Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Harper Perennial Modern Classics (2009), Edition: 1, 386 pages
Description
In his final novel, which he considered his most important, Aldous Huxley transports us to the remote Pacific island of Pala, where an ideal society has flourished for 120 years. Inevitably, this island of bliss attracts the envy and enmity of the surrounding world. A conspiracy is underway to take over Pala, and events are set in motion when an agent of the conspirators, a newspaperman named Faranby, is shipwrecked there. What Faranby doesn't expect is how his time with the people of Pala will revolutionize all his values and-to his amazement-give him hope.
User reviews
LibraryThing member baswood
Island although dressed up as a novel is more like Huxley’s vision of a Utopia and as such shares many characteristics with earlier attempts by authors to paint their picture of a perfect world. The usual scenario is a voyage to a distant land or distant planet where a society exists beyond the
Will Farnaby is allowed to stay on the Island while he receives medical attention and he soon discovers that the Island is governed in such a way that sets it at odds with the consumer societies with which he is familiar. The Island people shun consumerism and industrialisation; they are guided by reason and ecological concern. They have no time for religious dogmas, but strive for a higher awareness of earthly life and the life of the senses. They search for improvements in medical techniques and are constantly in search of knowledge that will help them lead better lives, they spend much of their resources on the education of their children, believing that this is the key to their future. There are no secrets on the Island; it is an open society and Will becomes entranced by the Islanders way of life and much of the book describes his growing awareness of the possibilities for a new way of living. However Will does get involved with representatives of Colonel Dipa and does not forget that he is employed by an oil company and Pala has plenty of oil. Will’s crisis of conscience is one of the few devices that Huxley uses in making his book appear as a novel but it takes a back seat to his real purpose which is to present to his readers his idea of Utopia.
Huxley’s enthusiasm for his Utopia is infectious and some very fine writing opens up the possibilities for a more fruitful and sensual life. I found reading this book an uplifting experience, which is curious because one of it’s major themes is death. Huxley wrote this book towards the end of his life when he was thinking very much about his own mortality. Will Farnaby we learn feels responsible for the death of his wife. Susila who becomes Will”s mentor is grieving for the recent death of her husband and in the process of providing care and support for her mother who is slowly and painfully dying of cancer. In the background, like an undercurrent there is the inevitable death of the Islands civilisation, but Huxley imbues all these deaths with an irresistible force for the joy of living.
Pala does sound wonderful; a real Utopia compared with the dystopia of Huxley’s [Brave New World] written some thirty years earlier. But wait a minute! Many of those ideas in the original dystopia appear again in Huxley’s Island Utopia. Eugenics much vaunted in the 1930’s appears in Island, where they are working on methods of selective breeding. Drugs were used to keep the working population acquiescent in Brave New World and are used in Island, but this time administered to children as well as adults. In Island; hypnotism is an accepted tool for pain relief and for other disorders and the indoctrination of children takes place at an early age. Suddenly Huxley’s Utopia does not seem quite so wonderful and the line between Utopia and dystopia gets a little blurred.
I could not recommend this book as a novel, but its depiction of an alternative way of life and its celebration of the joy of living makes this book for me an essential read. It made me think about my place in the world and my own mortality and for brief moments opened up the possibility of seeing the world differently. I don’t think you can ask too much more of a book and so four stars.
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knowledge of the other human beings, where they have developed a civilisation that has eradicated all of the perceived evils of the current world. In Huxley’s Island; published in 1962, Will Farnaby an oil company representative is shipwrecked and washed up on the Island of Pala: a place forbidden to journalists, but not of course unknown to the rest of the world. It is however, only too well known to Colonel Dipa on the mainland who is plotting to take over the Island. Will Farnaby is allowed to stay on the Island while he receives medical attention and he soon discovers that the Island is governed in such a way that sets it at odds with the consumer societies with which he is familiar. The Island people shun consumerism and industrialisation; they are guided by reason and ecological concern. They have no time for religious dogmas, but strive for a higher awareness of earthly life and the life of the senses. They search for improvements in medical techniques and are constantly in search of knowledge that will help them lead better lives, they spend much of their resources on the education of their children, believing that this is the key to their future. There are no secrets on the Island; it is an open society and Will becomes entranced by the Islanders way of life and much of the book describes his growing awareness of the possibilities for a new way of living. However Will does get involved with representatives of Colonel Dipa and does not forget that he is employed by an oil company and Pala has plenty of oil. Will’s crisis of conscience is one of the few devices that Huxley uses in making his book appear as a novel but it takes a back seat to his real purpose which is to present to his readers his idea of Utopia.
