Reviews
A wonderful book.
—David Dyer, author of The Midnight Watch
Simply amazing. I’ve read them all, and this is by far the best of this Chinese classic. Since 2000, there have been so many great new translations—of the Iliad, of Paradiso, everything by Anne Carson. This book ranks high among that group … [Whether] you are just looking for a great read or a translation for a class, this should be your first choice.
—pilot, reviewer on Amazon.com
The writings of Chuang Tzu and the gentle and very witty commentary of the author introduced me to characters that became my friends. Iconic figures that I can invoke to act as circuit breakers when I am caught up in life’s storylines … After reading this book it stayed in my bag for a month as I was eager to refer to the teachings and be reminded of my new friends who had clear and clever ways of guiding me and showing me how to deal with life on life’s terms and situations in particular where I did not know what to do. Eventually the book moved to my bedside table where I pick it up often to answer my new favourite question: what would Chuang Tzu say?
—Rebecca Pevitt, social worker
A warm, kind, friendly, engaging and humbly offered translation. Sharing Chuang Tzu’s wisdom in an easy conversational manner and tone that makes it highly accessible. Not a daunting academic tome, though no less deeply researched, considered and carefully created/crafted. It’s a wonderful gift to anyone who is lucky enough to have it enter their lives.
—Peach Darvall, Hakomi psychotherapist
I’m disgusted by how good this book is. While I’ve spent my life focused on climbing the academic ladder, Mr Tricker has been tinkering away at his leisure on the Chuang Tzu while faffing about with psychotherapy and meditation and carpentry and God-knows-what, and yet somehow he’s managed to solve sinological problems that have baffled me my entire career. Just who does this little upstart think he is! And such horrible clarity: in a single paragraph he’ll say what I can’t manage to stutter in 20 pages. It’s offensive and I won’t have it. I refuse to even acknowledge this book. Anyway, the idea that someone would want to read something so well-written by a total nobody is absurd. There are many stodgy, pretentious, impenetrable books by distinguished professors like myself; that’s what people should be reading.
—Professor Stodge, Ivory Towers University