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Flourish
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August 10, 2023
Part travel log and life vignettes; part reflections on philosophers, writers, and other famous figures; and part strangely cruel caricatures of people Case comes across; this book covers perhaps too much ground and none of it new. Definitely not a bad book—I think the prose, pacing and structure are really great—but it’s generality and character studies that lack depth and nuance really knock it down a peg for me.
The whole premise of ‘flourishing’ is so broad that none of the philosophies discussed are delved into comprehensively. On top of that, the author’s traipsing around the globe comes across as very privileged, but someone who likes descriptions of ‘exotic’ locales will probably like those parts. Then there are the unfortunate side characters who are described with varying kindness and empathy based on how much our narrator seems to respect them, which made me feel like I was listening to a mean girl talking behind a friend’s back.
I found some of the leaps, assumptions and wording in some chapters accidentally comedic. There is one line where Case compared being a social media influencer to being an arms dealer… that had me chuckling! Then there’s the comparison of a computer keyboard to a ‘psychopaths dissecting table’, which that had me laughing again. On top of that, the author seems to have a dislike for the current day and a deep nostalgia for the past (and dead, rich, white men).
The ending was predictable in both good and bad ways. The conclusion was earned but there were no fresh revelations that you haven’t heard before. Flourishing is the journey, not the destination; it’s unique to each of us; it’s found in the simple, the every day, not in capitalistic, self serving ventures. I found it cliche but, simultaneously, I believe a lot of people may benefit from hearing it in Cases precise prose, which is great the vast majority of the time.
This book would be great for someone unfamiliar with philosophy who wants a quick overview and enjoys travel writing and self help books.
The whole premise of ‘flourishing’ is so broad that none of the philosophies discussed are delved into comprehensively. On top of that, the author’s traipsing around the globe comes across as very privileged, but someone who likes descriptions of ‘exotic’ locales will probably like those parts. Then there are the unfortunate side characters who are described with varying kindness and empathy based on how much our narrator seems to respect them, which made me feel like I was listening to a mean girl talking behind a friend’s back.
I found some of the leaps, assumptions and wording in some chapters accidentally comedic. There is one line where Case compared being a social media influencer to being an arms dealer… that had me chuckling! Then there’s the comparison of a computer keyboard to a ‘psychopaths dissecting table’, which that had me laughing again. On top of that, the author seems to have a dislike for the current day and a deep nostalgia for the past (and dead, rich, white men).
The ending was predictable in both good and bad ways. The conclusion was earned but there were no fresh revelations that you haven’t heard before. Flourishing is the journey, not the destination; it’s unique to each of us; it’s found in the simple, the every day, not in capitalistic, self serving ventures. I found it cliche but, simultaneously, I believe a lot of people may benefit from hearing it in Cases precise prose, which is great the vast majority of the time.
This book would be great for someone unfamiliar with philosophy who wants a quick overview and enjoys travel writing and self help books.
Displaying 1 of 1 review