But he has qualms about having children which he avoids by non-ejaculating in unprotected sex (and he is supposed to be an educated man!) He writes ably enough here, yet there is no life in this novel. I found it generally amusing and quite funny at points. However, the protagonist, Thomas Bunting, is something of a liar, a wastrel and a highly intelligent young man. You know, it's rare to read a book that gets stronger toward the end. It's was not my type of book that I would read It was one of my book club's choices for January. In despair over his failed academic career and failing marriage, Bunting is also enraged to the point of near lunacy by his parents' religiousness. The story of a husband and wife, a father and son, faith and disbelief, and a hero who couldn't tell the truth if his life depended on it, The Book Against God is at once hilarious and poignant; it introduces an original comic voice—edgy, elegiac, lyrical, and indignant—and, in the irrepressible Thomas Bunting, one of the strangest philosophers in contemporary fiction. I felt like I was reading the characters in the book through frosted glass. It reminded me of David Lodge. A very interesting novel. I really enjoyed this book, written with skill and intelligence, it is a fascinating novel, engaging and melancholy in turns, but it never bored me. To see what your friends thought of this book, Tom, the narrator is the 30 year old intellectual son of a vicar, a professional student and also a militant atheist. Enjoyable -- at times quite moving -- but somewhat slight, both in character and plot development. Unfortunately, the main character is so incredibly (and I use this much overused--& misused--word advisedly) selfish & immature that it was hard to care much about what happened to him or what he thought or believed, a critical flaw for this book. I can't say I was incredibly attached to the characters, but the basic plot line was well done. Nothing comes of this as it might do: it is just left dangling at the end. He is smart, an excellent writer, and usually on the mark. I felt like I was reading the characters in the book through frosted glass. In this lab, John Piper lays out the arguments and gives three short lessons for our daily Bible reading. And despite some very interesting passages, similar religious arguments were handled with much more depth--and, at the same time, better integrated into an engaging narrative--by Jill Paton Walsh, in Knowledge of Angels. so he's not the greatest novelist. Why did I continue? In Christ, God himself suffered violence so that violence might be ended forever. He'd be a great story teller if he had a story worth telling. “How then, does Wood's first novel measure up against his own exacting criteria? Joshua and Jesus. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. As the son of a jovial, learned, and blissfully confident Anglican vicar, Bunting wrestles continually with God—leaving his dissertation to molder, ignoring his beautiful wife, forgetting to bathe, smoking incessantly, and spending his days ensconced with stacks of theological works, scribbling refutations in a notebook. If your life starts to fall apart, take steps toward gathering the pieces. 'This novel is an unexpected delight. All interesting and thought provoking but might have been better as a collection of essays (as in his other wonderful books) than a novel. Perhaps this novel should be classified as a metaphysical novel. His long drawn out PHD in philosophy has been delayed by a secret writing project leading up to a spiritual crisis which he chronicles in a deadpan, unintentionally comic way. In Against the Gods, Peter Bernstein guides the reader through the risk term’s origins and development, ranging from the 13th century to the present day’s perception of said concept. Thomas Bunting, the main character of James Wood's novel, is a compulsive liar, self-absorbed sponge and the epitome of arrested development. Though the title announces that it's about theology, and indeed there is a great deal of theological and philosophical content to chew on, the novel is really all about truth and lies. It’s not very hard to convince someone that the Bible … But, does God understanding us give us the right to complain against Him? Like Wood's criticism, The Book Against God is full of ideas, irony, and intelligence.” ―The Miami Herald, “Wood has written his own big-thing novel, his first, which has to do with literature and faith but is also, happily, laden with wit, forceful images, and English eccentrics.” ―The New York Times Book Review, “Intellectually stimulating and amusing first novel [Wood] mixes serious questions of theology and family relationships so tactfully, cunningly even, that they go down as smoothly as the scotch Tom keeps hidden in the bottle under his bed.” ―The Washington Post. Tom just chose to stay in bed. Wood speaks in the voice of Thomas Bunting, a youngish, intellectual skeptic religiously obsessed with disproving the existence of God. These chapters explain the devil's motivation and introduce the worldly powers he employs in his end-time battle against Christ and His servants. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. The plot in The Book Against God seems simply an armature, on which the author has molded his ideas. It's like reading my husband's mind, with the bonus of being able to put it down when I'm tired.. I liked this book a lot. Lies especially. Comic, edgy, lyrical, and indignant Bunting gives the term unreliable narrator a new twist with his irrepressible incapacity to tell the truth. If only I could take my experience banging and bending two-motion selectors for Post Office Telecommunications, where I spent the best years of my life, to the bank. Other views are offered by Max, the pundit, and his very academic parents, and so forth. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. He, therefore, cannot take the leap of faith that his theologian father has. Preoccupied with religion & religious arguments (mostly against), with quite a bit about music as well (the main character's wife is a professional pianist), by one of my favorite critics, it's a book that ought to have been intensely interesting. Enjoyable and interesting. This was a meandering and unfinished work. Kad jedan od najvećih živih književnih kritičara napiše knjigu, sve oči su uperene u njega. His marriage is disintegrating, and his academic career is in ruins: instead of completing his philosophy PhD, he is secretly writing what he hopes will be his masterwork, a vast atheistic project he has privately entitled 'The Book Against God'. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. I so wanted to believe in someone or something throughout the book, but Tom is too selfish and self invloved to see others clearly. The Book Against God reads almost as if Evelyn Waugh were alive again, and had decided to write in his graceful, fluid prose about one of Walker Percy’s heroes: the distracted, contemporary sons of comfort whose search for religious meaning is indirect, halting, and thoroughly believable. Thomas Bunting is not a good husband — he is liberal with his wife’s money and miserly with his sperm. Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2012. Bunting is not a conventional unbeli, 'This novel is an unexpected delight. There are complexities within the simplicities. This would put Bunting in a real fix and lead to some action but all we get are little snits and meaningful conversations all the time, flaunting his erudition. The Book Against God is narrated by Thomas Bunting who, at age 31, still hasn't really grown up. If your life starts to fall apart, take steps tow. The main character, Thomas Bunting, has lost the garden of childhood and with it his innocence. It's also a reflection about untruths: A hard book to assess from the wise and articulate book critic for The New Republic. An extremely readable history of risk. And the man's father is an Anglican priest. June 1st 2004 I had such high hopes because I LOVE Wood's book reviews. There's a sense in which all those who publish novels offer themselves naked to the reading public. Please try again. Bunting would not survive long in the real world: putting bills behind the mantle clock does not stop creditors coming after you. Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2013. James Wood has had an enviable career learning how to appreciate books and then reading and writing about them for a living: Durham Cathedral School, Eton College, Cambridge Uni, Chief Literary Critic of the Guardian, Senior Editor at the New Republic in Washington DC, currently staff writer at the New Yorker and he is only 47. Bunting's hopes that this visit might enable him to finally talk honestly with his parents and sort out his wayward life, are soon destroyed. One way or another his impossible lifestyle is maintained. When his father, a. Thomas Bunting while neglecting his philosophy Ph.D., still unfinished after seven years, is secretly writing what he hopes will be his masterwork--a vast atheistic project to be titled The Book Against God. Though it was not effective on this occasion, both Caleb and Joshua combated fear through words of faith. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. There are complexities within the simplicities. Against the Gods chronicles the remarkable intellectual adventure that liberated humanity from oracles and soothsayers by means of the powerful tools of risk management that are available to us today. His project is a debate about the existence and nature of God and the insoluble 'problem of evil'. When his father, a beloved parish priest, suddenly falls ill, Bunting returns to the Northern village of his childhood. Yes, it was clever and "well written" except that it was boring. The protagonist is a selfish, self-serving, lazy liar, without too many redeemable qualities. The Book Against God is his first Novel. March 3, 1997 Peter Bernstein's latest book, Against the Gods The Remarkable Story of Risk, establishes his standing as America's preeminent scholar-practitioner in the field of finance. Sounds simplistic or even poor, but that's only the surface. smartly written, with the theme of compulsive lying frequently providing its own plot twists, and the lies themselves at times practically characters of their own. I'll begin by saying I really enjoyed this book. Buy a cheap copy of Atheism: The Case Against God book by George H. Smith. The Book Against God is the Brit's only novel and it kind of reads like it's written by someone who has studied the craft of literature very, very hard. Refresh and try again. No one really likes this book except for my father and myself, but I'm quite fervent about it. I won't beat him up because the book is scattershot, aimless, and his narrator is a total jerk. Ipak, ova knjiga nije dobila sjajne recenzije, niti je previše čitana. The problem with this book is that it is a load of middle class chitter-chatter, where what conflict there is exists as a clash arguments and ideals rather than action. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Unable to add item to List. James Wood is probably as successful as a "literary critic" gets having become a staff writer for the. James Douglas Graham Wood is an English literary critic, essayist and novelist. Wood speaks in the voice of Thomas Bunting, a youngish, intellectual skeptic religiously obsessed with disproving the existence of God. I am enjoying this so much! The theodicy debate goes unresolved of course as does the ending but it hardly matters as it's a fun read. Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2007. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. When a theology lecturer asks him rhetorically whether Durham Cathedral is just a mistake, he is lost for an answer — not enough of a realist to to respond that it was far from a mistake for the stone masons and clergy who drew significant economic benefits from its construction. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. What seemed to throw a blanket over it all was the protagonist. This book, which was sort of interesting at first, just went on and on and on, and I just gave up after page 50 or so...and skipped 10 pages at a time. Please try again. When it comes time to think about children, he lies and causes a separation from his wife. I wish Wood considered himself a writer of fiction, rather than a ccritque, and writer of essays.After reading his December offering in the New Yorker, I knew I had to see what fiction he had written. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4). Please try again. With this intriguing introduction, George H Smith sets out to demolish what he considers the most widespread and destructive of all the myths devised by man - the... Free shipping over $10. But he basically always writes about himself and the academic/journalistic world he lives in. I can't believe in Him and I won't believe in Him, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 24, 2015. The Book Against God by James Wood Cape £12.99, pp248. Stil je vrhunski, ali opet i nenametljiv. A hard book to assess from the wise and articulate book critic for The New Republic. Bunting has left his packer/porter job at Harrods but can also fall back on his rich, art-dealer, Uncle Karl in Chelsea. He has spent seven years on his degree. But unlike Joshua, Jesus’ weapons were wisdom, love, and sacrifice. Very clever , very well-written, great observations! Moreover, can it ever be proper to complain against our Creator? Why a concert pianist would want to marry such a loser is one question and didn't he have some inkling that she would be practising in the flat? Start by marking “The Book Against God” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Similar to Joshua, Jesus came to drive evil out of his creation. And Secrets About God – “The God of the Universe Wants a Personal Relationship with You,” “God is For You, Not Against You,” God Requires Something from You,” etc. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. A novel with such an august name and by such a great critic ought to be better than this felt to me. The characters are drawn so clearly, I would like to see Wood do another novel. First of all, it's a book by an atheist in which the protagonist, an atheist, is writing a book "against God," i.e. Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2021. “His work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. In despair over his failed academic career and failing marriage, Bunting is also enraged to the point of near lunacy by his parents' religiousness. I'll begin by saying I really enjoyed this book. The writing sentence by sentence is wonderful but I didn't feel attached to the characters at all...and the plot was thinner than thin...it is a book of ideas. If only I could take my experience banging and bending two-motion selectors for Post Office Telecommunications, where I spent the best years of my life, to the bank. The main character, Thomas Bunting, has lost the garden of childhood and with it his innocence. A strange book - beautifully written but futile. And it's rare to find a book with characters arguing earnestly about religion. What makes this book better than an "amusing read," in my opinion, is how it goes beyond simply being funny or being a novel of ideas. What makes this book better than an "amusing read," in my opinion, is how it goes beyond simply being funny or being a novel of ideas. The main character is not only unlikable, he's completely uninteresting. The book is really quite funny, and is about the nature of truth as much as it is about belief. The story of a husband and wife, a father and son, faith and disbelief, and a hero who couldn't tell the truth if his life depended on it, The Book Against God is at once hilarious and poignant; it introduces an original comic voice—edgy, elegiac, lyrical, and indignant—and, in the irrepressible Thomas Bunting, one of the strangest philosophers in contemporary fiction. I give three stars just because it is "well written" by a good writer, and I don't want to discourage Wood's followers too much. Quit halfway through. The Book Against God functions well on both the theological and human level. Who would borrow £1000 from a loan shark to repay £5,424 over two years? There was a problem loading your book clubs. That style makes sense given Tom's (our main character's) inability to finish his PhD, but, ultimately, the story did not hang together for me and felt like too brief a snapshot into a listless life. In reality Jane would get pregnant anyway and have to stop work for a while thus intensifying the need for work. the book against god by James Wood ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2003 An intellectual’s revolt against the faith of his father becomes a disabling shaping force in this talky if intriguing first novel. When his father, a beloved parish priest, suddenly falls ill, Bunting returns to the Northern village of his childhood. Johnathan Kirsch’s God Against the Gods is primarily a historical survey of ancient Bible history and that of the early days of the Christian church with a focus on Constantine and his adoption of Christianity as the official Roman religion. Main character is unappealing (lazy, loser PhD candidate living off his girlfriend) pace too slow, plot without sufficient conflict. You only get this for 6 months, you must have 12 months National Insurance contributions, and must have been made redundant. THE BOOK AGAINST GOD James Wood. The plot in The Book Against God seems simply an armature, on which the author has molded his ideas. Something went wrong. But he basically always writes about himself and the academic/journalistic world he lives in. The answer is: remarkably well. The book of Judges is written to demonstrate what happens when human beings, in all our sinful rebellion against God, have no restraints. Thomas is not a good academic, spending six years on an unfinished PhD and never rising above research assistant. Be the first to ask a question about The Book Against God. All prefer at least one of these genres, so this book is potentially suitable for them. He gets by on the 'dole' but there has been no dole for many years but 'Job Seekers Allowance'. The God Delusion is a 2006 book by English biologist Richard Dawkins, a professorial fellow at New College, Oxford and, at the time of publication, the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford. The main character, Tom, is not redeemable, which was frustrating for me, after all the plot difficulties he wades through. Viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate to! Kriza kroz koje ljudi prolaze u životu lazy liar, without too redeemable. Select the department you want to read it was one of these genres, so lacking in everything personality. 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