Huxley’s enthusiasm for his Utopia is infectious and some very fine writing opens up the possibilities for a more fruitful and sensual life. I found reading this book an uplifting experience, which is curious because one of it’s major themes is death. Huxley wrote this book towards the end of his life when he was thinking very much about his own mortality. Will Farnaby we learn feels responsible for the death of his wife. Susila who becomes Will”s mentor is grieving for the recent death of her husband and in the process of providing care and support for her mother who is slowly and painfully dying of cancer. In the background, like an undercurrent there is the inevitable death of the Islands civilisation, but Huxley imbues all these deaths with an irresistible force for the joy of living.
Pala does sound wonderful; a real Utopia compared with the dystopia of Huxley’s [Brave New World] written some thirty years earlier. But wait a minute! Many of those ideas in the original dystopia appear again in Huxley’s Island Utopia. Eugenics much vaunted in the 1930’s appears in Island, where they are working on methods of selective breeding. Drugs were used to keep the working population acquiescent in Brave New World and are used in Island, but this time administered to children as well as adults. In Island; hypnotism is an accepted tool for pain relief and for other disorders and the indoctrination of children takes place at an early age. Suddenly Huxley’s Utopia does not seem quite so wonderful and the line between Utopia and dystopia gets a little blurred.
I could not recommend this book as a novel, but its depiction of an alternative way of life and its celebration of the joy of living makes this book for me an essential read. It made me think about my place in the world and my own mortality and for brief moments opened up the possibility of seeing the world differently. I don’t think you can ask too much more of a book and so four stars.
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LibraryThing member P_S_Patrick
Compared to his other books, that I have read, this one seems somewhat trashy for lack of a better word, however well written it may seem next to more obviously trashy books. In some of his novels he slips in his philosophical and moral ideas subtly, with no detrimental effect to the book, yet here
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he pays complete disregard to elegance and tact, drenching the reader with his misplaced utopian idealising, while forgetting to to put in a story to support the fact that there is nothing else to keep the discerning reader interested. I wouldn't go as far as to say this is a terrible book, just that Huxley has done himself no credit by writing it. Not all of his notions here are wrong, (a few are very good), just the majority; this book feels self indulged, as if it was written by a child who has just found a novel toy, which is in this case Eastern religion, along with all the philosophy and ethics, or lack thereof, that it drags along with it. I don't mind reading Huxley's other books that lack plots because they make up for it in style and content, whereas here all three are either absent or insufficient. If you are determined to read this book, being a Huxley fan, or someone who thinks that they may enjoy it, I advise a large pinch of salt to be taken before reading each chapter; this was the last novel he wrote, and I don't think it would be unfair to suggest that his imagination may have overtaken his intellect in its influence on his writing. It would be far too easy to be duped by ideas in this book because it is so nicely written, aesthetically stimulating, and penned with expert sophistry; this does make it nice to read, though it is only superficially rewarding once one notices that it is only well polished wishy-washy psuedo-religion and nonsense. If you take the book at face value, as a description of an interpretation of the Utopian society then you may find it interesting. If you expect the interpretation to be accurate or well thought out, then you should be disappointed. Show Less
LibraryThing member Scerakor
I really wanted to give this book a higher rating, but I have to be honest with myself. As often needs to be mentioned with GR ratings, this is not a tribute to the book itself but rather my enjoyment of the book. It touched on a lot of interesting points with respect to how we live our lives,
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eastern religions vs western culture, meditation, etc. Unfortunately, for this rating, this was ALL that it had and the plot/story with this novel was virtually non-existent. Show Less
LibraryThing member WalkerMedia
A quick read, this book is really less a novel and more a utopian fable. Perhaps Huxley had found Buddhism and LSD to relieve a great deal of suffering near the end of his life, but this work slips from being an enlightening critique of Western materialism and ends up an overly simple escapist
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fairy tale. While I as a reader was already inclined to believe there was some truth behind some of the points he was making, his thoughts were expressed in such childish thinly-veiled fashion that I couldn't take them seriously. Show Less
LibraryThing member MichaelKeyWest
Wow!! I'm dismayed by the negative tone of the other reviews posted here. I thought this was an incredible book. It was pretty obvious to me that there was not supposed to be a strong plot as that was not the point of the book. Huxley was offering a vision, a possible solution to the question of
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how we might want to live on this planet. The book was a vehicle. It was a book to be judged by its ideas not its technical aspects. It was the result of a lifetime of culture-watching, experience and thought. Pala serves as a worthy template for "intentional communities", alternatives to mainstream submission to corporate overlords ideas of how we should live. I read "Walden Two" by B. F. Skinner around the same time and Huxleys' was far more engaging and beautifully written!! Show Less
LibraryThing member Garrison0550
Ouch! This book bruised my brain a bit.
