OK, I have now finished, and what I wrote below still holds true. Furthermore, he so very well depicts family relationships: how parents feel as their children grow up, how kids relate to their parents as they grow up, how husband and wife relationships change as time rolls on and how nothing stays still. Also I love his interest in all sorts of miscellaneous subjects be it avocados, Hindu gods, elephants, Italy. In other books - olives, bats, jazz, apples.........Hellenga's books are all about one family. You get to really know them - each book gives you a fuller understanding of this family, what is ticking underneath. Mostly you learn about Rudy, the father. One maybe should read them in the chronological order, but I didn't and it is not at all necessary. I read them in the following order: The Fall of a Sparrow, The Sixteen Pleasures, Blues Lessons and now Philosophy Made Simple. I still haven't read The Italian Lover. I think that is the title. Actually I think The Sixteen Pleasures comes first chronologically. The Fall of a Sparrow is perhaps my all time favorite, so starting there can be good! If I remember correctly Blues Lessons is a bit autobiographical, so it is not really about Rudy and his family. Maybe the honesty that comes through in the books is because the author is writing about experiences he has gone through himself. In any case it feels that way. Or Hellenga is just one dam good writer.I guess I like Hellenga, because his books and his thoughts that come through feel so comfortable, so right, so just like mine........
Between watching today's coverage of the WTC commemorative events and looking around at my stacks of books, I have to wonder, how much of our fiction, nonfiction and memoir actually centers around joyous events? Or, if joyous, than what else happens in said venue that is not? I would postulate that 75% of our cultural media surrounds negative events. Perhaps I am wrong. No, I'm not saying that this is another one of those books, but, in a number of ways it is; Death of a loved one (cancer), tragic accident followed by death (of an elephant, struck by lightning, no less), adulterous affairs (two), a heart attack, and two hurricanes all fill the pages of this novel. We really are voyeurs of others' tragedy, in our reading, news consumption and even "entertainment." But that is really not the point of this book; simply put, I think it poses, rather than answers, the simple questions of the ages, of philosophy, of existentialism; the "why are we here/ what is our purpose/ who or what is the greater good/ what is the bigger picture/ is there a creator/" et cetera. Perhaps that is why so much of our media is imbued or laced with the tragic: by looking at such and, either seeing the good that came of it or trying to find the deeper meaning, we are made to think on these very questions...... And for a little while, Hellenga invites us to do so.
What do You think about Philosophy Made Simple (2007)?
I have no idea how Robert Hellenga came up with the idea for this book, but I'm so glad he did. It's 1967, and Rudy Harrington moves out of the house in Chicago where he and his wife raised three daughters until her death seven years ago. Where does he move to, you might ask? Excellent question! He buys an avacado farm in Texas. Of course!! To guide him in the transition he has the book "Philosophy Made Simple," written by the Indian uncle of his daughter's fiance, as well as support from Medardo, the senior worker at his farm, and an elephant named Norma Jean along with her Russian trainer. There definitely is philosophy, but not pretentiously so, and everything is treated with a glancing, sideways sense of humor. Awesome. I LOVED this book and am so glad I read it!
—liz
Right well, unlike what the title says, it isn't exactly all about Philosophy. True, the protagonist spends half his time thinking about the "big things" - but don't we all? It makes no great effort to delve into any philosophical stance in particular, just skimming here and there. Random characters are suddenly perfectly apt to converse about the big questions and stuff with minimal effort spent to develop their personality, attitude etc. And the usage of Indian thought was really cliche imo, coz its so exotic~~I suppose one could count character development as a strength of a plot, but not when said character is so indecisive. All Rudy keeps doing his changing his mind faster than a chapter can end and ending up looking so fickle minded.I thought the book started well and had hope, but it really fizzled out over time becoming long and draggy and essentially at the end I got bored.
—Ainiah
This was an enjoyable read, about a man moving on with his life, after his wife has died and daughters are grown. It's a relaxing time, learning about a Texas avocado grove, and a sweet-hearted elephant artist.I didn't agree with the religious perspective of the book - which I would call New Age, not exactly sure of what it really is - although I still enjoyed reading about the lives of this man and the friends he acquires in his new hometown. Also, I did not at all like how the book ended, specifically the sentence.
—Erika
