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The Half Known Life
The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise | Pico Iyer
3 posts | 4 read | 2 to read
From one of the most soulful and perceptive writers of our time (Brain Pickings): a journey through competing ideas of paradise to see how we can live more peacefully in an ever more divided and distracted world. Nothing less than a guided tour of the human soulA masterpiece. #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert Paradise: that elusive place where the anxieties, struggles, and burdens of life fall away. Most of us dream of it, but each of us has very different ideas about where it is to be found. For some it can be enjoyed only after death; for others, its in our midstor just across the oceanif only we can find eyes to see it. Traveling from Iran to North Korea, from the Dalai Lamas Himalayas to the ghostly temples of Japan, Pico Iyer brings together a lifetime of explorations to upend our ideas of utopia and ask how we might find peace in the midst of difficulty and suffering. Does religion lead us back to Eden or only into constant contention? Why do so many seeming paradises turn into warzones? And does paradise exist only in the afterworld or can it be found in the here and now? For almost fifty years Iyer has been roaming the world, mixing a global souls delight in observing cultures with a pilgrims readiness to be transformed. In this culminating work, he brings together the outer world and the inner to offer us a surprising, original, often beautiful exploration of how we might come upon paradise in the midst of our very real lives.
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review
monalyisha
monalyisha
The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise | Pico Iyer
post image
Mehso-so

Would it be wrong if I just posted a screenshot of @Chelsea.Poole ‘s review? I agree wholeheartedly! It took me a long time to settle into Iyer‘s narration. He speaks very deliberately & also very haltingly. His British accent feels remarkably posh.

Iyer travels to places that lay some claim to being “paradise” on Earth: Kashmir, Sri Lanka, Jerusalem. Of course, these places are also known for being “circled by violence & terrible poverty.” 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/2: Ultimately, the author finds comfort in the words of teachers like the Buddha, Thomas Merton, and the Dalai Llama, who have all worked to find joy amidst suffering, who deny nothing and endeavor to find paradise in the wonder of a moment and in becoming human. 10mo
monalyisha 2/2: None of these conclusions were expressed in a new way, unfortunately. One positive result of listening was a desire to learn more about Kyoto‘s Bridge to Heaven. Iyer‘s description of the silence of the place resounds. I‘d skip this one…or maybe try it in print. I plan to listen to Katherine May‘s interview with Iyer to see if that lends me a different or heightened perspective. 10mo
Chelsea.Poole I‘m glad I wasn‘t the only one who felt this could be a skip. Though I do think you got more out of it than me! 10mo
monalyisha @Chelsea.Poole I almost abandoned it entirely. I honestly don‘t know why I kept going. 😅🙈 I think it‘s because he was a new-to-me author and it was so short (though it didn‘t feel that way), that I figured I should give it the fairest shake I could! 10mo
monalyisha @Chelsea.Poole Just finished Tom Lake, which, ironically, got Pico Iyer‘s whole point across much more effectively than he did in his nonfiction text (where he states it plainly)! 😆
[tagged book]Tom Lake: A Novel
10mo
62 likes5 comments
review
Chelsea.Poole
Chelsea.Poole
The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise | Pico Iyer
post image
Mehso-so

I love the premise of this book, but the execution, which I listened to as an audiobook, I found lacking. It may have been me and not the book, so take this with a grain of salt. Iyer travels the world visiting holy lands in search of peace, enlightenment, paradise. There were some truly brilliant sentences but as a whole, I found it difficult to engage with. I definitely think I should have read this physical book instead of audio.

Chelsea.Poole @monalyisha this makes me think of you. It‘s likely a worthwhile read and I just failed 😣 2y
bnp Maybe it was the format, maybe it wasn't the book for you. 2y
monalyisha Bad news for me: I bought this as an audiobook after reading a blurb about it last week. 😅🙈 Hopefully, I feel differently! 2y
See All 6 Comments
Larkken Oh, too bad! This book has been flirting with me. 2y
Megabooks I bailed on this so glad to read I didn‘t miss much. It just wasn‘t clicking! 2y
Cinfhen It sounds promising but seeing your review and @Megabooks comment actually makes me hesitant to try. 2y
99 likes6 comments
review
PhilipE
PhilipE
The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise | Pico Iyer
Pickpick

Loved reading this book. Not an author I normally look for but his writing is stunning. His thoughts on how to live in this world here and now often breaks your heart. On top of it all it‘s also an amazkng travel guide. Travel the world and never leave your reading chair.

3 likes