Deirdre

Beautiful writing! And a wealth of ideas -- I am delighted to report that Eire's books with footnotes are just as much fun to read as his books without them. Snappy prose on a weighty subject -- highly recommended!

I could go on about how the structure of the book mirrors its topic, how amazing it is that Eire covers such a wealth of philosophical, religious, and scientific ideas in such a small number of pages -- but I hardly know where to start. Really, it's amazing! Eire covers (seemingly) everything and everybody with any impact on Western civilization -- Gilgamesh, the Zoroastrians, Dante, Charles Dickens, Emily Dickinson, the scholastics, Darwin, Meister Eckhart, Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, Pope John Paul II, Richard Dawkins -- it's absolutely astounding!

Of course, Eire writes from a Roman Catholic perspective -- some will find his work unsatisfactory for that reason alone. Which I think is unjust. Professor Eire lays out his premises very clearly, states what he is going to do, and then does it with grace and expertise. I couldn't ask for more from a book -- I loved it!

That said, it is not the book to read if you want (for instance) an in depth discussion of Zen Buddhist concepts of time. That would be a fascinating book -- but it is not this one. This book is about the history of the idea of eternity in Western civilization, and if that idea -- or professor Eire's vivid, snappy prose -- holds any attraction for you, you should read it, because you will definitely enjoy it.

Definitely an odd book -- but I am glad I read it! Absolutely gorgeous writing -- which, however, swings between the highly evocative and the deliberately absurd. The quote about dog-scientists is quite well known, I believe, but consider this one, too:

And there was a repast all ready cooked and spread, waiting for Ramon Alonzo. By        what arts those meats were kept smoking upon that table ready for any stranger that should come in from the wood, ....I tell not to this age, for it is far too well acquainted already with the preservation of meat. (p. 20)

The plot is -- perhaps -- a tad predictable, but in a very satisfactory way. The book ended just as I wished it would -- as every good fairy tale should.I found it much easier to get involved in this story than in The King of Elfland's Daughter, which is equally beautifully written, but much more static.I would recommend it to anyone who likes art fairy tales, such as those by George MacDonald, and who enjoys perfectly crafted, but weighty, and sometimes odd, prose.