now I understand the cult status of the book a little more. About to start Dune Messiah, and Children of Dune is on deck; has anyone here read all six by Frank Herbert?
Read Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children of Dune. Loved Dune, didn’t like Dune Messiah, and thought Children of Dune was so bad that I didn’t read the rest. Looking forward to the Villeneuve adaption.
I’m kind of like @MikeN1: read Dune when I was in my early teens and loved it. Read a lot of other Dune books back then and mostly regretted it. Read Dune again in my thirties, still liked it, and happily stopped there.
I figure if my teen self, who liked almost any sci-fi dreck, didn’t like the rest of the series, there’s no way I’d enjoy it as an adult.
Finished the second, Dune Messiah. A very different book, I can understand why I didn’t get into these when I was younger. Not an action-adventure, but instead really brings the politics, intrigue, and religion to the fore until the bitter ending; still with all the sci-fi stuff. It’s a lot to hold in your head, much more of a mentally challenging book than the first and I’m glad it was short. Totally going to start the third book.
I just finished The Handmaid’s Tale. I really enjoyed it. Now I’ve started rereading The Little Prince but this time in Chinese. I was excited to recently find this three-language edition (Mandarin/English/French). When I can’t quite understand the Chinese I’m going to look at the French first and see if I can unstick my rusty high school French.