Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Beyond the Book | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Mar 2006, 288 pages
Paperback:
Mar 2007, 304 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse Review Team
Buy This Book
This article relates to Philosophy Made Simple
This is Hellenga's fourth novel following The Sixteen Pleasures (1994),
The Fall of a Sparrow (1998), and Blues Lessons (2002). Set
in the late 1960s, Philosophy Made Simple shares many of the same
characters as The Sixteen Pleasures, but it is certainly not necessary to
have read the earlier book to enjoy the latter. Having said that, if you're interested to know what came before, below is a brief summary of The Sixteen Pleasures.
About The Sixteen Pleasures
Margot (one of Rudy's daughters) gave up her place at Harvard to care for
her ailing mother. Now, at 29, this librarian and book conservator answers
the call for volunteers to help Florence save its art treasures from the rapidly
flooding Arno River (1966). While in Italy she discovers a fabulous volume
of sixteen erotic drawings thought to have been destroyed by the Vatican and
falls in love with a married Italian man.
About Robert Hellenga
Hellenga grew up in Michigan where his father was a commission merchant
handling produce (much like Rudy in Philosophy Made Simple).
He has taught English literature at Knox College in Illinois since 1968 and was
first published (after 39 rejections) in 1994.
This "beyond the book article" relates to Philosophy Made Simple. It originally ran in March 2006 and has been updated for the
March 2007 paperback edition.
Go to magazine.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
