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

[jaylperry]

I really enjoyed reading And Then I Met Margaret, by Rob White, and I look forward to writing a full review. The stories were well written, fun, focused, and extremely inspiring. Each story could easily find its way into a sermon, a coaching session, or a motivational speech. I've even started reading it to my son.

I would recommend this book to anyone who needs to tell a story. I would also recommend it especially to educators and budding entrepreneurs, as the author has a lot to say about these areas.

There were more than 10 typos or grammar errors in this book, however. So I would have to give it 3 out of 4 stars.

[Gracie777]

And Then I Met Margaret by Rob White has started my year on a high note. I enjoyed how the book was written and the lessons taught by the author I could very much relate to and believe that if all put an effort living with and open-mind that the obstacles in our way of our own creation would soon disappear leading us to a fruitful and positive life.


There is nothing that I found need to complain about because the few grammatical errors I found did not deter me from enjoying the flow of the book and from carrying away the life lessons that I learnt and that I intend to implement in my life.

[EvaDar]

Looks like we're of the same mind . Contrived is a good word. Reading through the forum, I find it interesting that a self-help book could be so polarizing. I was looking for your review, but I guess it still has to go through the editors? Looking forward to reading it.

My review of this book was just published. As I said a bit ago, my impression of the book was very mixed. I think it would work for some, but if you are looking for lasting change through deep transformation it misses the mark. Details of my reasons for this are in my review at viewtopic.php?f=24&t=54038

[uyky]

I am a bit surprised that there are so many people loving this book. I have nothing against self help books. But this one was terrible for me. Author was way too arrogant for my taste and I had a problem finishing the book. I wrote a review on it and rated it 2 out of 4 stars.

[EvaDar]

I am a bit surprised that there are so many people loving this book. I have nothing against self help books. But this one was terrible for me. Author was way too arrogant for my taste and I had a problem finishing the book. I wrote a review on it and rated it 2 out of 4 stars.

I also rated the book 2 out of 4 stars. And, I like good self-help books. I wonder if this book reads like fiction for some people, and the author's arrogance is accounted for as just a character flaw. I don't know. I also think that perhaps the exciting adventures in the book drew people in. I kept thinking as I read, that it might have been interesting to hear more about the actual spiritual and motivational teachers he met. He mentions them in the Introduction. A long, long list of very well-known, actual gurus barely made the intro. I get that the book is meant to be about the unlikely gurus we meet, but I just didn't think the author did that well.

[BookishCreature]

I am a bit surprised that there are so many people loving this book. I have nothing against self help books. But this one was terrible for me. Author was way too arrogant for my taste and I had a problem finishing the book. I wrote a review on it and rated it 2 out of 4 stars.

I also rated the book 2 out of 4 stars. And, I like good self-help books. I wonder if this book reads like fiction for some people, and the author's arrogance is accounted for as just a character flaw. I don't know. I also think that perhaps the exciting adventures in the book drew people in. I kept thinking as I read, that it might have been interesting to hear more about the actual spiritual and motivational teachers he met. He mentions them in the Introduction. A long, long list of very well-known, actual gurus barely made the intro. I get that the book is meant to be about the unlikely gurus we meet, but I just didn't think the author did that well.

I know that when I read it, I didn't focus all that much on the author himself. I was far more interested in the myth vs. reality aspect of the book, which I enjoyed. After reading everyone else's thoughts, I totally get where people are coming from when they say the author seemed arrogant and the stories felt contrived, but I guess I was just more interested in trying to learn from the book than understand the author as a character.

Not that there's anything wrong with reading the book with that goal in mind, of course, but that might explain why the book was so polarizing around here.

[EvaDar]

I know that when I read it, I didn't focus all that much on the author himself. I was far more interested in the myth vs. reality aspect of the book, which I enjoyed. After reading everyone else's thoughts, I totally get where people are coming from when they say the author seemed arrogant and the stories felt contrived, but I guess I was just more interested in trying to learn from the book than understand the author as a character.

Not that there's anything wrong with reading the book with that goal in mind, of course, but that might explain why the book was so polarizing around here.

That makes so much sense. I definitely see people liking this book for the educational aspect. He did explore some really interesting beliefs. I was definitely interested in the author's transformations. It's interesting how we all read from different points of view.

[KamalK]

I should probably start by saying that I've never been a fan of self-help type books. I don't really have much to compare this book to, but I'll probably stay away from this genre in the future. What I disliked most about the book was how arrogant the author came off. Maybe I'm just a huge cynic, but I don't believe our destiny is entirely in our hands. There are people who say, "What doesn't kill you make you stronger." To me, that just means you weren't hit hard enough. You could have easily been left cripled and broken, but you weren't. That brings me to the crux of the problem. Sure, the author, like all of us, worked hard to get what he has, but in the end he also had the luck to not be given a heavier burden than he could carry. But then to go on and preach that you can achieve anything if you just work hard ... The world doesn't work like that. The world isn't fair and just. In the end, all we can say is, "There but for the grace of God."

To be completely fair, it was a well-written book with interesting stories. The "myth I believed" at the start of every chapter always made me intrigued, and made me want to continue reading. But in the end I just couldn't get behind the overall moral of the book.

I agree with your views. Especially the part of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. So maybe you weren't hit hard enough. Rightly said. However, there were a few sections which seemed good to me, so maybe I am a bit lenient in a sense.

