New Reading
So, I read Philosophy Made Simple by Robert Hellenga tonight. I almost quit after the first two chapters because I felt the only way to continue was to flog myself; they were un-Godly boring. The subsequent chapters were fairly interesting. Although, certain elements caused me to stop reading and begin to ponder. For example, the author appears to be obsessed with infidelity. The hero in the book, Rudy, found out that his wife, Helen, was having an affair in Italy where she worked as a connoisseur. She refused to come home to him until she found out she was dying of lymphoma. That's where the book picks up. Helen is already dead and we get details about her as the book goes on.
Rudy doesn't seem upset with his wife's affair, as it was simply an "aventura" she needed to have. We know he feels this way because that's precisely what Rudy told his daughter who confided in him that she was cheating on her husband. He told his daughter, who was looking to be scolded, that her affair was "human nature" and an "aventura" she needed to take. Yet, he admits, he never had an affair - or, an "aventura," which is Spanish for "adventure."
Throughout the book, Rudy longs for his dead wife, Helen, the adulterous, constantly reminiscing about the times they spent together and all the love she showed him. He's trying to figure out what to do with his life.
And while he's doing that, I'm trying to figure out why he never once questioned the veracity of his wife's declarations. It's absurd.
And while he's doing that, I'm trying to figure out why he never once questioned the veracity of his wife's declarations. It's absurd.
The book is overly annoying because it's entirely inconsistent with human nature - or, at least my human nature. Because if I ever caught my wife cheating on me, I would file for a divorce the very next day and would forever and always question the veracity of everything she ever told me. I would probably stop talking to her altogether - save when absolutely necessary.
To me, having an affair is not human nature. I don't buy that for a single minute. I think that's just something the author, Robert, tells himself to make himself feel better, as I found out that his wife in real life is a connoisseur, like Helen, and has red hair, like Helen. The only difference I note between the character Rudy and the author Robert, is that Robert's wife is still alive and Robert is college educated. Rudy's wife is dead and Rudy never attended college. Everything else is spot on, including having three daughters. I seriously believe the book is autobiographical.
All-in-all, the book was terrible. In fact, I hated it. The plot was good, but it was all the filler and inconsistencies that ruined it. It was utterly ridiculous, and I will never read another book written by Robert Hellenga again.
I literally threw the book when I was done with it. I tossed it from my bed and it landed on the floor. I'll pick it up later, of course, and put it on my bookshelf - at the very, very, very bottom. I will never read it again, and if anyone asks to borrow it (and many people have asked to borrow some books when they see how many I have), I will persuade them not to.
Final Grade: D