Rating: 
Summary: The One and the Good
Review: Here you find the unequivocal declaration that not riches, not high position, not fame, not physical pleasure are worth pursuing in-and-of themselves. Such things are of value only if they are obtained in the pursuit of the highest Good. This highest Good is demonstrated to be God. Moreover, Boethius points out that when evil men succeed in obtaining such goals over the righteous, then they cease to truly be men- they are beasts and subhuman. This is a refreshing reminder in the modern world, a world not unlike that of late Roman times.
All happyness, all worth, all reason for being, lies in the One and the Good. Even when we commit immoral acts, it is a result of ignorance on our part in seeking this ultimate goal. Indeed, to turn from the quest of finding the One is to cease to exist at any meaningful level. There is no "fire and brimstone", or talk of eternal torment in hell here. There doesn't need to be. As long as you willfully or ignorantly stray from the Path then you are in hell. And to not find reconnection with the One and the Good is to cease to exist. All of our earthly existence is for the purpose of reawakening to our true nature. This truth lies within all of us and it is only reached by personal introspection (Know thyself.) Only in this way will we return to the eternal Source that lies beyond time itself.
The consolation of the Consolatio lies in the fact that suffering serves a purpose if it puts us back on the true Path. Moreover, earthly recognition of virtue is irrelevent. God always recognises the man of virtue if the masses do not.
Rating:
Summary: A companion in the dark.
Review: A stunning work of combined Chistian and pagan thought, and a testament to personal courage in the face of physical annihilation. I found this book to be excellent at bringing me out of a deep despair.
Rating:
Summary: A gripping book
Review: Axel Boethius wrote this book under the most horrifying circumstances imaginable; while awaiting his own rather grisly execution. What surfaces from these extreme and morose circumstances is a true masterpiece of philosophy.The book is told in the same general style as a Platonic dialogue, with two interlocutors; Boetheius and the personification of Philosophy. Boethius chooses a Lady figure to represent the avatar of Philosophy. Its construction reminds me very much of Diotema's parlance with Socrates in Plato's "Symposium." In the book, Boethius does a Christianizing interpretation of many classical myths and allegories. My favorite was the spin he put on the myth of Orpheus in the underworld. This is a fine book in the history of philosophy and religion; a must read for medieval scholars.
Rating:
Summary: "A Light Among the Ever-Dimming Roman World"
Review: Boethius was certainly a bright spot in the midst of a darkening world flooded by barbarians and intellectually on the decline. Boethius was among the many commentators and compilers of his age who endeavored to preserve the tenets of Greek Philosophy. His commentaries on the original Greek texts of Aristotle helped to pave the way for Aquinas' "Summa Theologia." So Boethius' works, though lacking originality, nevertheless made a very significant impact upon the later scholastic philosophers, and to the whole of Catholic tradition as well. Italy, during Boethius' time, was under the rule of Theoderic the Ostrogoth, who unjustly imprisoned the statesman/philosopher, falsely accussing him of treason. While waiting for his execution, Boethius wrote his "Consolation of Philosophy." The book itself is among the masterpieces of all time, and the only thing as tradgic as Boethius' untimely death is the fact that we were not able to obtain anymore works from this genius with the golden pen. Had he remained alive, it is very likely that we would have seen a sublime synthesis, in Latin, of Plato and Aristotle, not contradicting each other but complimenting one another. However, in short, this book is a small manifestation of what may have happened if he lived longer. What is interesting about this book is that it handles several different perspectives, namely that of the sorrowful Boethius and the consoling wisdom of Lady Philosophy, written both in eloquent prose and dazzling verse, which together ultimately culminates into a one of the most moving, inspiring, and thought provoking philosophical works of all time. The book is indefatigable, in that it never seems to quit opening new corridors of thought; and it is essential, because it is the philosopher's ideal breviary. It is interesting to note - and this is certainly not a negation to his Christian convictions - that while this Saint was awaiting his execution he remebered Athens, not Calvary.
Rating:
Summary: Important for The Lord of the Rings
Review: Check out pages 140ff. of THE ROAD TO MIDDLE-EARTH by Tom Shippey for a discussion of how "Boethian" much of the treatment of evil is, in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
Shippey says that Tolkien knew well the translation of Boethius that was made by King Alfred the Great(p. 141). He quotes some "Boethian" remarks from Frodo, Treebeard, and Elrond.
There's real wisdom in the great tree of The Lord of the Rings, and here's one of the wells into which its roots were likely extended. When my students dig around those roots next year, Boethius's book will be prominent!
