Wind, Sand and Stars
Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, trans. by Lewis Galantiére, 4/5
The stories in this book, based on Saint-Exupéry’s experiences as an airmail pilot and member of the French Air Force, are beautifully told – the product of a poetic soul. His bravery, adventures, eloquent love of the desert and romantic point of view remind me of a sort of French version of T.E. Lawrence. While the book is very enjoyable and quotable (occasionally even enlightening), Saint-Exupéry’s patronizing post-modernism results in a lack of intellectual/philosophical depth that makes itself increasingly felt as the book unfolds.
OmniRambles 
Ok, I’m having trouble with this review. The review itself doesn’t make me want to read the book, but if I were just going to judge it off of the star rating then I would totally read this book. Which one should I trust more?
LikeLike
Hmmm, the numerical ratings and written reviews are meant to work together, the latter elaborating on the former. In this case, an overall rating of 4/5 indicates that my criticisms of the book amount to about one negative point, in light of the book’s positive aspects. In the written portion, I focus mostly on several good qualities (“beautifully told,” “poetic soul,” “bravery,” “adventures,” “eloquent,” “very enjoyable,” “quotable,” “enlightening”) and only mention a couple negative aspects (“patronising post-modernism,” “lack of…depth”). The review might end on a harsh note, but overall, I think it still reflects a 4/5 rating.
As to whether you should read the book or not, it is up to you to decide whether the good aspects I describe would potentially overcome the negative ones and result in a good reading experience for you.
LikeLike