Rating: 
Summary: So I think...
Review: Sophie's World is a facinating book with a twist in the tail, but only if you are interested in Philosophy. My dad couldn't get into it but I did! What does this say about our relationship!?!
I love stuff like Philosophy and found this really good. There is also a surprise ending which I loved.
Rating: 
Summary: One the most useful books I¿ve read
Review: "Sophie's World" is amazing, it's a philosophy course made a novel. Most people interested in the "big questions" have probably read through their lives several authors, maybe Plato's "Dialogs", Descartes, Kant; or modern ones like Nietzsche, Freud or Marx. However, by doing this (reading only some authors) its difficult to understand the evolution of the philosophical thought through the history of mankind, you are unable to compare all the different approaches to questions that have been asked repeatedly since thousands of years. This book gives you the vision, and the head start for a more profound reading of occidental philosophy. For example years ago I started Nietzsche's "Beyond good and evil", and not being able to understand why he criticized Kant I dropped the book. After reading in Gaarder's book Kant's basic ideas I finally understood the divergence of thoughts.But "Sophie's World" it's not just a mere philosophy course, it's a novel, a very enjoyable text that mixes the philosophic knowledge with the plot, in a totally entertaining way. The book is recommendable for everybody, but specially for people interested in the subject, of course. It's definitely not just for young people, but a philosophy professor would probably find it a little dull.
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Summary: Strange Novel, Skimpy Textbook
Review: "Sophie's World" was my introduction to the world of philosophy. When I'm feeling muddled about things, I still turn to it as a reference. I'm glad that I have it because it provides good SUMMARIES of the reasons to study philosophy, of the ideas of major philosophers, and of time periods in history. I capitalized all the letters in "summaries" to stress that these are all "Sophie's World" provides. For something really in-depth, don't turn to this book, which is more like a crash-course in philosophy. What makes this crash-course different from others, I must say, is that it illustrates how one philosophy made way for the next one, such as how philosophers in one era were inspired by thinkers who came before, how ideas were modified and expanded, how history shaped the way people thought and vice-versa, etc. Also, the philosophical discourses in the novel are dialogues between teacher and student which utilize the Socratic method, which is still the best way to start opening a student's mind. The problem crops up when Sophie understands a concept before the reader does. Since she has grasped it, Alberto no longer needs to explain, though the reader may still be dangling and desperate. Another problem with "Sophie's World" is that some parts are very boring, such as Alberto's explanation of how Newton arrived at the Theory of Gravity. As a novel, "Sophie's World" is weird. At first it seems part-mystery story, since both Sophie and the readers have no idea who Major Knag and Hilde Moller Knag are. When the identities of these two figures are finally revealed, the story takes another strange turn. There are many other strange things about the story, such as the TWO ENDINGS (one is abrupt, the other is open-ended). Readers are left unsure about what the moral of the story is. Alberto and Sophie promise to reveal the meaning of life during their "philosophical garden party," but do they really? Neither Alberto's final word on the subject nor the chaotic events that take place during the party (including people's reactions to them) make much sense. One has to wonder about the point of studying philosophy when "graduation day" seems to dismiss philosophy entirely. (Of course, like all things in philosophy, this is open to debate. Some people I know actually thought this ending made sense.)
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Summary: Sophie and the Major Will Make You Wise
Review: Alice gained wisdom down a rabbit hole and Sophie gained wisdom through a situation with a rabbit running through it. Every human being on the planet who can read and wants to understand humanity can do it in a very enjoyable way by reading "Sophie's World." I promise you it will capture you and you will have it on your mind the whole time you are reading it. And, you will be thinking about when you can get back to it and sometimes you will just push everything else aside and keep on reading because this book feeds so many curiosities you had and even those you didn't know you had. As you read you will feel smarter and smarter and curiouser and curiouser and you may even start creating possible story lines ahead and see if you are right. And, you will spend the first 150 pages making up all sorts of possible story lines about Hildy and the Major and who Albert really is and what his real connections are. Imagine learning real important stuff about real philosophers within the context of a mildly mysterious novel! Actually, just buy the book and keep it or pass it on to someone you really, really love and want to be happy. Oh, did I mention that reading and learning what this book can teach can help you have a happier life, be happier and have better relationships?
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I picked up "Sophie's World" on a whim, where it was displayed on a table near the cash register. I don't know have much knowledge about philosophy, and although I realize this book barely scratches the surface of some very deep thoughts, I still feel that Jostein Gaarder did a stupendous job in making philosophy feel accessible to me. It made me curious to know more, and if that's not the sign of a great book, then I guess I don't know what one is. I skimmed through many of the reviews just now, even though I've already read the book, and I was able to see a general pattern: those that were inquisitive, open to new learning and a new way of considering our existence were wild about this book. Conversely, the ones that gave it low marks and unmercifully criticized the philosophical part smacked of former philosophy major flunkies with severe elitist, I'm-such-an-expert-in-the-field-sniff-sniff attitudes. What most of the low-scorers missed was that "Sophie's World" was never intended to be a comprehensive study in Western Philosophy, merely an introduction to waken sleeping minds. And to say things like Gaarder got Kant's ideas all wrong is, to say the very least, highly subjective (and open to philosophical discussion). And for crying out loud, these nasty critics should learn to relax a little and have a good time with a very "novel" novel. Gads, what snobbery. Read the book and enjoy it for the ride it gives. It's much better than the average schlop that's flooding the market.