[Mary Garrison]

I gave this book 4 out of 4 stars. I loved how the author used little moments in life to change his thinking entirely. He didn’t let the bad moments in his life define him, but learned from them and changed his actions accordingly. There wasn’t anything I found that I didn’t really like in the book. There were a couple of very small editing mistakes, but nothing big. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that would take a chance to see life a little differently.

[kwame1977]

The book is very inspirational and motivating. I will give it 4 out of 4 stars

[EvaDar]

I should probably start by saying that I've never been a fan of self-help type books. I don't really have much to compare this book to, but I'll probably stay away from this genre in the future. What I disliked most about the book was how arrogant the author came off. Maybe I'm just a huge cynic, but I don't believe our destiny is entirely in our hands. There are people who say, "What doesn't kill you make you stronger." To me, that just means you weren't hit hard enough. You could have easily been left cripled and broken, but you weren't. That brings me to the crux of the problem. Sure, the author, like all of us, worked hard to get what he has, but in the end he also had the luck to not be given a heavier burden than he could carry. But then to go on and preach that you can achieve anything if you just work hard ... The world doesn't work like that. The world isn't fair and just. In the end, all we can say is, "There but for the grace of God."

To be completely fair, it was a well-written book with interesting stories. The "myth I believed" at the start of every chapter always made me intrigued, and made me want to continue reading. But in the end I just couldn't get behind the overall moral of the book.

I love your assessment of the book here. It sounds like we agree on key points. Yes, the author's arrogance and his need to remind us of his wealth continued throughout. He truly did not endure the kind of life struggles that generally result in deep, lasting change. If he experienced any severe illnesses, losses, poverty, etc., he did not mention it. As you say, his burden did not seem so heavy as to effect the changes he claims. I will check out your review. Thanks.

[EvaDar]

I agree as well. Toward the beginning of the book I was more interested as the stories seemed to be relatable to me, but as the story went on, he became a total narcissist. I enjoyed that he was willing to point out his flaws, but it seemed like he never really grew out of his self-centered ways. I disliked that the stories all followed the same formula where he encountered a problem, solved it, and then helped someone else. It became very repetitive after a while. It also is pretty easy to say that you can overcome anything when you’ve never encountered any true adversity in life. This book would be enjoyable to casual readers, but it wouldn’t be very helpful to people who have serious problems in their lives.

Thank you. I fully concur with your assessment here. I will read your review. The narcissism, the repetitive, formulaic element, and his charmed life made this book less interesting to me.

[orangehornet57]

My overall rating is 4 stars, maybe 4.5. How does anyone leave half ratings on Amazon? This is the fourth book of the month I've read. So far, I liked it much better than the others. One reason is its being much more family friendly. Sadly, some previous entries didn't exactly qualify.

The foreword began in a different direction. Many of us are familiar with several self help gurus mentioned. But those not famous often taught our author much more. He's had quite an interesting life.

It was nice to read about his relatives. I have no children myself, but am an uncle. Being eccentric is part of the job description. His definitely qualified. His aunt sure was a good sport. Could you imagine a card game called Confirmed Bachelor?

My biggest beef was his take on small town living. I'd imagine there are limitations put on those in larger areas. He obviously learned hard work from his father. Too bad his aunt's suitor couldn't break from tradition. Part of his dad's anger may have come from the cost of the hunting jacket. Did he try to return it? Who paid for that haircut?

Instead of having a long career at the mill, he had several different ones. Most of the stories are very interesting. It felt like a conversation with the author. I could have done without a few of the stories. Thankfully those were in the minority. Kudos for a very nice book.

[OPgirl9122]

I haven't read this, but 'Wow', @AliceofX; a self-help book that isn't very helpful, huh? And I know exactly what you mean. All my life, I've heard, "you can be anything you want to be", "follow your dreams", etc. Well, I can guarantee that I never intended to be poor and struggling all the time. Despite reaching reaching reeeeeeeeeeeaching and clamoring for my dreams, here I still am. I agree with you; sometimes life just doesn't give one the tools or opportunities one needs. It's all well and good to give the previous advice, but when so much of life depends on others, especially others in positions of power, what can one really do?

Both of you are correct. @AliceofX and you. In life, we aren't given all the tools to luxury but we are given the tools we needed to live. My point is that, we need to empower ourselves through our own efforts but we should not forget that we need other external factors as well; such as the Will of God (destiny/luck/ or whatever you call it/ the author's plan). And then I met Margaret, isn't really a self-hype story it actually doesn't revolve only the protagonist 'secluded life' when you look closely with his interactions with other characters, he grown to be the man he is thanks to his ingenuity, his surroundings and destiny (being the protagonist). I believe in the saying "God will not help those who don't help themselves". And how can you help yourself? By utilizing the tools that are entrusted to you, such as; your body, your health, and mental capacity. These were the assets God gave us, and unfortunately most of us had taken this blessings for granted. I applaud this story and Sir Rob White for showcasing such wonderful story. Thank you

[AbbyGNelson]

I guess that there is always the question of whether it is self-help or whether it is more motivational? Lots of self-help books encourage you to examine and look at your own life and try to get you to make changes in your habits and behaviour. I found that this book was more about inspiring you to consider the possibilities.

I think self help, or self improvement, and motivational books are extremely similar, if not the same. They just work in different ways. Inspiring you to consider the possibilities around you can be more helpful to some people then a specific list of things to do, because the same course of action doesn't work for everyone. They have to find solutions for themselves.