LibraryThing member tronella
This reminds me a lot of Brave New World: oh let's explain our society to this stranger + yay hallucinogenic drugs + yay population control, only with even less actual plot (which surprised me, since this was published much later than BNW). Also the society is a lot less dystopian, which for me
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made it a little less gripping. It was an interesting and relaxing read, though. Show Less
LibraryThing member break
Why did Huxely have to write this as a novel? That format doesn’t work. 99% of it is conservation or more like series of monologues. It is packed with interesting ideas about what an ideal society would look like, including its education, health, economy, religions, sexual practices and so on.
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But the dialogue format is confusing it. It would have been a nice philosophical essay. There are so many ideas in it that it is impossible to summarize. Just a few points that were interesting enough to pick out: – Children are brought up by a community of parents. They can escape to other than their biological parents to live for a while, but they cannot escape responsibilities. Show Less
LibraryThing member jonpgorman
I quite enjoyed this book. Written in the early 1960s, Huxley has a great grasp of our modern idea of mindfulness. Birds remind Pala's inhabitants to pay "Attention" to the "Here and Now." Instead of saying grace at meals, everyone takes an initial mindful bite, chewing very slowly until the food
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has disintegrated in their mouths. Mindful meditation techniques are used in healing the ill and in intimate relationships. Great description of a conscious and aware education system. Show Less
LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
This is less of a novel, and more of an expanded philosophical treatise on Huxley's version of a utopia.
The society of the island Pala is the inverse of, and parallel to, the society of Brave New World. Instead of a rudimentary caste system, jobs are assigned from personal interest and capability.
Such a society does not shun all technology, however. Refrigeration and hydroelectricity are essential to keep the basic necessities of society going, as well as modern medicine. However, the overproduction of consumer goods is limited, so as to prevent outside invasion but also conspicuous consumption. Genetic modification and contraception are common, but to pass on good qualities instead of enforcing superiority or inferiority.
Most notably, instead of soma being used to make the populace dumb and happy, they are used as a means of personal growth and experimentation. The most common drug is named moshka, derived from a mushroom and somewhat analogous to psilocybin or mescaline.
Compassion and faith seem to be the cornerstones of this society, not ideology or advancement.
Island's influence is very clear as an archetype of psychedelic drug fiction. However, it refrains from the sheer unbounded optimism which these thought experiments entail. At the end of the novel, the island is seized in a coup backed by dictatorial and corporate interests, and the fate of the islanders is uncertain. Huxley knows only too well what happens to the people of loving-happiness, eternal compassion and attention compared to the advance of the Other.
The society of the island Pala is the inverse of, and parallel to, the society of Brave New World. Instead of a rudimentary caste system, jobs are assigned from personal interest and capability.
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Education is communal, in order to prevent passing of parental neuroses or flaws and ease socialization. The emphasis of sex is not solely to have a lot of it, but to enjoy it and make an experience out of it. Lots of ideas are derived from Eastern philosophy.Such a society does not shun all technology, however. Refrigeration and hydroelectricity are essential to keep the basic necessities of society going, as well as modern medicine. However, the overproduction of consumer goods is limited, so as to prevent outside invasion but also conspicuous consumption. Genetic modification and contraception are common, but to pass on good qualities instead of enforcing superiority or inferiority.
Most notably, instead of soma being used to make the populace dumb and happy, they are used as a means of personal growth and experimentation. The most common drug is named moshka, derived from a mushroom and somewhat analogous to psilocybin or mescaline.
Compassion and faith seem to be the cornerstones of this society, not ideology or advancement.
Island's influence is very clear as an archetype of psychedelic drug fiction. However, it refrains from the sheer unbounded optimism which these thought experiments entail. At the end of the novel, the island is seized in a coup backed by dictatorial and corporate interests, and the fate of the islanders is uncertain. Huxley knows only too well what happens to the people of loving-happiness, eternal compassion and attention compared to the advance of the Other.
