Erewhon Revisited cover

Erewhon Revisited

by Samuel Butler

<p>Higgs has made his fortune with sales of his original travelogue <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/samuel-butler/erewhon"><i>Erewhon</i></a>. When his wife dies, his long-held desire to return to the country overwhelms him, and even his friends agree that a change of scenery would be a good idea. Soon after his departure he returns back home to England unexpectedly early and deeply unwell, and so it’s down to his son John to piece together what happened during his fleeting visit to Erewhon.</p> <p>Written nearly thirty years after the first book, <i>Erewhon Revisited</i> is <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/samuel-butler">Samuel Butler’s</a> attempt to reason about the ongoing effect Higgs’ first visit—and dramatic exit—would have had on the closed society of Erewhon. The playful satire of the first book remains, but this time focused on a new target: religion. This focus did the book no favors among the establishment of the day, but after partnering with <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/george-bernard-shaw">George Bernard Shaw’s</a> imprint it was finally published in 1901. While never as critically or commercially successful as the first book, it remains a fascinating read.</p>

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?