The Silent Isle [Paperback]

A. C. Benson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2005

The book that follows is an attempt, or rather a hundred attempts, to sketch some of the details of life, seen from a simple plane enough, and with no desire to conform it to a theory, or to find anything very definite in it, or to omit anything because it did not fit in with prejudices or predilections. The only unity of mood which it reflects is the unity of purpose which comes from a decision. I had chosen a life which seemed to me then to be wholesome, temperate, and simple, in exchange for a life that was complicated, restless, and mechanical. The choice was not in the least a revolt against conventions; it was only the result of a deliberate belief that conventions were not necessary to contentment, and that if one never ventured anything in general, one would never gain anything in particular. It was not, to speak with absolute frankness, intended to be an attempt to shirk my fair share of the natural human burden. If I had believed in my own power of bearing that burden profitably and efficiently, I hope I should not have laid it down. It was rather that I thought that I had carried a burden long enough, without having the curiosity to see what it contained. When I did untie it and inspect it, it seemed to me that a great part of what it contained was not particularly useful, but designed, like the furniture of the White Knight's horse, in Through the Looking Glass, to provide against unlikely contingencies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Aegypan (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598187511
• ISBN-13: 978-1598187519
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Customer Reviews

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good brain food, June 6, 2010

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This review is from: The Silent Isle (Kindle Edition)

Here's a book that will make you think a lot. Each chapter is basically an essay on a single topic- society, friendship, literature, morality, love, art and many more things. Sometimes he'll tell something that happened to him, or something that someone said to him, and then write a chapter on his thoughts of that event. He writes simply enough so anyone can understand what he's trying to say, but at the same time it's obvious that he's very intelligent and has been around a lot. The only thing I didn't like is his occasional mention of the religion he subscribes to and the god he believes in. I'd think that someone like him would be able to get along without that stuff.

It's a very long book, so plan to spend lots of time with it if you read the whole thing. I read the first half straight through but then changed to reading just 1 or 2 chapters a day, and I think it works best to read it that way. The whole book is simply one person's thoughts on various subjects, so there's no way to tell that it was written almost a century ago. Everything in it applies to today just as well as the author's own time.