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Book Review



Richard Bach, Johnathan Livingston Seagull

Look at the seagull pictured above. Look into his eyes. Isn't he nice? He is a nice seagull. The other seagulls do not understand him. They do not try to understand him. Yet he loves them nonetheless.

There you go, no need to read it now. Thank god this only took half an hour to read. For some reason this book appeals (once appealed?) to many, many people. I'd not read it before, but have long been aware of its reputation (although it has always been in association with Neil Diamond). I was after a quick read to break up my Richard Ford trilogy, so finally got around to reading it.

I honestly can't say that I regret doing so, even if I find the writing simplistic to the point of irritation, the narrative trite and self-satisfied, and the subject matter overwhelmingly banal.

By god the late-1960s counterculture must have taken a turn for the worse if millions embraced this in the 1970s. Honestly, if anyone is looking for the embodiment of Christopher Lasch’s The Culture of Narcissism, here you go.

In a perverse sort of way though, I’d recommend people have a look, if only in the same way as you’d have a peek in a train wreck if you happened to pass by.
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