Fundamental
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This book has continued to haunt me for ten years, ever since I first read it. It took me a whole summer, and I'm a pretty good reader. One of the reviews here has described it as "dry as a desert", and in a way I agree, since its beauty is not superficial and it takes effort and endurance, and it's definitely not easy to navigate, but in my case it was worth every step of the way.
It's not a book to learn the history of the Arab revolt. It's about its author, one of the most mysterious men that ever wrote a book. Lawrence's mindset and complex psychology is highly uncommon, no less than his talent for writing. This book was almost like a journey, and it changed me in subtle and enduring ways - but then again I'm quite a passionate person. I'm sure this is not a book for everyone. But it could be something big for some, something important.
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An explosive piece of prose
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Whatever the truth of his account, (see the numerous Lawrence biographies - the more critical the better) this book is brilliantly worded.
An orchestra of prose produced by a sharp English mind. The text is so poised, sharp and simply pulls you into Lawrences analysis of affiars stressing his judgement and also his regal vanity.
One of the most powerful reads of the 20th C. The English is hard to beat - a wonder of prose. If you like that style, try T. E. Lawrence's translation of the Odyssey as well.
I wish I could memorise much of this book - a controlled explosive account.
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If Nothing Else, Read it for the Style Alone!
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What surprised me most about this book is just how superb a writer Lawrence was. One can open the book anywhere and find sentences of extraordinary beauty and accomplishment, entirely evocative of the sometimes overwhelming landscapes and dilemmas Lawrence was living through. This isn't just a chronicle of a military campaign, it is a masterpiece of English Literature. The author bears comparison with Edward Gibbon, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy. Dare I say, all recent Booker Prize winners should read it as further instruction in just how to turn masterly prose!
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A work of fiction
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This is a book that I had wanted to read for many years and having been given a copy as a birthday present, I realised by the first paragraph that this book was going to be hard going. As the other reviewer stated, much of this book is about philosophy and the history reader will surely have to look elsewhere for a credible account of the desert campaign in World War One as much of this book is now known to be fictious, a fact argued by the arabs for over eighty years but only given recognisance recently by historians in the West.
This book is as dry as the desert in which much of the story is set and in the pantheon of great literature that emerged from the 1914-18 war this does not compare with other writers such as Owen, Remarque and Junger. Probably the most boring book I have ever read- a crime when you consider how gripping this account could have been.
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Great Book
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Although this book is set during WW1 era, and has alot to interest readers of military history & leadership, I found personally that the most important parts of this book were philosophical. Lawrence was as much an existantial as Sartre or any other philosopher, infact more so because he went out into the world and lived his search. He never really succeeded, but there are important insights here. One part of this book which I will really remember is when he awakens one moring in the desert, on a moring where - as he puts it - the brain hasn't yet started clouding his perceptions with thought, and he can see the world first hand, as it really is. Truely this is a problem for modern man, we "take things for granted".
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