Friday, July 6, 2012

Book Review - Some Fruits of Solitude



I was so excited to get the chance to review Some Fruits of Solitude by William Penn.  I am always fascinated by books that were written many years ago, and the content of this book was originally written somewhere between 1665 and 1693.  The book even has a fantastic roughed-up feel with uneven page edges and a distressed looking cover.

As the subtitle indicates, this book is essentially many short "Proverbs, Wisdom, & Principles for better Living."  Each morsel (there are over 800!) is thought provoking and challenging, often even convicting!  I love to see the superior moral standard that was striven for in that time.

The original writing style has been preserved, oddly spelled words and all, which ads to the book's charm, but also makes it difficult to understand at some points.  Honestly there are many words that I did not understand, or else knew that my current definition of the word was not what his was 350 years ago.  This is not to deter you from picking up at copy of this book, though!  Just know that this is not a book to be sped through, but to be read slowly and savored.

Almost every principle in this book can make you stop and think.  Here are two to give you a taste (I would like to share a hundred, but you have to get it yourself if you want read that many =)

18. And yet we are very apt to be full of our selves, instead of Him that made what we so much value; and but for whom we can have no Reason to value our selves.  For we have nothing that we can call out own; no, not our selves: For we are all but Tenants, and at Will too, of the great Lord of our selves, and the rest of this great Farm, the World that we live upon.
52. It is a Reproach to Religion and Government to suffer so much Poverty and Excess.

This book would be a fantastic addition to a study of 17th century history.  It will not teach you history, per-say, but will give you a great taste of what someone living in that time felt and thought. 

Happy Reading!

I received this book from New Leaf Publishing for the purpose of this review.  I was not required to give a positive review and all opinions are my own.

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2 comments:

  1. I love books that make me think. Great review.

    Thanks for hosting the link-up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too =) You're welcome! I'm thankful that you choose to partake =)

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