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Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 30 Jan 2018, 16:24
by Christina Rose
KFree_Reads wrote: ↑30 Jan 2018, 10:22
I will definitely share my sentiments concerning
And Then I Met Margaret in my upcoming book review. I am coming down to the wire but I will say I have enjoyed the book for the most part. It is a very engaging book.I took a lot of notes! Nonetheless, I would recommend it despite some areas of the book that I wish were done differently but I will explain in my upcoming review!
I’m glad you enjoyed the book, and look forward to reading your review!
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 30 Jan 2018, 16:27
by Christina Rose
Umm_Zahra wrote: ↑30 Jan 2018, 15:36
It comes off more as an autobiographical work than a self-help book; somehow it always revolves around the author.
While I agree that happiness can be found in living kindly and selflessly, luck counts in our success. There are many people out there who work hard and struggle yet have not been succesful. I will share more in my review.
You’re right, this book can come across as more autobiographical. And, I agree, success can be largely situational, whether or not you put in the extra work. This should not deter people from working hard, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind.
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 30 Jan 2018, 16:36
by Christina Rose
Umm_Zahra wrote: ↑30 Jan 2018, 15:36
It comes off more as an autobiographical work than a self-help book; somehow it always revolves around the author.
While I agree that happiness can be found in living kindly and selflessly, luck counts in our success. There are many people out there who work hard and struggle yet have not been succesful. I will share more in my review.
You’re right, this book can come across as more autobiographical. And, I agree, success can be largely situational, whether or not you put in the extra work. This should not deter people from working hard, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind.
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 30 Jan 2018, 20:30
by Hephzi Lolami
The book, starting from the top is based solely on the author's view. How he came through certain obstacles and how he battled with them and though, those steps Rob took in overcoming the challenges he faced in this book helped him, they might not help if I also took them.
Still, Rob explained each chapter analytically, like a good author and he made it easily understandable with each short chapter. Self-help books might have been said not to have any help but I would say, what goes for the goose might not go for the gander in this case. They helped Rob but might not help me because I an surely not going to live the authors life and he won't face the problems I face. It's just Rob's opinion, we aren't asked to stick to it. We all have our issues we battle with in everyday life. Rob's opinion won't matter when I am
being boxed to the corner and it seems like the world is just against us.
All the same, I would recommend this book to others because as I mentioned earlier, in this case, "what goes for the goose might not go for the gander". It's as simple as that.
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 30 Jan 2018, 22:21
by Kuolettava
Let me start off by saying that I haven't had the opportunity to read this book yet. I don't generally enjoy books that fall into the "self-help" category. I haven't ever really found much use for them and have preferred to build what I want my future to look like based on what I have learned on my own. Too many self-help books fall into the category of being condescending, and seeing that a couple of people have also categorized this book in that way makes me a little leery. That being said, I am a big fan of telling stories to help establish how a person's life has grown and transitioned. Would this book be a good place to look into a more interesting side of the self-help book genre?
Admittedly, I was pulled towards it because I like the cover art.
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 31 Jan 2018, 02:34
by rs1977
AliceofX wrote: ↑01 Jan 2018, 05:15
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.
Thanks much for that interesting perspective. God and grace aside, if one looks around and observes keenly, they would figure the complex interplay of things, which are mostly out of our individual control. All we can do is figure how to better strengthen ourselves in terms of mind, body and spirit in order to face the unpredictable flow of things that happen in our lives. As you rightly mentioned, either one should either be completely naive or totally arrogant to say that if one works hard enough they can achieve anything in this world. I am not sure which one the author is!
It's an interesting thing that I have observed that even the most balanced and the most sensible people in the world get into to this self-flattery mode at some point in their life. Thanks for your thoughts!
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 31 Jan 2018, 08:45
by R-g-R
Some heart was demonstrated early on, some ordinary gurus displayed really good qualities, some repetition seemed forced and disingenuous, some showmanship took over and detracted from the author’s original heart.
I gave 3 out of 4 stars as I imagine some people will really enjoy it, however it is not for everyone.
I admit I oscillated between 2 and 3 and if I could have given 2.5 I probably would have.
Why not a definite 2 out of 4? Because I had to acknowledge that the ‘lessons’ reminded me of some of the important things in my life. Though there were clear cringe moments, I had to admit that the book also did what the author intended.
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 31 Jan 2018, 09:03
by Strongbob25
Overall this book is a short, easy, enjoyable read. I think that it has a lot of positive things to say, and some of the chapters are outright inspiring. However, as others here have said, the author really does come off as arrogant. He does not seem to recognize that a lot of his success is due to luck, or the various amounts of privilege that he has been afforded throughout his life. The chapters, too, are extremely formulaic. After you read about 5 of them, you probably don't need to read the rest of the book. A lot of the lessons aren't really, exactly, taught to him by another person, either. He sort of gleans them himself.
I'd probably recommend this book to very old people or young teens who are just getting started in their lives. It is good for a short pick me up. As I said in my official review, it's the kind of book that would do well on the back of a toilet or in a doctor's office waiting room.
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 01 Feb 2018, 09:31
by celiiia
Overall, it was very enjoyable to read the book. I loved the author's descriptive writing style, choice of words and the themes that he introduced in the book.
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 01 Feb 2018, 09:54
by kaylaolson35
I absolutely loved this book. The starting was a little slow for me, but after changing my mindset from fiction books to nonfiction, it made a world of difference. There are so many lessons to learn from Rob and I love that he focuses on the small problems. Almost every situation he experienced, there was a time I could look back iny life and relate. I would read this book over and over as a reminder to myself. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. We all have something to learn.
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 01 Feb 2018, 12:57
by Philip Chepsingil
I found this book very interesting to read. I can say despite being captivated by the interesting chapters of the book, I was also inspired by the author. I felt I should do more than what I am doing to improve my life. From this inspiration, I have discovered an unexploited potential within me.
Rob White, thanks for the inspiration.
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 02 Feb 2018, 23:29
by knii
i really like reading books and can't wait to start reading this ONE
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 04 Feb 2018, 10:29
by Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha
This is the best motivational book I have ever read in my life. If I could rate it above 4 stars, I would. Awesome!!
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 05 Feb 2018, 04:33
by Mailis
If people are sum of their DNA heritage plus life experience, then bookreaders add and absorb the experience of bookwriters to add to that sum daily. So we can grow and enjoy things that we otherwise would not probably get to experience in our daily lives on our own. I think I'll read this book, not because I myself exactly need extra motivation but because I'd like to know what motivates other people.
Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
Posted: 05 Feb 2018, 13:31
by S_Mulla
I've never read a self-help book before... But its safe to say I enjoyed "And Then I Met Margaret". The authors unique way of beginning each chapter left me intrigued and kept me reading the book till the end. I didn't actually understand the deeper meaning of the book but would recommend it to those who enjoy self-help books.