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

Posted: 07 Jan 2018, 05:10
by N_R
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.

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

Posted: 07 Jan 2018, 10:58
by Yoli García
I read and reviewed this book, and my overall opinion about it is quite positive. I rated it 4 out of 4 stars. I liked reading all of Rob White’s engaging life lessons. I had some favorites, like his presentation at a company’s annual convention and the construction in San Andreas Fault. I identified the most with the author when he broke his town’s traditions and went off to college. In addition, I liked his enthusiastic writing style.

Yes, I would recommend And Then I Met Margaret to family and friends. I thought it is an excellent book for inspiration to do things and new beginnings.

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

Posted: 07 Jan 2018, 13:15
by EvaDar
Colleen0701 wrote: 07 Jan 2018, 03:54 Make no mistake, the author can tell a tale. We have all met a Margaret or an aunt or a teacher that has been interested enough in us to give us a word or a push in the right direction.
Most of us, myself included accepts their gift without realising what a gift it is. I may put it down to luck and someone else to fate.
What we didn't realise is what the author has caught. Observation.
If we observed our own lives closely, we would see the same people with basically the same lessons.
Bravo to Mr. White for his keen observance and also the skill to turn these lessons into stories.
I am liking this book so far. And, I am already recognizing all of the Margarets that have come in and out of my life. We don't have to seek out grand spiritual leaders to learn about life. It may be my neighbor or a colleague who is my guru for the day.

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

Posted: 07 Jan 2018, 16:40
by Manang Muyang
I give the book 4 stars. All who dare to write self-help need to have success of some kind. It just so happens that Rob is ALSO a successful businessman. I never felt that he meant wealth as the only measure of success.

The lessons I learned are many. You don't need the Masters to teach you; ordinary people you meet everyday teach you plenty. Nobody is too rich or too old or too whatever to learn something new. Laugh at yourself more often.

This book doesn't have all the answers. But if one of the stories moves you, then Rob would have succeeded. He talks to the naughty boy, the cheating student, the arrogant millionaire, and the insecure bald man. Many of the stories are confessions of his own past sins; he doesn't say he has stopped sinning.

He honors the ordinary people who have taught him powerful lessons. He tells us we have those people in our lives too. The last lesson: Be eternally grateful.

Re: Do you think the book lack seriousness needed for this type of book ?

Posted: 07 Jan 2018, 17:29
by Christina Rose
Fibonacci wrote: 02 Jan 2018, 15:18 And I met Margarets is one of the very few books i totally enjoyed reading in recent times. In as much as the title is a bit misleading, I find the stories fun to read and some times outrightly comical in nature, thus some how robbing the book of the little bit of seriousness that is need in such a book.

For example, the story where Bob transformed into Rob after losing his wig was funny that, it felt like I was reading a comic book.The comic nature made me anxious to know what happens at end of the story rather focusing on the massage he is trying to pass
That’s a very good point. While I don’t feel like a self-help or motivational book has to be completely serious, too much humor may indeed take away from the book’s purpose.

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

Posted: 07 Jan 2018, 20:23
by Bevygomez21
This book is absolutely amazing. Life is not only about happiness & ups its about learning and appreciating things even in every stuggling experiences. I love how the book being told. Every circumstances has its own purpose.

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

Posted: 07 Jan 2018, 22:15
by Christina Rose
CaitlynLynch wrote: 02 Jan 2018, 21:08 I think the overall theme of the book - learning to accept the lessons we learn from the people we meet along the way - is a good one, but I agree with one of the earlier commentors that the author came off as very 'preachy'. Sometimes life just sucks, that's the way of it. Telling someone born with a disability that they just have to try harder to achieve their dreams isn't exactly helpful, for example.
I was just reading an article about phrases to avoid when speaking with your ADHD child. “Just try harder” is a phrase to avoid. I think it’s important for an author of a self-help or motivational book to consider all angles to avoid coming across as arrogant or “preachy.”

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

Posted: 07 Jan 2018, 23:16
by tonysgirl0805
to be honest this was the first book I chose to read and I could not finish it because it was just misleading to me and he did seem arrogant, I thought they would be a bunch of stories from other people but as far as I read they were just his experience and in almost every story he spoke about how accomplished he was. I am like we get it you are well off and accomplished, Which is kind of misleading because if that was the case why did you need to write a self help book?

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

Posted: 08 Jan 2018, 00:31
by Yaone
I am a huge fan of self help books. And Then I Met Margaret is a great book. The author share lessons learnt from every experience of his life. He comes across as someone who loves to empower people. I love how in every chapter he shares what he learnt and how he used the experience to change another person's life. I am still reading the book, so far so good.

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

Posted: 08 Jan 2018, 02:13
by Christina Rose
Gikonyo Caroline wrote: 03 Jan 2018, 03:44 I gave it a 4 star. I really love the stories for the lessons on life they impart especially the story on Rob'speaking experience where his wig flew off his head and landed on the floor, forcing him to confront hid true identityand accept himself for who he truly is not what he appears to be. I loved the quotes and took many of them with me. The themes are also quite relatable and informative especially this one :to never stop learning because life never stops teaching
It sounds like you really have a grasp on the reading material. Thank you for sharing your favorite parts of the book. I’ll have to keep those in mind as I read through it myself. :)

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

Posted: 08 Jan 2018, 02:19
by Christina Rose
MarisaRose wrote: 03 Jan 2018, 09:27 This was one of those books that I loved at times and hated at others. Some of the stories were definitely more interesting than others. Additionally, I quickly became tired of the same formulaic setup: each chapter had a story with a problem and a subsequent resolution; I never worried that the narrator would not come out successful. If the structure had been less formulaic and more surprising, I would have enjoyed this book significantly more. Also, I did not appreciate the author's plug for her personal website at the end of the book. Overall, I would give this one 2 out of 4 stars. I can see how this book would be enjoyable for fans of inspirational books, but it missed the mark for me.
I recently read a book that seemed more of an advertisement of the author’s services than a helpful guide for parents as it should have been. So, I can completely see where you are coming from when you mentioned the plug for the author’s website. Thank you for sharing your opinion. :)

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

Posted: 08 Jan 2018, 06:09
by Yaone
I am a huge fan of self-help books. The book maps out the different experiences of the author and the life lessons. In each chapter the author uses his life lessons to change other people's lives. It's clear that the author enjoys empowering.

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

Posted: 08 Jan 2018, 06:46
by TrishKissane
N_R wrote: 04 Jan 2018, 14:26 I haven't read the book yet but have it next on my list. Self help books can be quite misleading to say the least. They are always motivational and try to give ideas that can never actually occur in real life. It's getting harder and harder to get ahead and life is more complicated and fast.
I suggest you give this one a try. It does not answer your questions about life but it empowers you to turn negatives to good and to look for the lessons in your own life as taught by various people who cross your path.

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

Posted: 08 Jan 2018, 13:02
by Readingtoon
I am not one to read self help books because i believe they view problems and give solutions from one point of view which might not necessarily work for all situations. I have not read the book yet but it is on my read list. I hope it is not a cliche

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

Posted: 08 Jan 2018, 13:52
by RJWaugh
I enjoy reading self-help books. There is always a lesson to be learned in reading from other’s experience. The early chapters were the stories are from childhood. I enjoy reading stories about children. They can be very easy to relate to and learn from. The morels from each story were very enriching. Sometimes, after each story, I would stop and reflect on some things in my life that I could relate to. I enjoyed reading this book.