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Liked It2 of 2 members found this review helpful “Thanks to this book, I now have a favorite Puritan: Roger Williams, the founder of Providence, and, in many ways, Rhode Island. I came to love him through Sarah Vowell's wonderfully nerdy, often hilarious account of the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. I gave this book to my mom because...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“A book that makes you rethink everything you have learned and that is a good thing. So much of the present is steered by the past.”
Marie B wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I am racing through this book and eagerly anticipating reading another book by Sarah Vowell! My daughter gave me a signed copy for Christmas and it does much to add to my understanding of the American "Puritan work ethic" and its place in the United States today. It is solid historical fact, mixed with her witty interpretation and is thoroughly entertaining!”
Patricia M wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Best and funniest history of the Puritans in New England. I listened to the book on tape and it suffers from not just letting Sarah read the whole book. Her voice while quirky is wonderful. Highly recommended.”
mak52 wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Wonderfully original look at the pilgrims through the lens of today's political climate. ”
Jesse O wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I mostly really liked this. Vowell's smart-alecky style appeals to me and her commentary is astute. My only complaint is that she sometimes employs weak transitions between ideas. Nonetheless, she kept what might bore a lot of people quite relevant and interesting. She also writes in the first person and tells a few family stories, which implies that the subject matter has immediate relevance to a modern reader, which, of course, it does. I'll definitely read more of her. ”
Anne S wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I find it hard to say anything negative about a writer so passionately trying to bring history into the mainstream, but with _The Wordy Shipmates_, Sarah Vowell has, like the subjects of her book, gone astray. While the author's analysis of the religious debates is solid, Vowell spends too much time on the Pequots & not enough on Anne Hutchinson. While the story of the former might interest the masses, it is the story of the latter that fits best with the story Vowell is telling. Kudos to Sarah Vowell for telling the stories of Winthrop & Williams with new passion & insight, but can someone please find the author some past tense?”
Kind wrote this review Sunday, November 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Despite critical acclaim this book this book was underwhelming in both the writing style and the information. The concept sounded interesting but the book was boring. Although filled with primary documents and details on the inner workings of the early colonies it is not intriguing enough to write an entire book on, at least not in this format and style. The writing of the famous Puritans is not geared towards the readers of today, it is filled with biblical references (note the bible is also filled with references I would not understand) and is inspired by situation far from the modern problems. Then there is the so called humor. I found this book to be far more sobering than enlightening and witty. I hardly call throwing in randomly placed pop-culture references humor. But wait there is more Spiderman (almost quoted from the book, there it is used as as the end of a sentence not the introduction to one) the references that are used seem unsupported. It is a paragraph on the on how relevant it is but then there is no explanation as to why. The book just seemed hyped to me, perhaps to an introduction to the colonial world it could be interesting but the only possibly interesting parts of the book come with just a slightly more advanced knowledge than what you learn from kindergarten. ”
GRIFFIN B wrote this review Sunday, November 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I laughed out loud on almost every page. I love Sarah Vowell.”
Nathan B wrote this review Monday, November 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Good Book - Sarah Vowell made the puritan's intresting and relavent to today. I listen to the audiobook and kept trying to play name that celebrity voice and I think it pulled me out of the book. I think this would be a good one to reread in a couple of years to solidify the thoughts on it.
Kaitlin G wrote this review Friday, November 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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“I really enjoyed this book. This was the first book I've ever read by Sarah Vowell and I really liked her writing style. She is very sarcastic and witty which makes her writing so fun to read. Vowell effectively romanticizes the world of the Puritans in early colonial America. She praises the efforts of colonists such as John Winthrop, a Puritan town governor, and his contemporaries like Reverend John Wilson and other devout Puritans. Vowell uses a lot of primary source documents to tell the story of the Puritans, mostly emphasizing how seriously the Puritans valued reading and literature. Although she pokes fun at the hypocrisies of the Puritans (such as wanting to break free from religious persecution then punishing anyone on the Massachusetts Bay Colony who was not Puritan) she heavily admires both their incredibly literacy and their original ideas about brotherhood and sympathy: essential ideas America was founded upon. I found this book not only to be greatly entertaining, but also an excellent way to learn about basic history of America.
KATHERINE G wrote this review Friday, November 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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