Review by CNWaweru -- And Then I Met Margaret by Rob White

CNWaweru · Post by **CNWaweru** » 22 Jan 2018, 22:33

[Following is a volunteer review of "And Then I Met Margaret" by Rob White.]

3 out of 4 stars

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And then I met Margaret

Author: Rob White.

So much wisdom packed in such a small book—this should be illegal! (On a light note)

And then I met Margaret is a work on nonfiction that gives advice on general life issues. The author starts off by drawing the first few chapters from his early life. He then moves on to give meaningful encounters with the rest of his life. Each chapter has a particular revelation that he focuses on. The sources of these revelations are ordinary people around him. He "opens" his eyes to see very important values in people around him that he had previously not noticed.

I had seen a number of comments and reviews on this book before actually embarking on reading it. However, the book has passed the expectations I had of it from the comments. The story is mainly of relevant snippets of experiences in his life that awoke him from a certain myth and taught him something new each time.

The simple language used by the author ensures that the reader's attention remains on the important points that Rob intends to pass along. The subtle humour in the narration makes it an entertaining read while still getting the lessons. The author also makes the point of singling out the myth and the lessons he learnt which contribute to making the book agenda easy to comprehend.

Although I personally do not agree with some of the points passed across, I find what he says very well illustrated and supported by the stories. I like the fact that the book portrays Rob as a human with flaws that he's to acknowledge and improve himself generally. I consider this a vital means of identifying with a wider audience, myself included.

Despite the great pros of the book put down above, I think the author could have made an improvement in the flow of the stories. All the stories had the same relative format of starting with the error, meeting a guru and always remembering the lesson to repeat it. While I think this a good approach, I would have liked to see a few stories on things he has not quite figured out yet in his life and how he's fairing on with those too. I find the topic of the somehow not comprehensive for the whole book. Nonetheless, considering that the author has named it after what impacted him most, the title is adequate. I would give the book 3 out of 4 stars. Overall, the book opened my eyes to the virtues that would create a better companion to those around me.

This book is an easy read that I would recommend to anyone seeking to find the wisdom to navigate through the rest of their lives. To a great extent, it is a self-help book. If such books do not go down too well with you, I would discourage you from picking it.

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And Then I Met Margaret
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kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 28 Jan 2018, 21:36

Interesting review. I also though the format was repetitive in every chapter. The mixture of honesty and humor was well done. Nice job. Thanks.

BookishCreature · Post by **BookishCreature** » 28 Jan 2018, 22:57

I like your idea of having chapters focusing on the lessons that White is still learning - I think that would've been a great addition. A lot of folks on the forum found him pretty arrogant towards the end of the book. Maybe showcasing a couple of his failings would have made him more relatable. Great review!

CNWaweru · Post by **CNWaweru** » 01 Feb 2018, 23:22

Thank you for your comments!

pinklover · Post by **pinklover** » 01 Feb 2018, 23:57

"Rob as a human with flaws that he's to acknowledge and improve himself generally." I like this idea. nice observation.

EvaDar · Post by **EvaDar** » 02 Feb 2018, 13:58

CNWaweru wrote: ↑22 Jan 2018, 22:33 The author also makes the point of singling out the myth and the lessons he learnt which contribute to making the book agenda easy to comprehend.

Although I personally do not agree with some of the points passed across, I find what he says very well illustrated and supported by the stories. I like the fact that the book portrays Rob as a human with flaws that he's to acknowledge and improve himself generally. I consider this a vital means of identifying with a wider audience, myself included.

I like your review. Very thorough. I agree that the organization of the book made it easy to follow. I also liked the fact that the author highlighted his flaws and had the interest to change them. I didn't like the book quite as much as you did, but I appreciated many things. I hope you will check out my review. Thanks!