I'm not sure why it took me this long to read anything by Huxley although I strongly suspect that I was misled about what his writing was about, because this is tremendous, mocking people with much more money and hubris than sense. Living forever has never been presented with as many pitfalls as are illustrated here. Sometimes his philosophical ruminations seem somewhat obtuse and unnecessarily verbose although that could reflect my inability to keep up with him. I think he still could've tightened it up...

This book was so pretentious. Entire chapters were filled with random philosophical conversations that had nothing to do with what little plot existed. I don't know if most of it was just over my head, but this book was a slog. I loved Brave New World, but this was not one of Huxley's best.

"Gothic with a Gothicity raised, so to speak, to a higher poer, more medieval than nay building of the thirteenth century" (18).
"Not having been brought up in a free country, Jeremy had automatically begun to smile as this person, whom he guessed to be his host and employer, came hurrying towards him" (28).
"...in spite of God's being love, there was a note in his voice of renascent exasperation" (38).
"...then, with the elaborate by-play of Guy Fawkes talking to Catesby on the stage of a provincial theatre, he took Mr. Stoyte by the arm and led him a few feet away, up the steps" (38).
"Poised on the almost invisible vibration of its wings, a humming bird was drinking..." (42).
"...then walked away with as much dignity as her two little strips of white satin would permit her..." (55).
“ ‘Right knowledge is hardly less rare than sustained good will to act on it’” (102).
“ ‘Poverty and suffering ennoble only when they are voluntary’” (106).
“His gravest offence had been to accept the world in which he found himself as normal, rational and right. Like all others he had allowed the advertisers to multiply his wants; he had learnt to equate happiness with possessions, and prosperity, with money to spend in a shop” (107).
“Bondage is the life of personality, and for bondage the personal self will fight with tireless resourcefulness and the most stubborn cunning. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance; and he had failed to be vigilant. It wasn’t a case, he reflected ruefully, of the spirit being willing and the flesh weak. That was altogether the wrong antithesis. The spirit is always willing; but the person, who a mind as well as a body, is always unwilling—and the person, incidentally, is not weak but extremely strong” (111).
“ ‘Liberation from time,’ he said. ‘Liberation from craving and revulsion. Liberation from personality’” (123).
“ ‘Potential good is anything that helps you to get out of prison. Actualized good lies outside the prison, in timelessness, in the state of pure, disinterested consciousness’” (124).
“ ‘For what do such applications result in? The multiplication of possessable objects; the invention of new instruments of stimulation; the disseminations of new wants through propaganda aimed at equating possession with well-being and incessant stimulation with happiness. But incessant stimulation from without is a source of bondage; and so the preoccupation with possessions. And now you’re threatening to prolong our lives, so that we can go on being stimulated, go on desiring possessions, go on waving flags and hating our enemies and being afraid of air attack—go on and on, generation after generation, sinking deeper and deeper into the stinking slough of our personality.’ He shook his head. ‘No, I can’t quite share your optimism about science’” (126).
“ ‘You can have all the virtues—that’s to say, all except the two that really matter, understanding and compassion’” (130).
“ ‘The feeling in question is a non-personal experience of timeless peace. Accordingly, non-personality, timelessness and peace are what it means’” (131).
“Mr. Propter laughed. ‘It’s good to be cynical,’ he said. ‘That is, if you know when to stop’” (132).
"'On the higher level, it exists in the form of knowledge of the world without desire or aversion; it exists as the experience of eternity, as the transcendendence of personality, the extension of consciousness beyond the limits imposed by the ego'" (136).
"'But nothing impairs the normal functioning of the organism like craving and revulsion, like greed and fear and worry'" (136).
"'Luckily,' he went on, 'most of us don't manage to behave like human beings all the time. We forget our wretched little egos and those horrible great porjections of our egos in the ideal world--forget them and relapse for a while into harmless animality'" (137).
" '...momentary glimpses into the nature of the world as it is for a consciousness liberated from appetite and time, of the world as it might be if we didn't choose to deny God by being our personal selves'" (138).
"'If you want to make the world safe for animals and spirits, you must hav ea system that reduces the amount of fear and greed and hatred and domineering to their minimum, which means that you must have enough economic security to get rid at least of that source of worry'" (168-169).
"'There's a hierarchy of idiocies. Naturally, you and I prefer the classiest variety'" (175).
"'Let's take the commonest word in all religious literature: love. On the human level the word means--what? Practically everything from Mother to the Marquis de Sade'" (184).
"Men and women are continually trying to lose their lives, the stale, unprofitable, senseless lives of their ordinary personalities. For ever trying to get rid of them and ina thousand different ways" (224).
"'I regret my sloth, but console myself with the thought that my fellow men are too contemptible for me to waste my time instructing or entertaining them'" (244).
"'From solitude in the Womb, we emerge into solitude among our Fellows, and return again to solitude within the grave. We pass our lives in the attempt to mitigate that solitude. But Propinquity is never fusion'" (244-245).
"'The amiable silliness of the liberal churches is good enough for quiet times; but note that it's always supplemented by the ferocious lunacies of nationalism, for use in times of crisis'" (282).
"'...characteristics,' he had added, 'which are admirable in Fish Ponds, but deplorable in rational Discourse...'" (287).
"'The criterion is the picture we paint of ourselves in our own fancy--the highly flattering portrait of the free soul making creative choices and being the master of its fate. Unfortunately, the picture bears no resemblance to ordinary human reality'" (327).
"'Nothing is ever anybody's fault. Even constipation'" (347)

One of the worst books I have ever read. I didn't get it. There was so much conversation for hundreds of pages that made no sense to me. I pretty much skimmed the last 200 pages because it was so bad. I bought this book years ago because Huxley's "Brave New World" is a favorite, and this book is nothing like that one.

