Rating: 
Summary: Terrible book!
Review: I was forced to read this junk as an English assignment in college. The experience was pure torture. It's amazing how much drible can come out of someones mind that means absolutely nothing and isn't the least bit entertaining. This book will take you in all kinds of crazy directions and you will feel like you are lost. Then, all of a sudden, something positive will crop up, only to be lead down a different path to obscurity. I can remember my Professor ranting about this book and I could not understand why...I think the guy was slightly off and he was definetly on some kind of intellectual trip.
Rating: 
Summary: I tried
Review: Wow... where to begin. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of books I've started but not finished. It's just not something I do. However, I quit on this book about half-way through. Some of the reasons were the author's fault; no doubt some were mine. I don't know that I was fully prepared for what this book ultimately is... a deep, drenching immersion into philosophy, metaphysics, quality of life, and personal self-worth. Writing about those things is a fine and admirable endeavor, but for me reading Pirsig's tortuous and complex prose just didn't work a majority of the time. He would sporadically grab me with a particular line of thought, only to veer off and lose me (interest-wise) for pages on end. I was far more attentive to the cross-country motorcycle trip than I was to his meandering "Chautauqua". In the end what made me put this book down was that I just wasn't interested enough in the subject matter. So, before you begin this book be sure of what you've undertaken.
Rating: 
Summary: Intense, Perplexing, Rewarding
Review: You won't remember every word you read in this book.I know this, because I tried. Pirsig's novel is an autobiographical musing on quality and a study of the reconciliation of technology and man. Every page is frustratingly thoughtful, and I've read it over and over again in order to gleam what I can from it. I won't even begin to delve into the lessons this book provides. That would cheapen the narrator's physical and philosophical journey, and rob you the benefits of a thorough examination. But please, follow the example that Phaedrus provides early on. Step back, and allow yourself to perceive the benefits of the book. While it is certainly complex and requires massive amounts of attention, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance provides excellent insight on both perspective and our personal search for understanding.
Rating:
Summary: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Review: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", by Robert Prisig just didn't click with me. After I completed the book I checked Amazon.com and browsed through some of the recent reviews. Many of the reviews were favorable. Some even hinted that the book was life changing. Personally I felt the book was extremely boring and at times I even found myself thinking, what the.... Well you know the rest. It wasn't until about three-quarters of the way through the book that I found anything interesting or meaningful in the story. For those of you who found meaning in Mr. Pirsig's book I appauld you. If not may I suggest another book with a simmiliar title called Zen and the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel.
Rating: 
Summary: Quality Is as Quality Does...
Review: Being the beneficiary (??) of a Great Books liberal arts education, yes, the same one that Pirsig writes about at his time at U of Chicago, one would think I'd be very dissapointed in his work. Not so. Reading this brings to light many of the questions and concerns I've had over the years. It's a shame I wasn't reading this at the time that I was in college, because I was searching along the same paths he was (although I wasn't involved with bikes at the time, more along the lines of dance parties and the occasional search/rescue mission). For those that are entrenched in the classical science vs art dichotomy, Pirsig will shake you up some. But at the same time, he does bring a big revelation to bear: there is Art within Science, and Science within Art. And when we realize that we can indulge in both, we might be able to get back some of that pride in craftmanship that is so lacking in today's world.
Rating: 
Summary: so far...
Review: I've read about a third to a half of this book, and... 1. The author/narrator is very grandiose. Always looking for what's 'wrong' with this or that, and having no answers. The problem is that his 'what's wrongs' are pretty sophomoric. 2. Add to that that he is a very meticulous/rhetorical guy, and you get a lot of droning. 3. Throw in sappy storytelling of the kind... 'well this is where my pen landed, it has to be included'... and you may just find yourself annoyed fairly often. What's good? So far his classic/romantic constructs are pretty interesting. But there's a lot of times he's flaking out in his way and it's not fun.
Rating:
Summary: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Review: Prospective readers of this book be warned: Robert Pirsig is a total douche. I couldn't go any further than 150 pages. He is arrogant, myopic, and a complete bore. It surrounded my days with feelings of anger at him and everyone who has ever decided that they like this book and what it says. It tells very little of what we need to know, or what we'd like to know. And more over, I feel that those who reveal any enjoyment or, worse yet, adoration for this book unfailingly end up coming across as nothing short of total morons. Pirsig is.
Rating:
Summary: An Epiphany Waiting to Happen
Review: Pirsig's book is pure genius. Even from the standpoint of my Christian ideology I agreed with the bulk of the argument in this book. Moreover, I felt that it was beneficial to my own spiritual life, to my relationship with God, and to my ability to evaluate my Christian walk as I live it on a daily basis. Well-written, captivating, perhaps even "breath-taking" would be an acceptable term, this work has permanently changed the way I look at life. Read it. It's for you. Email me with questions.
Rating:
Summary: A book of great thought, and a true story
Review: This book in many ways helped me to piece together many ideas that I have had for some time. One is that the "quality" that Pirsig talks about is the same as Thelema. The key to it all is the realization of the Greek "Arete" which means excellence.
The core of this book is excellence of self, and how to acheive that. Some people may not have gotten that aspect, but that is what it is all about. I would recomend this book to anyone. If you enjoy this book, then you might consider reading anything by Aleister Crowley.
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Most Thoughtful Books I've Ever Read
Review: After all these years as an active reader, I still consider Robert Pirsig's incredible tour-de-force in this book to be the intellectual adventure of a lifetime, one that still makes me shake my head in wonder after a number of readings of it. I was introduced to "Zen" by my brother in law, who promised me that I would enjoy it. Wow, what an understatement! By now I must admit to now having several short quotes from it framed under glass at various spots in the house, because I was so taken by the gravity of what he has to say, and the disarmingly simple way he usually chooses to say it. Pirsig is a man with a lot to say, and a lot of wisdom in what he has to offer. Although I must admit that I do not agree with certain key aspects of his argument regarding the way the ancient bifurcation between what he calls romantic and classic perceptive orientations can at last be repaired and restored to cognitive and intellectual unity, I stand in utter awe at the quality of mind any human being must have to marshal such a breath-taking effort as this, at the accomplishment of conceiving and articulating the philosophical treatise described in such loving and painstaking detail here. His grasp of such eclectic, obscure and philosophically central notions truly is a feat quite the equal of the ascent of Everest in terms of the levels of concentration, mental endurance, and simple cognitive acumen necessary to muster this kind of argument. The book works on two levels that both assist and complement each other. First, the story narrative, which he uses both to illustrate ideas he is talking about and to introduce ideas he wants to discuss, also acts to bring us back to "normal everyday reality' after spinning high in the thin cold air of his theorizing. Second, the philosophical story becomes a kind of sophisticated detective story for curious intellectuals, as Pirsig's alter ego, Phaedrus, searches deeper and deeper into the mysteries that once led him into insanity because of the sheer intensity of his efforts to solve the riddle of the difference between the two seemingly irreconcilable aspects of reality (the romantic and the classic). The book is an awe-inspiring trip into a discovery of the nature of reality, contemporary society, and yourself. It has led to study groups, study guides, and a whole cult of Pirsig watchers who consider him the functional equivalent of the wise seer. The wildly best-selling book also led Pirsig deeper into a life of isolation, eschewing publicity and seeking greater introspection. There is a sequel, called "Lila", which also enjoyed a best-selling run on the charts in the early 1990s. This is a book that is quite unlike anything else you have ever read, and is something you have to experience to understand in its full impact. It is also a book I can recommend with a smile, knowing with confidence you will be glad you finally decided to buy it and read it. Enjoy!
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