Jonathan Livingston Seagull: A Fable by Richard Bach

The only true law is that which leads to freedom. There is no other!

-Richard Bach

How do you perceive a book if it’s a novel or a collection of short stories? Isn’t it something full of words printed in black, in a legible font, running into several lines and stacked one after the other with little space between them? This pattern extends to several hundred pages. I guess this is the reason why many of us are afraid to begin reading and if we begin, we lose interest after a few pages or chapters. How many of you have the feeling that the books we used to read in childhood, having graphical illustrations were better?

Title: Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a story

Author: Richard Bach

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Allegory, Self-help, Inspirational, Fable

Pages: 87

Price: 247/- Click here to view/buy

If you’ve taken a closer look at the cover page, you must have an idea about my remark in the beginning. Yes, the book has illustrations/photographs of seagulls sailing in the sky! At different points, these photographs could mean different things, all related to life. It’s open to interpretation and can vary from person to person and I guess, that’s the beauty.

The novella, written in three parts, is an allegory to human situations at large while narrating the story of a seagull, who is ostracised from the community. The first part can be read as the ‘downfall’ whereas the second, is a phase of ‘resurrection’. The third part is more like a ‘homecoming’. There are several lines in the book which can be used as a quotation. The novella also draws significantly from the author’s life who was a pilot. At several times, you’ll feel that the flight of the seagull is synonymous with the aeroplane. It’s a fable basically, similar to Panchatantra, which imparts some moral lessons while having animals as characters. The only difference is that Panchatantra tells the tales relating to children.

However, as a reader, I feel that instead of adding too many pictures of ‘seagulls’ in the sky, the author should have included pictures of their home and other landscapes as well, thus, inviting an enhanced reception of the fable. At several points, I felt that due to similar images on several pages, I was unable to come up with something meaningful. Nonetheless, I invite bibliophiles to go through this beautiful book at least once. Also, this book can be a great choice for those who wanna develop an interest in reading.

©Shashank

Also, thanks Shree for recommending and lending this book to me. It wasn’t on my reading list earlier and I don’t think I would’ve come across it until or unless suggested.