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LibraryThing member MarthaJeanne
The rating is based on my memory of reading this book as a young woman. I suspect that today I would only give it 4 stars. I recognize all the weaknesses that other reviewers have mentioned. It is overly didactic. The plot is weak. Even if you accept all of his premises, there is no way the reader
Having said that, there is a sanity in the Palan lifestyle that really appeals, but capitalism wins in the end. As we now know, even in the former communist countries. This has aged much more gracefully than many others of its era.
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can move to (pre-coup) Pala. I want my mystical experiences pure, and not drug induced. Add another - Huxley seems to think that homosexuality is caused by bad upbringing. Having said that, there is a sanity in the Palan lifestyle that really appeals, but capitalism wins in the end. As we now know, even in the former communist countries. This has aged much more gracefully than many others of its era.
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LibraryThing member TraceyMadeley
Huxley's fictional island paradise is called Pala and it is where the journalist Will Farnaby is washed up on the beach. He has been sent to encourage the oil companies claim to exploit the oil reserves on the island. The first people he meets are Dr MacPhail and the young Raj Murugan. His mother
Palanese life is simplicity itself. They grow food co-operatively in planted terraces. The only industry on the island is the cement works and people work there part time in-between the forest, agriculture and the saw mill. Pala has a system of self governing units, geographical, economic and political. They also have no established church, religion is based on immediate gratification and no unjustifiable dogma.
Children and birth control become an important part of the system as the island does not produce more children than it can realistically feed, clothe and educate. In addition children are brought up in Mutual Adoption Clubs with between 15 - 25 couples who share responsibility in bringing up the children of the group. At 4 or 5 all children undergo a physical and psychological assessment to ascertain any problems with shyness or over aggressive behaviour. Steps are then taken to readjust this behaviour and integrate them into Palanese life. Crimes does not occur very often, but when it does it is dealt with through counselling in the MAC and if necessary medication.
They see Western medicine as largely primitive, although they value antibiotics and sewerage systems for stopping the spread if disease they see our cure rather than prevention. Instead they look at a holistic system which takes into account what you eat, think, feel, hear, how you make love and how you view you place in the world. By looking at the person as a whole they take a more rounded and Buddhist influenced view of the individual.
The final chapter is given over to Wills experience of what we may term 'magic mushrooms' explaining both the euphoric and terrifying experience associated with the hallucinogen. Despite the prospect of change for Pala, Huxley still ends the novel positively. Will has experienced something totally unique and credible and due to this experience his thinking has been changed. What ever happens to Pala, Will Farnaby will never be the same again.
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is the Rani and controlling influence in his minority. She wants to use the oil reserves to finance a Crusade of the Spirit and so purge the islands of 'hypnotism, pantheism and free love.' Murugan seeks to establish his authority by siding with his mother against the 'old fogies' of the constitutional government in order to modernise and industrialise the island.Palanese life is simplicity itself. They grow food co-operatively in planted terraces. The only industry on the island is the cement works and people work there part time in-between the forest, agriculture and the saw mill. Pala has a system of self governing units, geographical, economic and political. They also have no established church, religion is based on immediate gratification and no unjustifiable dogma.
Children and birth control become an important part of the system as the island does not produce more children than it can realistically feed, clothe and educate. In addition children are brought up in Mutual Adoption Clubs with between 15 - 25 couples who share responsibility in bringing up the children of the group. At 4 or 5 all children undergo a physical and psychological assessment to ascertain any problems with shyness or over aggressive behaviour. Steps are then taken to readjust this behaviour and integrate them into Palanese life. Crimes does not occur very often, but when it does it is dealt with through counselling in the MAC and if necessary medication.
They see Western medicine as largely primitive, although they value antibiotics and sewerage systems for stopping the spread if disease they see our cure rather than prevention. Instead they look at a holistic system which takes into account what you eat, think, feel, hear, how you make love and how you view you place in the world. By looking at the person as a whole they take a more rounded and Buddhist influenced view of the individual.
The final chapter is given over to Wills experience of what we may term 'magic mushrooms' explaining both the euphoric and terrifying experience associated with the hallucinogen. Despite the prospect of change for Pala, Huxley still ends the novel positively. Will has experienced something totally unique and credible and due to this experience his thinking has been changed. What ever happens to Pala, Will Farnaby will never be the same again.
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LibraryThing member .Monkey.
This was probably not the best choice in books as an intro to Huxley, however I am anxious to read more of his work.