Rating:
Summary: An essential and poignant work
Review: For a long time, this would stand as the last major work in which philosophy played the role it was accustomed to play in Antiquity; most medieval thinkers would make philosophy the servant of theology and strip it of its profoundly ethical roots - after all, Christianity became the philosophical way of life par excellence. By using philosophy as a character, Boethius emphasizes its vital role in everyday life and the choices that life entails. Although Boethius is usually mentioned in conjunction with Aristotelian and Christian thought, this work is especially linked to Platonism, Stoicism and Neoplatonism: a) it follows the progression of Socratic discourse in a journey that leads one from the suppression of false beliefs towards a gradually clearer approximation of what Good is, and Philosophy is akin to the priestess Diotima of Plato's Symposium; b) the harrowing context in which it was written mirrors the composition of Seneca's Letters to Lucilius; c) its frequent allegorical use of poetry and myths follows the path set forth by the Stoics and Neoplatonists. The first few books free Philosophy's interlocutor from his errors, and Boethius then explores the work's central subjects: justice, the nature of good and evil, providence (themes that also intensely preoccupied Plotinus late in his life). Treating 'Consolation...' only as a compendium of ancient Greek philosophy would be doing it a major disservice, as it would underscore the personal dimension lying at the very heart of the work. Those who forgot that philosophy is a lot more than the mere juggling of concepts should definitely read this key book.
Rating:
Summary: The One and the Good
Review: Here you find the unequivocal declaration that not riches, not high position, not fame, not physical pleasure are worth pursuing in-and-of themselves. Such things are of value only if they are obtained in the pursuit of the highest Good. This highest Good is demonstrated to be God. Moreover, Boethius points out that when evil men succeed in obtaining such goals over the righteous, then they cease to truly be men- they are beasts and subhuman. This is a refreshing reminder in the modern world, a world not unlike that of late Roman times.
All happyness, all worth, all reason for being, lies in the One and the Good. Even when we commit immoral acts, it is a result of ignorance on our part in seeking this ultimate goal. Indeed, to turn from the quest of finding the One is to cease to exist at any meaningful level. There is no "fire and brimstone", or talk of eternal torment in hell here. There doesn't need to be. As long as you willfully or ignorantly stray from the Path then you are in hell. And to not find reconnection with the One and the Good is to cease to exist. All of our earthly existence is for the purpose of reawakening to our true nature. This truth lies within all of us and it is only reached by personal introspection (Know thyself.) Only in this way will we return to the eternal Source that lies beyond time itself.
The consolation of the Consolatio lies in the fact that suffering serves a purpose if it puts us back on the true Path. Moreover, earthly recognition of virtue is irrelevent. God always recognises the man of virtue if the masses do not.
Rating: 
Summary: dispensable
Review: I had been reading Platon, Cicero, Epicur, Marcus Antoninus, Seneca, Lucretius... for one year and then I chose Boethius to finish my "studies" in antique philosophy. His "Concolation of Philosophy" bored me like no other work before, since Boethius hardly does develop anything new (except the metaphysical studies about Predestination and Providence, which are already influenced by early Christianism). He more or less restricts himself to repeat mostly Platonic ideas, which are told to him by Lady Philosophy, who visits him in his prison in order to make him free of desperation. Some may feel consoled when they read this book. I didn't. I think the works of Cicero, Seneca and Marcus Antoninus are a much better help in case of depressiveness and desperation. For me, Boethius is just dispensable.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Study
Review: I had never heard of this book until I ran across it two months ago. I was drawn by its storyline; Philosophy, in the form of a spirit, visits a despairing man in prison. What held me was two things. The first was the readability of the text. I'm no scholar, and did not need to be to follow the content. But the second point that keep me interested was the foundation of the writers' message. Although Philosophy is used to comfort this man in his trouble, the basis of that philosophy is that God does not only exist, but has set certain laws in motion. Forcing us to look at ourselves with His viewpoint. This is a book that should be kept on the bedside table so it can be read over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: Moving and immediate
Review: Most people don't expect medieval literature to be easy to read, let alone relevant,immediate, and moving. Yet the Consolation is all that and more. As other reviewers here point out, Boethius wrote it under great personal duress. After rising to a high position and enjoying a distinguished career, Boethius is awaiting execution and the Consolation details his gradual movement from despair, grief and anger at the hand he has been played by fortune to a remembrance of his "true nature" and that of the universe...aided at every step by Lady Philosophy. Although the arguments are often familiar to anyone versed in ancient philosophy, and the structure rhetorical, the terrible context and the passion behind the arguments make this about as immediate and real as it gets. PS The medievals thought so too...it is just about the most quoted and imitated book of the period...
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