Rating: 
Summary: Typical Boomer Indulgence
Review: I thought this book would be interesting and thoughtful but instead it seems to be more of the usual meism that permeated the Boomer generation and has so negatively affected my own generation. No wonder we're all screwed up!
Rating: 
Summary: Classic
Review: There are many devotees to this book and I consider it a must read. Some of my friends regard Pirsig's work as a bit too wacky, but I found it to be enjoyable. I must confess that I put this book down many times before I finished it, but once I was done with it I was glad I had made the journey.
Rating: 
Summary: A philosophy for every day men and women
Review: I first got this book in 1993 after the title caught my eye in the book store. I had never heard of it before and thought that the title was worth the price of admission. It was, and then some. I still have this book and even have some passages underlined. Since I first read this book, I have heard alot more about it. Other reviewers have knocked Pirsig for lack of originality even though he states from the beginning that nothing in the book is original, just loosely organized into one volume. He has also been hit for presentation. The thing to remember is that this book was not written for intellectuals at a university. It was written for common people living common lives. And yes, you will benifit from the advice in this book. When I read it, I was working on weapons/cargo elvators in the Navy. after reading this and trying to impliment some of the ideas in this book, I found my attitude and my work perfomance improve. The proof is in the pudding kids. And for me anyway, this book helped me start to live my life rather than just go through the dull motions every day.
Rating:
Summary: The hype is far greater than the book
Review: Many, many people have recommended this book to me as "life changing" etc and there certainly is a big enough following to the book to hype it.There are some good ideas in this book: the ideas on quality versus quantity, some dialectic stuff, etc. However, all the ideas are kind of like ornaments on a Christmas tree. They're decorative and sparkle, but the tree they're hung on is drab and uninteresting. The novel never does much with these ideas other than toss them out at you like confetti. As a piece of fiction, there's not much of a story and I really didn't care much about the "philosopher" at the center of the book. He comes across like a windbag - repeating the same ideas at the drop of a hat. I suspect that anyone who comes to this book full of new-age angst will bring with them all the post-modern spirituality epiphanies they need and attribute them to reading this book. For the rest of us though, it would be better to either read a good fiction novel or purchase a serious book on philosophy.
Rating:
Summary: This is, quite simply, the best novel ever written.
Review: Although it is nearly impossible to back up a claim such as the one I made above, I will attempt to do so, with as few words as possible. This book changed my life. It taught me that neither nature nor technology is the key to a happy existence. The key is a balance between the two. Not only do the nameless narrator's encounters with his son Chris, his former self Phaedrus, and his neighbors John and Sylvia teach this, but also his chataqua, "an-old time series of popular talks intended to edify and entertain, improve the mind and bring culture and enlightenment to the ears and thoughts of the hearer." Neither half of the book (story and chataqua) would be complete without the other. The novel itself is the balance between the two. Story and chataqua. Yin and yang. Nature and technology. Perfect.
Rating:
Summary: Great book....BUT not for everyone!
Review: If you have had experience with Typology and/or Myers-Briggs, read on... In Typology, one set of dichotomy is between Sensing and Intuitive. People who prefer Sensing focus on what is real and actual. They are present oriented; trust experience and value practical appplications. They observe and remember "sense" data and details. People who prefer Intuition focus on the abstract and theoretical. They are future focused, value their imagination over experience. They see patterns and meanings in facts and trust their insight. If you have a preference towards Intuition, as outlined above, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. If you have a preference towards Sensing, you will be wondering how anyone could enjoy such drivel. I have a preference towards Intuition. This has been the most thought provoking book I've ever read. My conculsion: the majority of our senior business managers and politicans have a strong preference towards Sensing. Another dichotomy in Typology revolves around "How you process data and make decisions". Thinking and Feeling are the spectrum ends. If you've read this book the spectrum ends would be called Classical and Romantic. I've used this in presentations to Accountants and have them think about Ebeneezer Scrooge--the most famous accountant of all times. He was Thinking/Classical based prior to the visitation of the spirits and Feeling/Romantic after. Again for me a great read--I've highlighted the chataquay(?) portions so I can go straight to the meat next time.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating but Shallow
Review: This is an interesting book for a variety of reasons, but like a lot of '60's/70's philosophical classics it's more of a starter book for the intellectually uninitiated than an important work in its own right. It's neither well structured nor well written, and its philosophical insights are more deeply felt than deeply thought. Pirsig takes a cross-country motorcycle trip with his young son, to whom he has been having some trouble relating. As the trip progresses he meditates on the subject of quality, of workmanship but also of life, as well as technology, science, and the scientific method. About a quarter of the way through this intellectual ramble Pirsig suddenly comes to grips with a mental breakdown he had had not long before, and begins a quest for his own identity. Unhappily he decides he was a misunderstood genius, names his pre-breakdown self 'Phaedrus' and rambles into a tendentious complaint about academia as he relates his earlier life. Eventually the narrative returns to conclude the motorcycle trip and at least cast together some of the conceptual loose ends. Pirsig must have been insufferable after the success of this novel; as the narrator he is pompous and self obsessed, struggling with a massive inferiority complex. He is given to sweeping pronunciamentos and overblown metaphors, but at the same time there is an engaging sincerity about his many plaints, and his ideas are thought-provoking (if you have never run across them before.) Worth trying - but don't feel badly if it's not for you!
Rating:
Summary: A thought twister and a explosion of inspiration
Review: I am 19 and attend a major university where I drink and sleep in through all the morning hours. This book cleared my cloudy mind and made me realize that I had stopped thinking - stopped questioning. It renewed my lust for knowledge and appreciation of the human mind. I still drink and sleep through the morning hours but only half as much now.. .. the other half I spend with a book in my face.
Rating:
Summary: A distressing and uplifting explotration into the my psyche.
Review: Find yourself and lose yourself in this work. Complicate simple ideas, and deconstruct complex thoughts to the core elements of modern thinking. This book will teach everyone who reads it something, and open door ways to ideas you never thought you'd have. A bible.
Rating:
Summary: The most important read of your life
Review: I have read this book at least once a year since 1980. As a teacher, I find its message the most valuable I've ever encountered. As a father, I find its message the most powerful account I've read. This book, as well as Lila, really do have the answers for those of us searching. I enjoyed the added comments from Pirsig for the 25th anniversary.
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