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Sophie's World

A Novel About the History of Philosophy

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Sophie's World

Written by: Jostein Gaarder
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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About this listen

One day, 14-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find two notes in her mailbox, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?"

From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning - but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.

A pause-resisting novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Sophie's World has fired the imagination of listeners all over the world, having been translated into 45 languages and with over 20 million copies in print.

©1991 H. Aschelhoug and Co. (W. Nygaard), Oslo. Translation 1994 Paulette Moller (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC Middle Ages

What the critics say

"Gaarder pulls off the difficult feat of blending philosophy and entertainment in a way that will capture [young adults'] interest and make them eager to explore further." (School Library Journal)
"First, think a beginner's guide to philosophy....Next, imagine a fantasy novel - something like a modern-day version of Through the Looking Glass. Meld these disparate genres, and what do you get? Well, what you get is an improbable international bestseller...[A] tour de force." (Time)
"Sophie's World is sheer delight. How I wish I'd had it during my college freshman survey of philosophy!" (Madeleine L'Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time)
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a great read every time, I come back to this book, always great. characters a wonderful.

an old fvaourite

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This book takes you with it to where ever it goes. I would recommend it to anyone

Nice book

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I am so glad I read this book at this exact time in my life. Everything was so clear, it makes so much sense, how each story unfolded. Life changing!

Inspiring

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This is a great introduction to philosophy. Must read it at least twice. Lots of information in this book. I recommend it to all my friends.


Best book I ever read.

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I first read this book as a teenager when it was assigned as a textbook of sorts in my highschool philosophy class. At that time, I found it an accessible and engaging way to learn about the history of philosophy. Revisiting it as a scholar who publishes on philosophy (specifically aesthetics), this book still gave me much to think about. This time, I was impressed by the way the book is able to demonstrate many of the philosophical ideas Sophie is learning about with Alberto in the form and content of its narrative. Sophie's World has much to offer readers of all ages interested in philosophy. Even though it is chiefly tailored to young people, it contains ample philosophical and artistic depth for adult readers, even those who are not entirely new to philosophy.

I have read this book in hard copy twice. This was my first time listening to an audio version. I thought the book worked well as an audio book. Given the female protagonists, a male reader initially struck me as an unusual choice. Nevertheless, Simon Vance did a good job of narrating the book. My only complaint is that the chapters on the Audible app did not correspond to the book's chapter numbering. I did not notice any gaps in the recording, as mentioned by another reviewer.

Clever introduction to philosophy

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This book is a combination of educational and entertaining. With touches of humour, Jostein Gaarder thoughtfully combines the history of philosophy with a fictional mystery which causes the reader to think outside the box. For an overview of the history of philosophy as well as an endearing and thought provoking fictional story, I 100% recommend this book.

Incredibly clever and beautiful!

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This is a great book to get you started on philosophy! it provides a a historical overview of philosophy and goes over the main philosophical thoughts and ideas that have shaped our societies and way of thinking today. The author has skillfully organized the topics in an evolutionary order which rhymes with a quite interesting storyline. Although I initially expected a more exciting ending, looking back, I think the author has actually done a fantastic job considering what he was trying to accomplish.

I highly recommend it to every 'human' who is interested to think a bit more about their existence. Knowing how great thinkers before us have tried to rationalize our existence and give meaning to things they could not make sense of, gives us a whole new perspective in life.

Great book for novice philosophy enthusiasts

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I would recommend this for anyone wanting a quick history/ overview of philosophy. Anyone and any age

A great introduction

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Goes through the important parts of philosophy and is easy to understand. I will definitely revisit this book and will be purchasing a hardcover for my collection.

Brilliant

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