I would have loved to give this book 4 or 5 stars; I find his ideas rather fascinating and I hope to try to take some of his philosophies found here, to heart. The trouble is, as he
I would have loved to give this book 4 or 5 stars; I find his ideas rather fascinating and I hope to try to take some of his philosophies found here, to heart. The trouble is, as he
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himself commented, "the story has too much weight, in the way of ideas and reflections, to carry," and I definitely agree with him. It was just too much crammed in & piled on, you can't absorb it all. But I am taking something out of it, I certainly found it worth the read. Though I can't say I'm not thankful to finally have finished it! Show Less
LibraryThing member ReverendMoon
Maybe THE book that has resonated most with me up until this point in my life. While the middle certainly could be perceived as preachy and overly propagandist, the content is nevertheless exhilarating and challenging. Many of my current beliefs are echoed in Huxley's word about his ideal society.
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I wish there were more out there like this. Show Less
LibraryThing member TakeItOrLeaveIt
shame this is so awful being that it's his last book. just trying way too hard to be modern. I don't know, I need to re-visit it.
LibraryThing member suetu
I have to admit that I didn't find this novel as transformative as some readers did, but I'm quite glad to have read it. Truthfully, it's not much of a story, but it sure will give you food for thought and I expect Huxley's ideas will stick with me for a long, long time.
The protagonist of Island
Will is discovered by some children who promptly go for help. It arrives in the form of Dr. Robert MacPhail, one of the island's most respected citizens. Dr. Robert patches Will up, and he and other islanders indulge Will's curiosity about their home. Over the course of just a few days, they introduce Will to every aspect of their most extraordinary society. From family life, medicine, education, and rites of passage, Will learns about Palanese life from birth to death.
He meets many islanders, including the future Raja who is about to come of age, and his mother, the Rani. These two members of the ruling class have some very different ideas about how things should be on Pala. And their agenda may just tie in with a secret agenda of Will's own... It is this loose storyline that the plot consists of, but it's actually a very minor part of the novel--just a thread that runs through a lot of philosophy and sociology. Personally, I had a very limited interest in and tolerance for a lot of Eastern religious (mostly Buddhist) philosophy. But I really loved the sociological ideas Huxley put forth in his Utopia. Really, really interesting stuff! For another reader, it might be the reverse. One way or another, I really have to believe the novel would be of interest to any thinking person.
The protagonist of Island
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is British journalist Will Farnaby. Will isn't an entirely likeable character as the novel opens--as is so often the case in these tales of redemption. In an attempt to escape his troubles, or possibly to escape himself, Will takes a day off from a Southeast Asian business trip to go sailing. A sudden storm sweeps in, and in the novel's opening pages Will realizes he's shipwrecked and injured. Luckily, Will has washed up on the exotic and little-visited island of Pala. This island-nation is a modern (or the 1960s version of it) Utopia. Will is discovered by some children who promptly go for help. It arrives in the form of Dr. Robert MacPhail, one of the island's most respected citizens. Dr. Robert patches Will up, and he and other islanders indulge Will's curiosity about their home. Over the course of just a few days, they introduce Will to every aspect of their most extraordinary society. From family life, medicine, education, and rites of passage, Will learns about Palanese life from birth to death.
He meets many islanders, including the future Raja who is about to come of age, and his mother, the Rani. These two members of the ruling class have some very different ideas about how things should be on Pala. And their agenda may just tie in with a secret agenda of Will's own... It is this loose storyline that the plot consists of, but it's actually a very minor part of the novel--just a thread that runs through a lot of philosophy and sociology. Personally, I had a very limited interest in and tolerance for a lot of Eastern religious (mostly Buddhist) philosophy. But I really loved the sociological ideas Huxley put forth in his Utopia. Really, really interesting stuff! For another reader, it might be the reverse. One way or another, I really have to believe the novel would be of interest to any thinking person.
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LibraryThing member ToddSherman
“Reading the signs of pain in the dark eyes, about the corners of the full-lipped mouth, he knew that the wound had been very nearly mortal and, with a pang in his own heart, that it was still open, still bleeding. He pressed her hands. There was nothing, of course, that one could say, no words,
“Needless to say” is used ad nauseum in this book. A pet peeve of mine, in speech and in writing, since the phrase itself contradicts its use. “Quote, unquote” is another device employed by Huxley that I found annoying, but I can forgive him this last one since it predated its more common, current usage. Both phrases, however, point to what I perceive as the overall flaw to this work. I love that Huxley tackled a utopia later in his career since he’d so famously penned a benchmark dystopia in the Thirties. What starts as a stunning opening act (no shit, that first chapter knocks the wind right out of you) turns into a pastiche of social experiments conducted on the island, convenient philosophical dialogue in the mouth of everyone—to the effect where there is almost no distinction between characters—Buddhist iconography and ideology, and near constant rebukes of anything Occidental. Some of the concepts were engaging: rechanneling violence and pent-up energy into physical tasks that benefitted all in the community, mutual adoption clubs as a counterpoint to the traditional family dynamic of one father and mother (it takes a village, indeed), the vacuity of consumerism and individualism with a greater focus on the group endeavor and responsibility. Sex, drugs and mynah birds. But it all seems a bit forced—much like this review. Or impression, rather. Needless to say . . .