Wonderful spoof on youth-obsessed culture, not in the least hampered (and probably aided) by a fairly far-fetched scientific plot device. Let's just say I've never looked at carp the same way since.

This book is worse than bad. It's bad in and of itself -- boring as hell, pretentious, with nonhuman characters (they're just walking philosophies, no flesh and blood) and a silly, unconnected end. But it's also bad because it makes me think Brave New World might not have been so great, either. And I (have) love(d) Brave New World for decades.

The only redeeming feature of this book is that my copy of it reminds me of my honeymoon in Mexico City when I picked it up. I could have left it unread for another 11 years without missing much.

An interesting and enjoyable novel to read, no doubt! There is a story within the story. 'After Many a Summer Dies the Swan' unfurls another story in the guise of the holograph of the Fifth Earl: an 18th century English nobleman who, like the novel's protagonist, was equally interested in prolonging his life. But most enjoyable are the acerbic ruminations of the Fifth Earl on the follies of fellow human beings, their weaknesses and hypocrisies! The quaint manner in which the Fifth Earl expresses his wisdom, preoccupations, and world views, makes him the most endearing character of the novel. Huxley's take on life, nature of human existence and the pursuit of happiness is showcased here in a very elegant, worldly and entertaining fashion. I presume, only Huxley could have contrived a plot like this. His remarkable erudition, celebrated wit, learning and incisive intellect underpins the plot; they shape the entire narrative of the novel. The first hundred pages may appear a little dull, but it picks up from there, and the plot grips the reader until the last page. The most amusing character of the novel is certainly Dr. Obispo; however, in a subtle and very English way, Jeremy is no less interesting either, and perhaps the only person peopling the novel who has always been completely himself. I think the reader will come to appreciate this unpretentious character and his harmless pursuits.

When I purchased this paperback from Barnes and Noble I found it was the only copy on the shelf. My book is a 1993 Elephant Paperback (Chicago, Illinois) edition. I think this book is out of print now and is not readily available like Huxley's more famous works such as Brave New World or Point Counter Point. Those who like to read Huxley will certainly find this book very worthwhile. Highly recommended!

DNF @ 39%. I'm sorry but I really just don't care for this pretentious mess of a novel. On to something else!

I'll be brief because I'm trying to find time to do positive and creative things during the Lockdown.

Suffice to say, I was in awe of Huxley's intellect and comprehensive analysis of the material world. More importantly, this novel is highly topical at this time - particularly his thoughts on achieving longevity through the consumptions of certain stenols, which must have appeared revolutionary in the 1920s and 1930s. His views, articulated through his fictional contemporary genius, Bill Propter, certainly pack a punch and his remarks about the treatment of animals on a human level and staggeringly lucid reservations about, not only the spiritual void that was such a feature of 20th Century nihilism, but also the proverbial bunker organised religion can cause in delaying meaningful human progress.... I could go on, but I'm not going to because I wouldn't even be able to begin to do this novel justice. Oh, did I mention it is set in California during the Influenza epidemic and has a very funny ending. Hope you enjoy it!

The parts of this book which are actually a story, with characters and events, are easily 4 stars. Unfortunately, peppered throughout are sections which are just endless, meandering philosophising of the driest, least sensible kind. It relates to the themes of the book, but it cheapens them, because in the story they're played out in ways that render them interesting and understandable, where as in the monologues & dialogues that form the waffle, they're not even argued, just stated. If it seems hard to understand how a dialogue can fail to have an argument in it, read this book to find out.

It's a shame, because if the blocks of soporific text were removed, the book would be an odd tale, humorous in places, with angles on politics, culture, and mortality. It said everything it needed to say without being explicit, and then some mad editor let it muddied by poorly argued over-explanations that didn't need saying at all.

Edit: Forgot to say - this edition has some great illustrations. The beautiful colouring contrasted with the comic images suited the better parts of the book really well. The change in colouring for the final panel supported the ending nicely (since the ending is essentially a bleak punch-line for a joke that had been set up from the start of the book).

Ambientado em Los Angeles nos anos 30, o livro é sobre um magnata do petróleo, Jo Stoyte, muito poderoso porém superficial que sonha com a única coisa que o dinheiro não pode comprar: a vida eterna. Ele contrata um pesquisador inglês chamado Jeremy para analisar alguns documentos antigos e também financia as pesquisas de longevidade de um médico, Dr. Obispo (que no final chegam a uma descoberta inacreditável). Ao longo do livro vamos conhecendo outros personagens e seus pontos de vista, como o amigo de escola de Jo, William Propter, um intelectual e pacifista que é pessimista em relação as vantagens da longevidade... enfim, o livro no começo não foi tão empolgante por isso demorei pra ler, mas da metade pro final não consegui largar mais.
Huxley demonstra como a busca por vida eterna é tão sem sentido quanto o acúmulo obsessivo de riquezas, o final do livro é chocante e esquisito mas amei demais !

A take on the Hollywood of the 1930's with attendant corruption and a very surprising ending.
Interesting how much the world of Then is so much still like the world of Now.