This book was quite interesting. It would definitely fall into the category of allegory. It reminds me of The Legend of Bagger Vance. This was a book club selection and I cannot wait for this discussion. ( )

A wonderful fable. Get a copy and read it at your leisure ( )

It starts out very promising, with a thinking individual cast out from a narrow-minded group. The rest is too biblical for me, with its "afterlives", each one more "perfect" than the preceding one (much like the final Narnia book), the comparison of flight with "salvation", and the teachers spreading the word of "faith" among their "disciples". Perhaps it could be viewed just as belief in one self, but to me it was in-your-face religious.

Didn't like it, mostly just got annoyed by it. Also, the Finnish translation had poor language. ( )

This book is a response to the flawed and disappointing underbelly of humanity, revealed for Bach in Vietnam, the Kennedy assassination, the battles for Civil Rights and Feminism, and the Sexual Revolution. Unfortunately, it is not a work which embraces or explores those changes, but seeks to escape the conflicts surrounding them.

Perhaps it should be unsurprising that the author would want to escape the everyday anxieties which marked the changing world. Certainly, there is a sort of optimism in Jonathan Livingston Seagull, though it is merely the sort you get when you take ancient and complex philosophy and distill it down into meaningless fluff. It is from this feel-good denial that the whole New Age movement springs, giving hope without guidance, and offering self-help for our self loathing.

The surface of the pond seems calm and tamed from afar. The ripples almost insensible. It is tempting to hope that the whirling eddies of hate, the tumult of inequality, and the maelstroms of fear do not persist beneath it. We shall someday find, when we must navigate Scylla and Charybdis, whether we have melted down our statues and our cannons both to build a monument to those who will be lost. ( )

Jonathan Livingston Seagull was not like any other seagull. He did not fly for survival, instead he used it for experimenting and having fun. Eventually, the other seagulls called him an outcast and had nothing to do with him. I then think he went to a heaven for seagulls who are called outcasts and trains with the best. He then learns that he is a good flyer and becomes the trainer for future outcast flyers.
I would recommend this book to anyone. It is easy to read and has some photographs that children ould enjoy. This book is inspirational to use all. We all have these people who think we are a disgrace to their name. So they would abandon you, but you have to learn that it is your life and there are others like you. You just need to find them. ( )

A story about a seagull who aspired higher than any other and achieved.

It was well worth how little time it takes to read, at least in the 70s when I read it. One of these days, I may even read it again.

I saw the movie first. Somehow, the book wasn’t as poignant without Neil Diamond’s soundtrack. ( )

Okudum begendim

My rating is zero, because this book was putrid. I took it seriously when I was 16, but that was part of adolescence. It was an exploitative, cynical product, marketed to people who wanted to be known as sensitive and concerned with beauty, and to feel good about their taste. It was kitsch. ( )

Jokaisen must luettava. ( )

I really enjoyed this book as a story and not as the philosophical tome that it's supposed to be. I like the pluck of the little seagull who wanted to do something different and unusual and didn't listen to those who said he shouldn't and/or couldn't. ( )

Classic and inspirational story about a seagull who wants to fly just for the pure beauty of it, instead of to look for food. He is scorned by the other gulls, but ultimately he teaches them much. A wonderful story for any age, JLS speaks to the power of belief in one's self and in self-determination. A rich parable of truth and beauty. It's a fast read, but it will stay with you for years. ( )

Why this book isn't considered fantasy like Watership Down is a matter of splitting hairs. Read during a person's angst period, it's about a bird who struggles to find the meaning of life. ( )

http://12frogs.com/reading/reviews/20... ( )

This book is AR. I like this book because it also helps me learn cool facts. ( )

Really cheesy pictures, but the story if fun and uplifting. ( )

Blech, blech, blech, 70s self-help, new age blather. This whole (thankfully short) book is a tortured fable about a seagull trying to find himself. Yick. ( )

Great book, enjoyed the pictures throughout and the story of striving for perfection. I read this one sitting on a 70's armchair in the sun and I would strongly recommend the experience. I think depending on the mood you are in you could find this cheesy or too happy go lucky but if you are feeling a little illuminated at the time I think this is a great one to maintain your mood. ( )

A great little read. The inspirational story of a bird who learns to trust his instincts and break away from society's conventions to discover his true self. Enjoy reading about Jonathan's journey from timid flock member to wise teacher of avian outcasts. It is easy to relate to Jonathan's tale and gather inspiration we can all use in our own lives. ( )

loved this when i was about twelve i guess,maybe younger. may have changed my life, probably did. ( )

Jonathan Livingston Seagull wants to better himself and he doesn't understand why none of the other seagulls are interested in doing the same. He's ostracised for not going along with the crowd.

This book is a good lesson in a person going their own way, and not just following what everyone else does. We are only limited by our own thoughts. If we strive for more, we can generally do more.

Very good book. ( )

A classic that inspired me to reach beyond my reality then as now ( )

Fiction section by author,

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a book about a very independent bird, who dared to question what was being taught and told to him by the elders. He didn't just want to spend his days searching for food and hanging out doing what was expected of him - he was different, and dared to dream.
He spent his days learning to fly faster and better than any other gull in the flock. He learned from all of his searching and trying that he could do anything, if he wanted it badly enough and just went for it, even to the point of becoming an outcast.
At one point in time, in so learning and perfecting his craft, he crash landed and died, going onto a higher lever of his awareness, to learn more lessons from his guide, Fletcher. He continues through the story, becoming more and more proficient in his endeavors and in turn becomes a teacher/guide to others, becoming a kind and loving soul along the way.
Source: http://www.geocities.com/rbsite2000/_...

Dette er bare den bedste bog. Det er sikkert også den mindste. Men jeg har brugt historien og moralen mange gange i mit liv. Både omkring arbejdet i handicaporganisation og som far til to multihandicappede piger. Der er også lavet en film over bogen som er virkelig vær at se