There are beautiful passages, to be sure. And the ending, with the moksha medicine trip, is powerful stuff. But it all comes a bit too late, much like Farnaby’s presence on the island. I would’ve preferred more invention with the language, with the characters, and less sermonizing in tropical facsimiles of human sages. I mean, even a young girl speaks with more wisdom than the adult protagonist in a scene that literally made me wince. Well, I assume I’d winced—I wasn’t looking in a mirror at the time.
𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘢𝘻𝘢 set such a high-water mark for anything Huxleyan that I’m probably being way too hard on Aldous here. Honestly, though, that masterpiece had great characters who wrestled to match their internal landscape to the one they saw before them. In Island, it smacks more of Plato’s 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 and less like 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. I get that he was stretching his ideas and trying to convey them to a modern predicament. But, goddamn, I’d reread early Huxley almost any day before blowing the dust off Plato’s musings. Not that his work couldn’t be engaging. Having been raised as a Pentecostal Christian, I know when I’m being preached to. And without the fire and brimstone, it’s just boring.
William Golding took the phrase “darkness visible” from Milton and used it to extraordinary effect. Huxley’s employ is one of the more interesting allusions in this entire novel; and yet, somehow, it ricocheted without hitting anything vital to the roving beast. The Paradise of Pala Lost.
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no consolations of philosophy—only this shared mystery of touch, only this communication from skin to skin of a flowing infinity.”“Needless to say” is used ad nauseum in this book. A pet peeve of mine, in speech and in writing, since the phrase itself contradicts its use. “Quote, unquote” is another device employed by Huxley that I found annoying, but I can forgive him this last one since it predated its more common, current usage. Both phrases, however, point to what I perceive as the overall flaw to this work. I love that Huxley tackled a utopia later in his career since he’d so famously penned a benchmark dystopia in the Thirties. What starts as a stunning opening act (no shit, that first chapter knocks the wind right out of you) turns into a pastiche of social experiments conducted on the island, convenient philosophical dialogue in the mouth of everyone—to the effect where there is almost no distinction between characters—Buddhist iconography and ideology, and near constant rebukes of anything Occidental. Some of the concepts were engaging: rechanneling violence and pent-up energy into physical tasks that benefitted all in the community, mutual adoption clubs as a counterpoint to the traditional family dynamic of one father and mother (it takes a village, indeed), the vacuity of consumerism and individualism with a greater focus on the group endeavor and responsibility. Sex, drugs and mynah birds. But it all seems a bit forced—much like this review. Or impression, rather. Needless to say . . .
There are beautiful passages, to be sure. And the ending, with the moksha medicine trip, is powerful stuff. But it all comes a bit too late, much like Farnaby’s presence on the island. I would’ve preferred more invention with the language, with the characters, and less sermonizing in tropical facsimiles of human sages. I mean, even a young girl speaks with more wisdom than the adult protagonist in a scene that literally made me wince. Well, I assume I’d winced—I wasn’t looking in a mirror at the time.
𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘢𝘻𝘢 set such a high-water mark for anything Huxleyan that I’m probably being way too hard on Aldous here. Honestly, though, that masterpiece had great characters who wrestled to match their internal landscape to the one they saw before them. In Island, it smacks more of Plato’s 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 and less like 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. I get that he was stretching his ideas and trying to convey them to a modern predicament. But, goddamn, I’d reread early Huxley almost any day before blowing the dust off Plato’s musings. Not that his work couldn’t be engaging. Having been raised as a Pentecostal Christian, I know when I’m being preached to. And without the fire and brimstone, it’s just boring.
William Golding took the phrase “darkness visible” from Milton and used it to extraordinary effect. Huxley’s employ is one of the more interesting allusions in this entire novel; and yet, somehow, it ricocheted without hitting anything vital to the roving beast. The Paradise of Pala Lost.
