Seven Pillars of Wisdom

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Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T E Lawrence - Rated
Over forty years ago, an English Literature teacher suggested I read this book; I had shown a naive interest in the Middle East. But in 1962 I saw the movie, Lawrence of Arabia, again and again, and again. I still think it's my favourite all time movie, but now I wish I had read the book first!
Reading all the introductory pages first was a mistake...I wish I had started where T.E.L begins. To analyse before reading (I found) distorts the flow of the well written tale. So read T.E.Lawrence first, then go back to see what his critics say. And, if you haven't already, then see the movie! There are critics a-plenty of Lawrence from beginning to end of that, and all in the best possible taste.
It's a long, not always easy read, but well worth a little effort!

Master-piece - Rated
Seven Pillars of Wisdom is a masterpiece of British literature. It is an obligatory book for anyone who wants to acquire knowledge and culture. Ivan Sant'Anna, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Best Ever - Rated
Brilliant. T E Lawrence poured his soul into this magnificently crafted autobiography. It takes you from his arrival in Cairo as an upstart academic, through his dramatic evolution into a desert soldier/strategist and leader of the Arab revolt against the Turks, to his ultimate failure to win justice for the people he'd grown to be part of. Lawrence was a gifted writer as well as an extraordinary soldier and I was fascinated by the insights that run through it: into his political naivety, his ambivalent loyalties, and the hints of concern (almost certainly ill-founded) about his own mental state. The combination of high politics and personal danger, played out in the dramatic and mysterious Arab world as it meets the West is quite magnificent.

The writing style is nineteenth century and the language and prose may be unfamiliar to many but this is the most rewarding book I have read. It's the one I unhesitatingly offer as the best ever.

Mellifluous but Dense - Rated
Jim Norton's mellifluous voice is pleasant to listen to but does little to improve the clarity of Lawrence's already dense writing for the listener. Where the reader has the chance to go back to try to clarify a contorted Lawrence sentence, the listener really has no such opportunity and the result is hard work in concentrating on the flow of the text so as not to miss the purpose of the sentence.

Lawrence thought of himself as a new Shakespeare - but unfortunately did not have Shakespeare's intuitive feeling for language so the slightly quirky cadences adopted by Norton coupled with rather brutal editing make this a reading that has to be listened to with concentration. Not recommended for in-car listening -- or even listening while doing the ironing!

A book for bedtime..... - Rated
Are you a philosopher? - Read no further, you might enjoy this book, if you can stay awake long enough - for the rest of us, this book, unlike its author, is just not interesting - it's too long-winded.
Definitely NOT a book to read in the 21st Century, it's just NOT of our time - the title is the most interesting thing about it.
It's about as interesting as that dull little tome by Ann Robinson.....zzzzzzzzzzz ......time for bed...