The story takes place in the summer of 1931, on board a cruise ship bound for Germany. Passengers include a Spanish noblewoman, a drunken German lawyer, an American divorcee, a pair of Mexican Catholic priests. This ship of fools is a crucible of intense experience, out of which everyone emerges forever changed. Rich in incident, passion, and treachery, the novel explores themes of nationalism, cultural and ethnic pride, and basic human frailty that are as relevant today as they were when the book was first published in 1962.
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From AudioFile
Porter's passengers are extremely diverse in nationality, age, class, education and experience. Grace Conlin does a splendid job portraying them. S.G.B. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
71 of 77 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Less a plot-driven novel than a closely observed portrait, Porter's famous novel deftly exploits the author's ability to focus on the telling details of personality--and the result is a sometimes funny, often touching, and ultimately stinging examination of the insularity, hypocrisies, and pretensions of shipboard passengers en route from Mexico to Germany on the eve of World War II.
Porter's cast of characters are primarily German, but a handful of Spanish, Mexican, Swiss, and American characters give the novel an international perspective. Whatever their individual backgrounds, the characters tend to adopt reactionary postures toward and make assumptions about their fellow travelers based on both class and nationality; consequently, they tend to regard each other in a stereotypical light--but even as they fail to understand the truths behind the stereotypes, Porter highlights their lack of comprehension in a frequently comic but extremely disconcerting manner, thus demonstrating that her characters are at sea in more ways than one.
There is obviously a certain symbolism to the novel, but Porter does not belabor it, and we are free to decide if we wish to read for pure pleasure or for deeper meanings. Fortunately, there is an abundance of both. Still, this not a novel to read quickly or casually. It requires time to develop clearly in the mind, so readers are advised to approach it with ample time in which to enjoy this superior work.
32 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By David E Reed
Format:Paperback
I stumbled across this by novel by accident only to discover that this must be one the 10 greatest works of fiction! While a darkish portrayal of the human condition, and man's inability to escape the pettiness of mankind, this is a very clever novel that entertains while thrusting more truth your way than you may be prepared to accept.
46 of 56 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Ship Of Fools is a bone chilling account of a world moving into the second world war. Those seeking to get inside the German frame of mind should read this book for it predicts(the book was written before the concentration camps were even discovered)the horrowing images of German hate toward the Jewish Religon. Through all the hate and "Proud German Order" Porter asks us to perform a difficult task; to find love or forever be lost on a ship of fools.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ship of Fools book
I purchased the book because it was a bestseller and the year it was a bestseller as a gift for a friend born in the same year. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Sherry B. Stewart
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Ship of Fools
This is a wonderful book, it takes place in 1933. You will find that no matter the time poeople and life does not change that much. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Bertie McNeil
5.0 out of 5 stars
World Literature
In 1931 the author herself took part in the voyage depicted in the novel. It lasted for one month and according to her she didn't exchange half a dozen words with anybody but kept... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Diethelm Thom
5.0 out of 5 stars
Which One Do You Get?
I love this book and have read it a few times....that's why I give it 5 stars. I give amazon 1 star because they show a cover and send you a different cover. Read more
Published on March 4, 2009 by Jeffrey R. Bridges
5.0 out of 5 stars
i adore this book
'Ship of Fools' is the kind of novel that makes the whole thing seem easy. It's the kind of novel that makes you wonder how and why so many people have gotten it wrong. Read more
Published on March 3, 2006 by Anonymous
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Ship of Fools on a Cruel Sea"
I got into SHIP OF FOOLS back in the day when I was a Deadhead and followed the band around from stadium to stadium. Read more
Published on August 16, 2005 by Kevin Killian
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Original is Much Better
Does not surpass the original work published in the 1500's. There are better books. Read them first. This book lets the ship reach its destination and the fools get off. Read more
Published on January 26, 2005 by Guy J. Kelley
2.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe it's just me...
...but I abandoned ship halfway through. After enjoying the movie, and reading the great praise for author Porter, I assumed I'd enjoy diving into this good, long read. Read more
Published on November 1, 2004 by Nelson Aspen
2.0 out of 5 stars
Porter at sea
I'm a pretty untiring reader, as long as I have faith I'm in competent hands, but I gave this book up at page 160, which was enough of an investment to convince me that Porter was... Read more
Published on September 25, 2003 by mulcahey
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but trundling.
I'm an avid, dogged reader, and I plowed through Tolstoy's War and Peace at a quicker clip than I managed Porter's Ship of Fools. Read more
Published on September 26, 2001 by Leslie Farnsworth
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 7
books:
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books
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- Collected Stories. by Katherine Anne Porter in Front Matter
- The Leaning Tower and Other Stories by Katherine Anne Porter in Front Matter
- The Old Order: Stories of the South by Katherine Anne Porter in Front Matter
- The Days Before (Essay index reprint series) by Katherine Anne Porter in Front Matter
- Pale Horse, Pale Rider (H B J Modern Classic) by Katherine Anne Porter in Front Matter
See all 7 books this book cites
- The Texas Legacy of Katherine Anne Porter (Texas Writers Series) by James T. F Tanner on 33 pages
- Katherine Anne Porter and Texas: An Uneasy Relationship by Clinton Machann on 30 pages
- American Women Writers and the Nazis: Ethics and Politics in Boyle,Porter,Stafford, and Hellman by Thomas Carl Austenfeld on 28 pages
- Katherine Anne Porter's Poetry by Darlene Harbour Unrue on 16 pages
- From Texas to the World and Back: Essays on the Journeys of Katherine Anne Porter by Mark Busby on 13 pages
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