Gaarder has an amazing talent for making the vagueries of Philosophy into the wonders of the world. While not as in depth as his more famous works, 'Sophie's World' and 'The Solitare Mystery' this shorter work stil contains some beautifully simple thoughts on the ways of the world, simple because they should be obvious but they're not. However, I struggled to sympathise with Cecilia's character and didn't like her as much as his child protagonists in other novels. Definitely worth reading for fans of Gaarder's but if you're new to his works I'd recommend starting with one of his more famous books as they display his talent for making philosophy engaging for all much better.