Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"

Use this forum to discuss the January 2018 Book of the Month, "And Then I Met Margaret" by Rob White
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Sammy Rose
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Latest Review: "And Then I Met Margaret" by Rob White

Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"

Post by Sammy Rose »

I recently read and reviewed "And Then I Met Margaret" by a Rob White. I rated this book a 3 out of 4 stars. Please see my review for my reasons. :D 🥀
~Yes, I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world. – Oscar Wilde~
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Latest Review: "And Then I Met Margaret" by Rob White
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Naresh607
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Post by Naresh607 »

I just finished reading it.. I will give 3 stars out of 4 stars .
.
This kind of book was new to me so I learned something.. Thanks to author..
Looking forward to read more books of this type
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Post by Joy2thenations »

I haven’t read this book yet. Decided to peruse this forum to get some input other than the official reviews. There seems to be quite a mix of opinions and this has not helped me decide whether to read the book or not. If I do, I’ll be sure to come back and share my thoughts as well.
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Godswill5
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Post by Godswill5 »

I really enjoyed "And Then I Met Margaret". I don't read a lot of self-help books but this one motivated me and taught me a lot of things in life like to expect the unexpected.
I learned that in following your dreams and visions, you will encounter challenges. How you handle those challenges will determine whether you will succeed or not. I think that there is a lot of lesson to learn from reading this book, which is a wonderful way to start the new year,with new resolutions.
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Post by story3girl »

I thought the book was okay, but some of the stories could have used more showing instead of telling, and some of the morals were a little bit cliched. I do enjoy a good memoir and the format worked, but I didn't think the execution was as good as it could be.
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Post by story3girl »

inaramid wrote: 10 Jan 2018, 00:27 I wrote a really loooong review of this book just to cover everything I thought and felt after reading it. :D I gave it a rating of 1 out of 4 stars, and here's the short version why:

I liked the first parts, especially his struggles with small-town living. I find the notion of "flat-earth thinking" very relatable. BUT:

The narrative lacks HUMILITY. The author offers an incredibly self-absorbed perspective of his life. I cringed at the many instances when he cast another person in a bad light just to illustrate how much he has changed for the better. I disliked how he used the grief of the Maasai mother to demonstrate a vague point.

I expected a little more DEPTH in the author's motivations. Throughout the book, his actions were almost always motivated by the search for glamour, or a standing ovation, or glorification. Not very inspiring at all.

There were editing ERRORS. Granted, the errors were minor, like misplaced quotation marks and such. However, for a self-confessed control freak and someone who can afford to buy a Porsche, I fail to see why this book shouldn't be error-free.

Final verdict? A potentially good book that devolved into a monologue of a man repeatedly demonstrating how awesome he is--oftentimes, at the expense of other people. I didn't find it inspiring. And oh, if you're wondering about Margaret, you wouldn't really meet her either.

Thank you for putting all this into words! I definitely agree with all this. There errors bugged me a lot too.
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Post by SPasciuti »

HouseOfAtticus wrote: 02 Jan 2018, 06:54 To be honest, I felt that the author came off as very arrogant. It kind of reminded me why I don't like books from this genre.
Your comment has made me really curious since you said that this book reminds you of why you don't like books from this genre. As someone who really doesn't bother with self-help books, my experience is rather limited and I was just wondering...have the majority of books from this genre had authors who came off as arrogant to you as well?

For me, this is the first time I've felt like I was reading a book by an author who kept sort of patting himself on the back every time he did something he saw as "good and helpful," and I've read books from this genre before (for school, mainly) and it never felt that way with the other ones I've read. But is this kind of a common thing, I wonder?
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Post by kdstrack »

I found the book to be more of an autobiography than an inspirational work. I liked that the author shared the experiences that affected his life. His honesty was apparent in many situations where he included his failures.

Even though I thought the chapter about the Massai mother was the focal point of the book, it was the one chapter I did not like. It bothered me profoundly that he described her behavior as being "upright". Even if he couldn't interfere in her behavior, he could have condemned it instead of praising her. Doing something because you sincerely believe it does not make it right.

I would have a hard time recommending this book since, after having lived through all these inspirational experiences, the author admits that it hasn't helped him to advance spiritually. This tells me that each inspiration was only fleeting and did make a lasting impact on his life.
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Post by HeatherTasker »

MonirUddin wrote: 02 Jan 2018, 01:45 The book is inspiring and knowledgeable though there was some missing of understanding every part of the story. seemingly that the author wanted to show us how can we follow our dreams and solve the problems.The first chapters are written a quite good way and has given lots of ideas and the ending also very pleasant for me as I am a very big fan of Rob. I always try to read his books what he publishes.
I'm not sure what you mean by "missing if understanding", do you mean you didn't understand? I don't understand. Haha
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Post by trevdev »

This book makes you wanna read over and over. Not just because it is exciting but also because it is intriguing and interesting. Sometimes unpredictable which is a good thing and is like a real life story... Notice I said Like ... Anyways this book can rise to success and I hope the author fully analyze what little errors we're made and fix them next time around. You want a book that gives you close to reality feel, not too exciting but somewhat moderate in pace and quality, this book is great! I would give this book a rating of 3.6 out of 4. Awesome people
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Post by PaulJWood »

This is also one of my favorite!
I love the unique way of Rob telling the story, which makes the lessons much more break-taking.The book is written so logical and interesting for even a non-fiction person like me can enjoy reading.
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Post by Manali_DC »

I too am one of those people who avoid reading self help books. However, this book was so inspiring and non preachy that I actually enjoyed reading it. The way the author uses everyday happenings and everyday people to drive home an important lesson is what makes the book so relatable.
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Post by SPasciuti »

kdstrack wrote: 11 Jan 2018, 21:31 I would have a hard time recommending this book since, after having lived through all these inspirational experiences, the author admits that it hasn't helped him to advance spiritually. This tells me that each inspiration was only fleeting and did make a lasting impact on his life.
I'm just really curious about your comment here. I don't understand why he would need to advance spiritually? Cause I feel like you can develop as a person without religoius influence and even spiritual influence. I think my definition of spirituality might be different than yours, but I've always come to know it as something to do with the soul...and I don't personally believe that growth and personality and character itself always has to do with soul and no one person has to believe in spirituality to believe that they should act kind and pay life lessons forward to make a better world and themselves a better person.

For example, a person can decide to develop a characteristic or change the way they act in their daily life in order to respond to a life lesson that they've learned and that really has nothing to do with what their spiritual beliefs are. So I'm not sure why his admittance that nothing advanced his spirituality somehow means that the things he learned were fleeting? It just doesn't make sense to me, I guess.
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Post by Manang Muyang »

When you reach a certain age (70s for the author), you come to realize that this life is fleeting. For those who believe in a life after, it's time to prepare for that life by atoning for past sins. I think that's where Rob is now. I may be mistaken.

Yes, he was arrogant. He keeps saying so. But he is now making amends, recognizing that the best lessons he learned were those from the most unlikely people. That's why Margaret is important. It took a child for him to recognize that he was still a child. His red dress was his fancy restaurant.

I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. I believe the author is less materialistic now. It comes with age. But batting for hard work is always right, even if you don't achieve your dreams. Knowing you gave your best is the reward itself; you will have no regrets. That Rob is ALSO wealthy and successful is not the point here for me. But again, I may be mistaken.
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Post by Peterhchurch »

After reading all these reviews i feel that I should probably never read this book. The author obviously has arrogance and thinks he knows more than everyone else. Perhaps he's a good author I don't know I haven't read it, I hope it's better than these reviews say it is.
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