Timothy Findley's Pilgrim is the story of a man who can't die even though he tries over and over to kill himself. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, in 19...
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Jul 15, 2008
JSou
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I really, really enjoyed this book. Any story that can combine historical fiction, fantasy, and psychology successfully is thumbs up for me. I loved being able to read about DaVinci, Henry James, and then jump to Carl Jung working with an "immortal" in an asylum.
Awesome book.
Awesome book.
Jul 07, 2011
Krystal
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 07, 2010
John
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A very good work of historical fiction, Pilgrim is one of those books that grabs your attention immediately and contains several suprising twists to keep the suspense going but ends abruptly without answering many questions.
Pilgrim is supposedly an immortal man who has tried several times to commit suicide but fails. He is sent to a phyciatric hospital to be under the care of Carl Jung. While the story is ostensibly about Pilgrim and his supposed "mission," it is arguably More...
Pilgrim is supposedly an immortal man who has tried several times to commit suicide but fails. He is sent to a phyciatric hospital to be under the care of Carl Jung. While the story is ostensibly about Pilgrim and his supposed "mission," it is arguably More...
Oct 28, 2011
S.A.
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What a maddening book. Pilgrim is a roller coaster ride containing short chapters, some only one page, a sprinkling of historical characters (urgh), Carl Jung, immortality, insanity, humanity and ultimately death. Above all the desire for death, the profound sleep, the needed end.
What an infuriatingly lovely and splendid book.
I needed a meter as I read. At certain points I swore I'd give this book a two. Then a one, especially when Jung conducts endless internal argumen More...
What an infuriatingly lovely and splendid book.
I needed a meter as I read. At certain points I swore I'd give this book a two. Then a one, especially when Jung conducts endless internal argumen More...
Nov 03, 2011
Kristy
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I like Timothy Findley, but he must be the most eclectic author I’ve ever read. I first came across him in highschool with The Wars, a novel that observes soldiers in the First World War and which, frankly, I don’t really remember because I was obligated to read it for a class. I later read Findley’s Not Wanted on the Voyage, which was a bizarre and irreligious take on the events surrounding the biblical Noah and his ark. I didn’t enjoy that one. I did love The Piano Man’s Daughter, a beautiful
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May 13, 2011
Smilingplatypus
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I don't know what to make of this book. Parts of it are excellent (a main character who can't die and who has lived for centuries, a look at early twentieth-century attitudes towards mental health, etc.) and parts of it are really self-indulgent. There are also a lot of loose ends that are never addressed. So I'm splitting the difference and giving it three stars.
Also, it's a pet peeve of mine that people in historical fiction books almost always happen to run into the most signif More...
Also, it's a pet peeve of mine that people in historical fiction books almost always happen to run into the most signif More...
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Apr 14, 2009
E
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I'd been wanting to reread this, one of my favourite pieces of fiction, after seeing a local production of Tom Stoppard's play Travesties last month. Both stories take place primarily in Zürich before and during World War I and involve figures who, while fictionalized for the present purposes, did exist (James Joyce, Lenin and Tristan Tzara in Travesties, and Carl Jung and various staff members at the Burghölzli psychiatric clinic, Oscar Wilde, Leonardo da Vinci and others in Pilgrim). There's
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Jul 26, 2011
Michael
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The care and focus given by the author to crafting the settings of this book is impressive. Told from the point of view of a man who is either immortal or insane, the reader is shown the inner workings of the man's mind and dropped into his recollections of his life in other places and times. Those recollections are realised in sharp detail, and contrasted with the narrow field of view of the psychiatrists who ultimately fail to connect to the people whom they are attempting to help. Fed up with
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Apr 27, 2008
Nicole
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The book goes a bit long, but is an interesting concept and has some truly interesting glimpses into history.
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Jan 11, 2012
Chrissi
rated it:
"Be careful what you wish for." Seems like we all wish for immortality, but what if it really came true? The lead character, Pilgrim, is a 4,000 year old man who wants desperately to die but can't! He has stopped speaking in Timothy Findley's brilliant novel, and we only know what he is thinking through italicized words throughout the text. The also brilliant, famed psychiatrist, Carl Jung, is made into a character in this novel. He wants desperately to crack the code of Pilgrim.
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Jun 08, 2010
Ken
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The book was unnecessarily long (published authors tend to be out of control when it comes to lengths of their subsequent works. or so it seems)
interesting passages:
- take on music from an apathetic person.
"music is the worst of them - roiling and boiling - overly emotionalized on the one hand, overly intellectuallized on the other. Bach and Mozart indeed! Bach inevitably makes me think of fish in a barrel! round and round and round they go and nothing ev More...
interesting passages:
- take on music from an apathetic person.
"music is the worst of them - roiling and boiling - overly emotionalized on the one hand, overly intellectuallized on the other. Bach and Mozart indeed! Bach inevitably makes me think of fish in a barrel! round and round and round they go and nothing ev More...
Jan 05, 2010
Stephen
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There is certainly nothing wrong with the prose, aside from an almost unrelenting melancholy tone. The characters are all well developed and the ideas are fresh. But despite all that, reading to the end of this tome became a chore for me.
My problem with the book began with the fact that I opened it expecting to read the adventures of a character who had somehow lived through a great many centuries, but instead found myself mostly involved with psychiatrist Carl Jung during the develo More...
My problem with the book began with the fact that I opened it expecting to read the adventures of a character who had somehow lived through a great many centuries, but instead found myself mostly involved with psychiatrist Carl Jung during the develo More...
