36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction
By
GOLDSTEIN, REBECCA
- Download the Free Excerpt » (Requires MobiPocket Reader)
| Price: | $27.95 |
| Rating: |
|
| Categories: | Novels, Self-Improvement, Health |
| ISBN: | 9780307378903 |
| Publisher: | Pantheon, Random House, Inc. |
| Language: | English |
Summary
After Cass Seltzer’s book becomes a surprise best seller, he’s dubbed “the atheist with a soul” and becomes a celebrity. He wins over the stunning Lucinda Mandelbaum, “the goddess of game theory,” and loses himself in a spiritually expansive infatuation. A former girlfriend appears: an anthropologist who invites him to join in her quest for immortality through biochemistry. And he is haunted by reminders of the two people who ignited his passion to understand religion: his mentor and professor—a renowned literary scholar with a suspicious obsession with messianism—and an angelic six-year-old mathematical genius who is heir to the leadership of a Hasidic sect. Each encounter reinforces Cass’s theory that the religious impulse spills over into life at large. Continue reading...
More Recommendations »
Recommended ebooks
-
The Alchemist
By BOYD, DONNA $9.95 -
No Country for Old Men
By Mccarthy, Cormac $15.00 -
Babyji
By Dawesar, Abha $15.00
Helpful Customer Reviews
36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction
Jeff (The United States)
Mon Jul 05 2010 13:36
This is the first of Rebecca Newberger Goldstein's books that I've read. On the whole, I can't recommend it to a general audience. Newberger Goldstein has a doctorate in philosophy from Princeton, and the book at times has the feel of a philosophy text with some narrative thrown in. The "novel"...more...
Elaine (The United States)
Tue Mar 09 2010 12:54
No, this isn't a polemic to convert you. If anything, it shows the fallacies inherent in logical proof that there is a God, but these won't matter to one who has faith, nor are they intended to. What this is is a biting satire on academe. Some people may find it a satire on those who revolve thei...more...
Kelly (Ypsilanti, MI)
Mon Jun 14 2010 11:02
I really, really wanted to like this book. I tried really hard, but in the end it fell flat for me and I'm happy I'm done and can move on to others. I've read various other reviews and I seem to align myself more with those that were dissatisfied with this than those that loved it; maybe, I'm just n...more...
Rob (Windermere, FL)
Thu May 27 2010 10:25
I enjoyed the story, including both the relationship aspects, the portrayal of life within the hallowed halls of higher academia, and the insights into the world of Hasidic Jewish mysticism. I thought the culminating debate was well done and quite believable, especially since the inanity and appeal...more...
Andrew (Coventry, RI)
Thu May 06 2010 18:10
I really disliked this book -- in fact I couldn't finish it, read only about 130 pages -- it's bloated, poorly written as a novel, pompous in its philosophizing, etc. -- the characters are cardboard, or inflated academics, most of the first 130 pages is giving tedious backstory, you can hear Goldste...more...
Mary (The United States)
Sat May 15 2010 20:36
an interesting exploration and refutation of the mentioned "36 reasons". Cass is a philosophy professor in a small college near Harvard--he writes a unexpectedly popular book and becomes a celebrity as "the atheist with a soul". The story involves lots of his personal life and l...more...
Jan (Saint Louis, MO)
Sun Jun 06 2010 07:33
How can a novel about a professor of psychology who has written a book on the psychology of religion (which has become a bestseller) be a compelling read? Maybe it's my agnosticism that made me love it. But also, the characters are rich, as is the lead-up to a debate that the author has agreed to ...more...
laura (The United States)
Fri Jun 25 2010 02:13
Overall, I genuinely enjoyed the book and had a good time reading it. One of the major points, I think, is that religious experience has very little to do with religious arguments. I think this is an important point. However, I suppose the implication, given that Cass’s book is called The Varieti...more...
Songster1928 (Jersey City, NJ)
Sat Jun 19 2010 19:16
A satire of two closed worlds: academia and Hassidic Judaism -- trust me Goldstein makes them seem more alike than one suspects, interspersed with the appendix of her protagonist's best seller, an exposition and refutation of the thirty-nine extant arguments for the existence of God. Of course at th...more...
Liviu (White Plains, NY)
Thu Feb 11 2010 23:08
Based on the blurb and some reviews I expected much more than this book has to offer; very pedestrian prose, mostly boring characters and pop-philosophy Wikipedia style that may impress headline news readers but are very shallow; for arguments about faith vs science there is a long list of excellent...more...
Complete List »
ebook Bestsellers
| Sula | $10.95 |
| The Accidental | $10.95 |
| Crack the Fat-Loss Code | $16.95 |
| Sputnik Sweetheart | $10.95 |
| The Help | $24.95 |
Top ebook Categories
- Business, Finance
- General Fiction
- Classics
- Music & Songs
- Language Arts
- Computing, Internet
- Romance
- Science
- Technology
- Medical
|
