36 Arguments For The Existence Of God: A Work Of Fiction (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
First of all, since this is my first of her books, I must say that I love Rebecca Goldstein's writing style, and am very excited to read more things that she has written.I checked out this book from the library because I was curious to read its appendix, which is indeed a good compendium of arguments that lives up to its namesake. However, when I happened to spot a payoff matrix for saying "I love you" on one of the pages, I couldn't resist reading it.I suppose I was just expecting this book to be more profound. It had a few passages that made you think, "Huh," but nothing that offered much insight to the topic at hand. I loved the witty writing style and erudite references, but I can't help but think about this book's unrealized potential. It's 500 pages of great reading. I got exactly what I expected and more. Academia, philosophy, religion (lots of Judaism), relationships, the concept of genius, mathematics. And yet somehow it managed to surprise me. The book jumps back in forth in time rather a lot, but it's never really confusing, and I found myself sliding right back into the storylines with no trouble. I liked The Mind-Body Problem better, but this one was great. Goldstein writes characters that I identify with in ways I haven't experienced in a lot of other books. You know when you read a thought or a thought process and it just resonates so deeply because it verbalizes something you feel, that you've never seen written out before? Yeah, that.
What do You think about 36 Arguments For The Existence Of God: A Work Of Fiction (2010)?
Good story, interesting appendix, but the chronology of the narrative was difficult to follow
—Archer
Delightful book, funny and wise, and beautifully written. I love her use of language.
—courtney
