Nausea (New Directions Paperbook) Kindle Edition

The book is written in the form of a journal which is rather mundane, uneventful and lacking in plot, but towards the end, a chain of events happens which really gets things moving. There are a couple of strikingly beautiful descriptions of nature, i.e. the sunset on the beach and the tree in the park, and the ending with it’s hint of possibilities for Roquetin has a sense of adventure (getting on a train; going to the city; his desire to write a novel). Ultimately, the book suggests that there is no real meaning to life or anything, but the potential of leaving behind a legacy can at least make it worth living.

EDIT: Just wanted to clarify that it was Baudelaire who utilized the flaneur and not Baudrillard. That was an error in my typing. Also wanted to mention it's Bouvile and not Paris as a commenter, Francis, helpfully pointed out.Hey, I’m a pessimist. There, I said it. I’m already horrified at my existence. I don’t need anyone else doing it for me, but that’s exactly what Jean-Paul Sartre did in Nausea, the story of a writer (Anton Roquentin) who becomes horrified by his own existence while working on a novel about a historical figure. Over the course of the novel, in true existentialist fashion, Roquentin wonders about the purpose of his life, whether or not he really has free will, the idea of “adventure,” and what it all means. In other words, if you talk to me for more than ten minutes at a time, you’ll be hearing the gist of this novel. It’s not the kind of book you can breeze through. It’s heavy, both in subject matter and in density.I was actually surprised how much a French history course from my college days came up here. I instantly thought of the idea of the flaneur, which was essentially a person who walked, wandered around, and just observed. Roquentin spends a lot of time as a flaneur, wandering around Bouville and observing the lives of others. His perceived invisibility during his walks make him seem very much in the tradition of Baudelaire’s flaneur. These are the guys that stare at you when you’re out at the store.I’ll be honest–I read Nausea in tandem with the Sparknotes on the novel. The novel is under 200 pages, but there’s a lot to unpack in this novel, and there are a lot of cultural references that I wanted to be sure I wouldn’t miss. This is the type of novel that all novels should aspire to be--every detail is significant.Roquentin looks to the Marquis de Rollebon to try to figure out his own existence, but he struggles to find anything definitive about the past, so he is forced to turn to the present. Even Roquentin’s writings about Rollebon seem more like they’re based on his own life, so he’s also calling objectivity into question. Finally, by comparing his own life to that of the Marquis, Roquentin brings up the idea of a duality present in existentialism–the conscious self and the kind of internal “other” that observes that conscious self. To Roquentin, little seems to make sense.And this was only about 50 pages in. See what I mean?

This is an interesting, thought-provoking, "deep" novel. This is not a fast-paced, plot-heavy novel. It is not intended to be that. It is intended to make you think. You can read the other reviews for what the book is about. My take on it is that it is a very thought-provoking, and sometimes confusing (in a good way) way of thinking. I really was not following the beginning of the book ("What is the point of this book?!"), but, as other reviewers' suggested, I kept reading and about 1/2 or 2/3 or the way through, it came together.During the last third, you really get an insight of the main character's mind/way of thinking. It lays out a bare existence of reality, which, to some means it is bleak, while to others it means it is hopeful. Sartre was of the latter view and this is how I suggest you read/interpret it. It is actually quite beautiful in the way that it can provoke these two views simultaneously.I initially bought Being and Nothingness, then was suggested the Transcendental Ego as an intro, and then was suggested Nausea as a prelude into those other books. I think this is a good order to read the books, if you want to get anything out of Being and Nothingness (Nausea -> Transcendental Ego->Being and Nothingness).Keep reading until the end! It's a short book and won't take forever. If you are invested in trying to understand Being and Nothingness (which is a behemoth and will take forever to read), read this first, along with Transcendental Ego, so you don't feel like you're wasting time on B&N.Enjoy!

So, I’m not going to rate Sartre’s story, bc I am sure other reviewers do that, and you can read the wiki page on the plot or get a cliffs notes about the actual book. It’s a piece of fiction written by a philosopher- it’s surprisingly easy to read (as opposed to, say, some philosophy). I enjoyed it.I just wanted to comment the editing of this particular translation could use help. I actually stopped reading on page 95 just to write this review, you’ll find the word “studdenly” there, as in “I studdenly realized....” I find typos like this I’d guess about every 10 pages or so on average, not really keeping track. It’s mildly distracting so just wanted to make that known.Rating it a 4 bc of this just to make it not a perfect 5, but again, not rating of commenting on Sartre’s actual work here, just this particular copy of it.

Great!

Amazing book for a translation. It follows a man as he struggles with the nightmare of being and tries to understand what separates him from the other. Antoine Roquentin tries to find himself in old and new acquaintances of places and people which, as it turns out, hold little separation. I will read this book again and again. A wonderful book for the reader not afraid to stare into the darkness.

Gostei da edição, achei a capa bem bonita e o livro agradável de manusear. A fonte e a diagramação são ok, provavelmente um pouco cansativas depois de um tempo de leitura, ppr serem muito pequenas e o espaçamento meio apertado pro meu gosto (ainda não li, é um palpite só de dar uma olhada). A capa é de papel bem fino, daquelas que enverga fácil, mas gosto da textura. Adorei a gramatura das páginas, achei ideal. Em relação ao livro físico, estou bem feliz! Animada para começar a leitura.

Just a great book, nothing much to say. If you want a good story, with some deep philosophical ideas, and a bit of existential dread, then read this.The quality of the book is about what you expect with a paperback: Not too good, not too bad.I think the covers on this version are quite nice looking, but that's just my preference.Although there is a disclaimer: The foreword does contain some spoilers, and a bit too big for my taste. So if you don't want those, then just read it as an afterword or something. Apart from that, a great book.

Great book and a decent Edition. This is a really easy to read starter book for anyone trying to figure out what Sartre is about.