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LibraryThing member clong
I found this more interesting than satisfying.
As a novel Island doesn’t really have much to offer. The story is simplistic and predictable. The characters are colorful but shallow. Most of the dialogue consists of various virtuous Palanese citizens explaining how their wonderful society works.
As
The really thought provoking thing about Island is the juxtaposition of concepts and themes that appear in this utopian society with strikingly similar concepts and themes from Brave New World’s dystopian world (a visit to Wikipedia article on Island provides a helpful listing of these elements—some are quite obvious and others subtler).
As a novel Island doesn’t really have much to offer. The story is simplistic and predictable. The characters are colorful but shallow. Most of the dialogue consists of various virtuous Palanese citizens explaining how their wonderful society works.
As
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a utopia, I seem to have found it less compelling than many readers. I gather that Huxley is sincere in presenting Pala as a utopian vision, but I found it naïve and far from convincing. While I am sympathetic to Huxley’s anti-consumerism theme, providing hallucinogenic drugs for everyone, early screening for “Muscle People” and “Peter Pans”, and teaching the kids how to have bind-blowingly good sex at an early age just doesn’t seem particularly likely to be the answer to all of our problems to me.The really thought provoking thing about Island is the juxtaposition of concepts and themes that appear in this utopian society with strikingly similar concepts and themes from Brave New World’s dystopian world (a visit to Wikipedia article on Island provides a helpful listing of these elements—some are quite obvious and others subtler).
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LibraryThing member themulhern
Perhaps the longest, most pessimistic, depressing, shaggy dog story I have ever read.
This is the only book by Aldous Huxley that I have any recollection of reading.
Being a contemporary, Huxley writes a bit like Waugh, sprinkling dryly humorous conversations in with the exposition.
The basic plot is
It was not clear to me whether any of the protagonist's actions had any effect.
This is the only book by Aldous Huxley that I have any recollection of reading.
Being a contemporary, Huxley writes a bit like Waugh, sprinkling dryly humorous conversations in with the exposition.
The basic plot is
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the typical one. A stranger encounters the utopia and takes a tour, having the functioning of the utopia explained by its inhabitants. This utopia is very much a reaction to modernity, which is pretty similar to today's modernity, except that today's modernity is far more effective, insistent, and intrusive.It was not clear to me whether any of the protagonist's actions had any effect.
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LibraryThing member LARA335
This was a slog to read. A Westerner arrives on an island and goes about questioning the Palanese on how they live. Consciously they live the best life for themselves and the community. No weapons, taking the best philosophies from East & West, a reverence for ecology, free birth-control so that
However, the way Huxley reveals this way of being is more a didactic tract than an engrossing story. So, a lot of interesting food-for-thought, but I was still counting off the chapters, wanting to escape the pages,it’s smug people, and being preached at.
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the environment can comfortably sustain its population, the practice of mindfulness, the encouragement of compassion & love... perhaps more controversially they go in for mind-expanding drugs, and the use of artificial insemination to improve the human stock.However, the way Huxley reveals this way of being is more a didactic tract than an engrossing story. So, a lot of interesting food-for-thought, but I was still counting off the chapters, wanting to escape the pages,it’s smug people, and being preached at.
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LibraryThing member jigarpatel
The utopian society which inhabits the island Pala is an eclectic one, a hybrid of Western and Eastern ideals. The East contributes religious diversity, Buddhist/Shaivite philosophy, and a spiritualism which broadens the mind. The West contributes advanced science (used in novel ways such as
Island is supposedly a pessimistic take on the survival prospects of an enlightened society. I disagree. It shouldn't be judged by its abrupt and bleak conclusion. Huxley's vision of a society appreciating and practising customs from such diverse origins is relevant to today's multicultural societies. That such a society evolved at all, notwithstanding the external drive towards industrialisation and armament, is a cause for optimism.
The story itself is simplistic and involves only a few key characters. A better plot may have attracted the attention this novel deserves. It is largely a vehicle for monologues by Palanese locals who discuss their approaches to issues such as family structure; population control; crime prevention; education; stimulation of all sorts (physical, mental, emotional, sensual); lifelong development and learning. Death is a recurring theme and no doubt influenced by Huxley's thoughts on his own mortality: Island (1962) was his final novel and he was to die the next year.
Highly recommended, and not only to contrast with A Brave New World.