Jan 08, 2012
Kelanth, in tenebris lux tua
rated it: 
Inizio interessante che lascia piacevolmente sorpresi per la trama originale e la capacità dell'autore di sorprendere il lettore con uno stile di scrittura davvero ben fatto, descrizioni al limite del "visivo" e personaggio principale eccelso.
Peccato però che con il proseguo della lettura ci si perde a metà libro in un ingorgo da cui è "paludoso" uscire per poi arrivare davvero stancamente ad un finale che non lascia nulla al lettore.
La trama è di pe More...
Peccato però che con il proseguo della lettura ci si perde a metà libro in un ingorgo da cui è "paludoso" uscire per poi arrivare davvero stancamente ad un finale che non lascia nulla al lettore.
La trama è di pe More...
Apr 24, 2011
Cat
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I found this an fascinating read as it has unexpected twists and turns and I was never quite sure where it was heading. I dislike it when I can guess the ending early in the book. The writing was quick paced, the characters very real and the research behind the real people in the book was excellent.
As a lover of speculative fiction I am not quite sure I have read anything quite like it and read it in a 24 hour period.
As a lover of speculative fiction I am not quite sure I have read anything quite like it and read it in a 24 hour period.
Jul 21, 2010
Taylor
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An slow read that felt worth it in the end, despite the fact that Findley's particular brand of tinkering with history and the slightly self-important prose sometimes drove me up a fucking wall. Even a week after finishing this book, I'm not fully able to talk about my opinion of it in detail. All I can say is that I don't know anyone I would recommend it to, but I'm glad I forced myself to finish it.
Jan 01, 2011
April
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I read this after having read Findley's Not Wanted on the Voyage, and quite enjoyed the book. I had trouble understanding it at first as I was confused as to whether Pilgrim was real or not, but as I went through the book, it because more clear and the plot definitely got more juicy. People interested in Jungian psychology will no doubt enjoy this book!
Dec 19, 2008
Mykl
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I enjoy history so a book that has so many hisotirical figures both "major" and "minor" is enjoyable. Probably the character I found most interesting was Emma Jung, Carl Gustav Jung's wife. The way the story was written did a good job portraying the time periods presentd. And no, don't ask me to explain whe the 'messengers" are.
Jan 17, 2011
Daniel
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Carl Jung, immortals, angels, and psycho-analysis...they don't sound like the ingredients of a sane novel. Thankfully, sane novels are boring...and Timothy Findley's ultimate masterpiece will make you question your OWN sanity. A stunning book that will leave your mouth hanging open in sheer astonishment on more than one occasion.
Sep 23, 2011
Shelly
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runs through a few philosophical/theological concepts; talks about real people in history; author conjures up detailed personal stories of them, which i enjoyed and like to pretend they are real.
kinda confusing till u get about half way through to understand all thats going on, though.
kinda confusing till u get about half way through to understand all thats going on, though.
Jun 05, 2011
Chelseabelle
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I enjoyed this one.. although it shifted a little too much for me to LOVE it. It weaves in and out of some major historical happenings while weaving in some Carl Jung.
The ending left a little to be desired.. but it was in keeping with the rest of the book so it didn't bother me too much.
The ending left a little to be desired.. but it was in keeping with the rest of the book so it didn't bother me too much.
Oct 26, 2009
Michelle
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One of my favourite books on the planet. If you are a lover of psychology, specifically Carl Jung, this book is a must-read. Pilgrim travels through history, and winds up in a psychiatric ward over-seen by Jung. Findlay portrays Jung as complex a character as his patients. Absolutely fascinating.
Feb 25, 2011
Jayne
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Greaat interweaving of history, crossing time periods, some fact, while pushing the limits on our understanding of what is real and tested in some so called scientific way and what we can never be quite sure about.
Aug 10, 2011
Steve
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After purchasing this book for one dollar at a yard sale, I was unable to put it down. The themes explored are universal. Along with Hesse's "Siddhartha," this is a book I will revisit time and time again.
Jun 06, 2010
Cody
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coolass story about carl gustav jung chewing cheroots and falling in love with an angel. who is mad, and who is sane? passages about angels floating up and getting stuck in the trees were the best
Aug 10, 2011
Elisabeth
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Incredible! I have loved the question of craziness the way it was seen in the 1910's, the way Jung was seeing it, the question of reincarnation or eternity. This is really a great novel.
Feb 18, 2010
Very enlightening book into the art of psychology inside the mind of the patient and the doctor...I wonder how much is based on true facts from Carl Jung's life?
Aug 17, 2009
Jaymee
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I love love love this book...R.I.P. Timothy Findley...one of the greatest authors of my time!!!
I read this in high school and couldn't put it down...
I read this in high school and couldn't put it down...
Aug 10, 2011
Debbie
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Not an easy read and I don't know what he was smoking when he wrote this but I just loved the ride. Love Findley and this is one of his best.
Mar 25, 2010
sisterimapoet
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My feelings about this novel shifted throughout my reading.
To begin with I was surprised at how easy it was to get into, it seemed a lot more accessible than I expected it to be. I found myself quickly absorbed in the story, and responsive to the characters.
This connection lasted till over half way through, when I felt it started to drag a bit. It picked up again at the end, and felt genuinely quite exciting, but the middle bit was a lull.
Perhaps a book that More...
To begin with I was surprised at how easy it was to get into, it seemed a lot more accessible than I expected it to be. I found myself quickly absorbed in the story, and responsive to the characters.
This connection lasted till over half way through, when I felt it started to drag a bit. It picked up again at the end, and felt genuinely quite exciting, but the middle bit was a lull.
Perhaps a book that More...
Aug 23, 2009
Scott
rated it:
great read. The flashbooks could be confusing. but a nice blend of fiction and history together. makes me want learn. somewhat.
