One (Silver arrow books) [Hardcover]

Richard Bach (Author), Joan Stoliar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 1988 | Series: Silver arrow books

The author of the outstanding bestseller, The Bridge Across Forever, presents his most dramatic and provocative novel to date: a fantasy adventure that could well be real.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers will need a willing suspension of disbelief to enjoy this earnest pastiche of inspirational memoir/romantic adventure/science fiction, but then Bach's fans have swallowed everything from Jonathan Livingston Seagull to The Bridge Across Forever . Under the spell of quantum physics, Bach and his wife Leslie are catapulted into an alternate world, in which they exist simultaneously in many different incarnations. First they encounter themselves as they were 16 years ago on the day they first met; in this version of their lives, they do not marry, and never achieve the happiness Bach assures us that their real union has produced. Then we see Leslie as a poverty-stricken teenager who gives up her ambition to be a concert pianist, and Richard as an Air Force fighter pilot who will be responsible for the deaths of people in wartime. The adventures go farther afield to include encounters with Attila the Hun, with the "idea fairy," Tink, who wears a hard hat and works in a foundry, with a 12th century hermit who teaches Richard and Leslie that "whoever wants truth and light" should eschew organized religion, and many others. Each of the inspirational set pieces preaches the same message: of the power of each individual to choose the ways of peace, brotherhood and love, to live with a reverence for nature and at harmony with the universe. Bach again displays an inventive imagination and inspirational zeal, and these little homilies can either be uplifting or mightily boring, depending on the reader's point of view. Literary Guild alternate.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Instead of soaring and diving though space, passengers on this flight must be prepared to cruise slowly, making several stops to look at their motivation and lifestyles as the Bachs look at their own." -- Detroit Free Press.

"This is a strange and thought-provoking fantasy from the man who gave us Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Illusions, one that is imaginative, playful, and in places, startling in concept." -- The Anniston Star. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 284 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (October 14, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688078028
• ISBN-13: 978-0688078027
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A former USAF pilot, gypsy barnstormer and airplane mechanic, Richard Bach is the author of more than three books.
He has not taken much thought to his page at Amazon, having just discovered today that it exists. He will likely return and fluff up this page a bit. His new website is www.richardbach.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply moving, July 31, 2001

By 

Darthjal "Darthjal" (North America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One (Mass Market Paperback)

I read "Illusions" by the same author when I was 13 or so, and it opened my eyes to the fearful clinging and self-doubt that prevents so many people from reaching their full potential. Reading "One" twenty years later made me feel ashamed of the opportunities I had let slip past, and of the neglectful way I often treat my future self. It also renewed my resolve to take responsibility for my every dream, doubt, achievement, and failure. And it made me appreciate Richard Bach that much more for writing the two books that have most influenced my outlook on life.

Every choice you make in every moment of your life, whether it's your whim to smile at a stranger in an elevator, your last-minute decision to eat a healthy meal instead of an artery-clogging one, or your whim to read one book and not another affects more than your next few seconds or minutes or hours. It can affect your entire future and the lives of others. I missed this point when I read "Illusions"; "One" drove it home.

"One" isn't as tidy as "Illusions." It introduces a lot of ideas but doesn't follow through on some of them to the extent that "Illusions" did. You may find this either a blessing or a curse, depending on how much material you need before you can run with it on your own.

There's a lot more to the book than what I've mentioned. Some of it bored me and some of it even annoyed me, but that happens when we listen to our best friends speak with candor. Maybe it was something I already knew; maybe it was something I'm not ready to know yet; or maybe it was just plain wrong. Bach shares his soul generously and we're free to take it or leave it. What we learn, or fail to learn, from an experience is also a choice. What I learned in "One" may escape your notice entirely. What I failed to learn may be your epiphany.

Or not. Because everything in this review may be wrong. :-)

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A HUGE BACH FAN!, August 3, 1999

By 

Purvi Vora - See all my reviews

This review is from: One (Mass Market Paperback)

The first book I ever read that was written by Richard Bach was Illusions. I loved it. I thought that, surely, this was his best book. Then I read ONE. ONE is the most beautiful journey anyone can ever take. It inspires, touches, questions, teaches, and makes you one with Richard and Leslie.I've read almost all of Bach's writings and ONE is still,most definitely, my all time favourite book. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it already.

What is most striking about the language(in all his books) is its simplicity and that in itself is wonderfully different and refreshing.

I can only say that if you haven't read this book yet, you are missing out on something exquisite and rare!

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book by Richard Bach, September 12, 2004

By 

Cathy A. Pulsifer "http://www.wow4u.com" (N.B., Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One (Mass Market Paperback)

Have you ever read a book that made you stop and think? One that is different than all the others?

Over the past weekend I read Richard Bach's book, "one". It is a book that is written in a story format; one that has many messages in it and one that makes you stop and think.

It is about choices we make. And how the direction of our lives comes down to the choices we choose. To quote from the book: "A tiny change today brings us to a dramatically different tomorrow. There are grand rewards for those who pick the high hard roads, but those rewards are hidden by years. Every choice is made in the uncaring blind, no guarantees form the world around us."

I found myself involved in the story, when I finished the book I had many thoughts about my own life. It is a book that I would recommend you to read!

On the back cover the following quote is shown. It is a good quote for reflection!

"I gave my life to become the person I am right now.

Was it worth it?"