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behavioural profiling), but the Palanese eschew industrialisation which conflicts with their way of life.Island is supposedly a pessimistic take on the survival prospects of an enlightened society. I disagree. It shouldn't be judged by its abrupt and bleak conclusion. Huxley's vision of a society appreciating and practising customs from such diverse origins is relevant to today's multicultural societies. That such a society evolved at all, notwithstanding the external drive towards industrialisation and armament, is a cause for optimism.
The story itself is simplistic and involves only a few key characters. A better plot may have attracted the attention this novel deserves. It is largely a vehicle for monologues by Palanese locals who discuss their approaches to issues such as family structure; population control; crime prevention; education; stimulation of all sorts (physical, mental, emotional, sensual); lifelong development and learning. Death is a recurring theme and no doubt influenced by Huxley's thoughts on his own mortality: Island (1962) was his final novel and he was to die the next year.
Highly recommended, and not only to contrast with A Brave New World.
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LibraryThing member Storeetllr
Try as I might, I just could not get into this book. I read Huxley's Doors of Perception and Brave New World when I was in my 20s and was influenced by them, which is why I requested Island. Maybe I'm just too damn old for this kind of esoteric tale full of mysticism and philosophical maunderings,
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but, I think, with what's happening in real life in America and the world today (45, the pandemic, the continuing seemingly neverending fight against racism/misogynism), it's hard for me to slog through more dystopia. I'm tired. I just want to be entertained by escapism. I'm sorry, but there it is. NOTE: Since I only got about 1/4 of the way through the audiobook (about 2 hours of listening, and, may I say, the narrator, Simon Vance, was responsible for keeping me listening that long), I will not be rating it. Show Less
LibraryThing member ejakub
Wonderful contrast
This book is a wonderful yet tragic follow up to BNW. A sequential read was very interesting. A. HUXLEY I
Illustrates yet another example of humanity.
This book is a wonderful yet tragic follow up to BNW. A sequential read was very interesting. A. HUXLEY I
Illustrates yet another example of humanity.
LibraryThing member Paul_S
Author's take on Utopia, with similarly non existent plot. Sounds like modern day anarchist who just keep insisting everything will just work out, never mind the details.
LibraryThing member et.carole
Appropriate subtitle: “What Huxley thinks society should be in 300 pages or more.” Huxley frames his ideal society in the geography of a made up tropical island, and in the chronology of the island’s takeover by Western oil companies and militarism. His protagonist, Will, a man cynical enough
I enjoyed Huxley’s open analysis and criticism of Western culture, in all its aspects. As someone who ideologically finds herself identifying with anarcho-primitivism, I found his blend of primitivism and embracing scientific inventions fascinating. The line he ultimately drew between technology a society should and should not embrace was similar to Wendell Berry’s: whether it is useful, and whether its use will harm the community.
Huxley’s characters were compelling, and his chronological frame was appropriate for the Socratic-inspired form. I would have also enjoyed the entirely different story he could have told beginning at the end of this, as the island is being overtaken, or before this, the story of Will’s past referenced by numerous flashbacks.
His use of the moksha medicine drug to resolve the plot was interesting, but ultimately lasted a tad too long. It was satisfying, however, in terms of his relationship with Susila, and I am glad the intensity between them was not spoiled with a romantic relationship.
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“never to take yes for an answer,” is ideal for the structure Huxley chooses: instead of straight narrative, there are long stretches of almost Socratic questioning by Will of his various hosts and hostesses on their society and thoughts. The novel concludes with a description of Will taking the local hallucinogenic drug, which he finds profoundly religious, but I found several pages too long.I enjoyed Huxley’s open analysis and criticism of Western culture, in all its aspects. As someone who ideologically finds herself identifying with anarcho-primitivism, I found his blend of primitivism and embracing scientific inventions fascinating. The line he ultimately drew between technology a society should and should not embrace was similar to Wendell Berry’s: whether it is useful, and whether its use will harm the community.
Huxley’s characters were compelling, and his chronological frame was appropriate for the Socratic-inspired form. I would have also enjoyed the entirely different story he could have told beginning at the end of this, as the island is being overtaken, or before this, the story of Will’s past referenced by numerous flashbacks.
His use of the moksha medicine drug to resolve the plot was interesting, but ultimately lasted a tad too long. It was satisfying, however, in terms of his relationship with Susila, and I am glad the intensity between them was not spoiled with a romantic relationship.
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Subjects
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1962
Physical description
8 inches
ISBN
0061561797 / 9780061561795
Local notes
FB Includes excerpt from "The Doors of Perception"