Adrián Astur Álvarez reviewed A Musical Offering by Luis Sagasti
Review of 'A Musical Offering' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This was a fun read. Reminded me a little of James Burke's classic science show Connections. The difference is essential to Sagasti's project. Connections sets out with an overarching inquiry to understand some aspect of human nature, but what if there were no such defined inquiry and we had to take the connections and bind them up as we consume them. This directionless style of thematic connection making is at the heart of A Musical Offering and the result is a deluge of stories both familiar and made up constellated around titled chapters of inspiration. Handled indelicately this could come off poorly but Sagasti (and Fionn Petch) are sensitive enough to handle modal changes in mood so that the enterprise of the book is successfully entertaining.
It's a quick read and a nice way to pass an afternoon but I wonder how much I'll retain in a year's time... or …
This was a fun read. Reminded me a little of James Burke's classic science show Connections. The difference is essential to Sagasti's project. Connections sets out with an overarching inquiry to understand some aspect of human nature, but what if there were no such defined inquiry and we had to take the connections and bind them up as we consume them. This directionless style of thematic connection making is at the heart of A Musical Offering and the result is a deluge of stories both familiar and made up constellated around titled chapters of inspiration. Handled indelicately this could come off poorly but Sagasti (and Fionn Petch) are sensitive enough to handle modal changes in mood so that the enterprise of the book is successfully entertaining.
It's a quick read and a nice way to pass an afternoon but I wonder how much I'll retain in a year's time... or in 25,000 years.
