Book Reviews › Character › How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer
How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell — WisdomDeck honest review
Honest review · Character

How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer

by Sarah Bakewell

A biography of Montaigne organized by answers to how to live: pay attention, read a lot, survive love and loss, question everything. Charming and substantive.

CLICK TO SEE

Read it if…

you want Montaigne made approachable.

See the book →

Skip it if…

you want the essays themselves.

Try instead: At the Existentialist Café →

Three things you will actually use

  1. Pay attention.
  2. Be ordinary and imperfect.
  3. Let life be its own answer.

Do this first

Read the chapter on 'Don't worry about death'.

Our verdict

Montaigne's answers.

See the book →

Check it out

CLICK TO SEE

Opens the book's page in a new tab.

Compare with other Character books

At the Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell — WisdomDeck review

At the Existentialist Café

Sarah Bakewell · Character

Existentialism, with cocktails.

CLICK TO SEE
Nature and Selected Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson — WisdomDeck review

Nature and Selected Essays

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Character

Emerson's essays.

CLICK TO SEE
Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche — WisdomDeck review

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Friedrich Nietzsche · Character

Nietzsche's prophet.

CLICK TO SEE

Browse all Character book reviews or get the free Reality Code Cheat Sheet.

As an Amazon Associate, WisdomDeck earns from qualifying purchases. Links marked “Click to see” go to Amazon. We are not paid for opinions, prices and availability are not shown here and change on Amazon, and we never see your purchase details. Nothing here is medical, legal or financial advice.