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Summary: Sophies World by Jostein gaarder
Review: I read Sophies World in a time of my life where I was just getting interested in Philosophy. Academically it is a brilliant book to get you started and give a brief overview of what many different famous phliosophers have written over the course of history. It does not include material of the philosophers in question but provokes a strong interest to be followed up on later. As for a good read, this takes concentration, although the storyline that runs throughout the book is a good aide to help you keep your mind on the right track. Feeling as if I was almost the Sophie in question I learnt all I needed to if I wanted a basic education in Philosophy and it served as a good foundation to bounce off into this fathomless subject. Disappointing as the ending to the book was I do believe Sophie was only a guideline for the reader, hence the four stars and not five. Nevertheless this book proved its worth academically and socially by the many books sold and the fruit of the seed sown in each readers mind!
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Summary: Great for beginners
Review: If you come at this book from the perspective of the a child about the age of Sophie, it is spectacular. If you instead are expecting a tretise for adults you will be mystified and wholly annoyed. The point of the book is to present the many thoughts and theories on the existance (or non-existance) of the universe in a creative and inspiring manner in order to spawn imagination on the subject of what is "real?" Or if you'll pardon the Clintonism: what "is" means.
This author manages to make the history of thought interesting. As someone who merely dabbles in philosophy, I really enjoyed this book.
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Summary: Western Philosophy in a nutshell
Review: Imagine, walking home on day to find an blank white envelope with no postage and the question of "who are you?" written inside. After the initial shock you start to think, questioning your reality. Welcome to Sophie's World, where 14 year old Sophie Amundsen received such an envelope, the first of many in her philosophy course with the mysterious Philosophy professor Alberto Knox.
Sophie's World offers a complete review of western philosophy including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle as the delectable appetizer. Moving on to a scrumptious course of medieval and renaissance philosophers and scientists such as Galileo, Newton, and Descartes. And finishing with a desert of more modern times including people such as Darwin, Marx, and theories such as the big bang.
One of the other beauties of Sophie's World is the way in which the descriptions of complex thoughts and ideas are first stated plainly and confusingly, then simplified into a more understandable description, then to make sure you still aren't lost, they are presented yet again using simple examples that ether make the subject comprehensible, or drive the point home. At times this can be annoying; like a little sibling always replying to all your explanations with "why?" but for the times that you do need it your glad its there.
The dialogue in the book is forced and is never believable, even when they are not talking about philosophy. Most of the time it is just Alberto rambling about philosophy with Sophie occasionally chiming in to question something allowing Gaarder to present the explanations that I was talking about. At times Sophie will be very insightful, and then the next second she will not have a clue what is being talked about, which is to say the least an extremely annoying inconsistency. Such unnatural details can keep you from getting into the book and always makes it feel like you are only reading the book and not living the experience as many good novels do.
In conclusion, Sophie's World is an intriguing novel covering a great deal of great philosophers, but it has little else. With dialogue that is anything but believable and little to no comprehendible plot it is not one of the greatest books ever written, but it still covers concepts that get the gears in your head turning if you let it.
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Summary: Original, instructive and entertaining! Read and re-read it!
Review: In an age of thrillers and best-sellers, Gaardner did a remarkable thing: He wrote an original novel, which is both entertaining and highly instructive. Sophie is about to turn 15 years old when she finds herself involved in a misterious correspondence course on Western Philosophy. At the same time, strange events relate her to an unknown girl, Hilde. Sophie's teacher happens to be the best philosophy teacher one can imagine, a man any reader should yearn to meet and to learn from. More than two thousand years of philosophy are covered in a smooth and rational way, and if this book doesn't get you thinking, maybe you should see someone. The only weak point in the book is the plot, that could be a little better, but maybe that is to demand too much from a book which is already a masterpiece. Thank you, Mr. Gaarder, I learnt a lot!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: It has good stuff in it. It's flawed and imperfect, but it has good stuff in it.
I, myself, had a bit of a hard time switching from story mode to lecture mode the first time I read it. I wanted to find out the reason of the weird stuff that happened to Sophie, and I wanted the philosophy lessons to be over so Gaarder could get on with the plot. But on the second reading, I already knew what happened, so I felt free to read the philosophy discussions (mostly) in their entirety.
The climax for me was in the middle of the book, after they talk about Berkely, and the rest of the book was falling action, which I read with mild interest.
The phrase that comes to mind now is "involved reading". I found it helpful to take notes while reading the philosophy part because it grounded me and kept me from skimming over things which I tend to do.
I think it's a long term thing, which is why I recommend buying it, and not checking it out from the library.
The writing style isn't ideal. Half the time Sophie does not really seem that involved with the lesson, it's just Alberto talking mostly, and Sophie just asks a question every once in a while. It really annoyed me. The first chapter is easily the best part of the book. The characters were a little undefined, I also thought. That may not be a bad thing, but I guess it is generally thought of that way.
The really good thing was that it got me interested in philosophy for the first time, whereas before I knew nothing about it. It's like a whole other world that was opened up for me that I didn't know anything about. That's not small stuff! And stuff.
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