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

[Fibonacci]

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

[Christina Rose]

When I originally considered reading this book, I think I put it in the “Not Interested” category, but now I can’t remember why. Since it is the BOTM, I’ll probably look into it again. I see the book has mixed reviews, and I’m looking forward to developing my own opinions as I read through it. Thank you all for your insightful opinions!

[CaitlynLynch]

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.

[Gikonyo Caroline]

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

[Ashiyya Tariq]

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 do agree with your opinion that not every thing is in your control. Though hard work matters but you can't say that it will shower success on you in a straight way. Anyways " Then I Met Margate " is a beautiful story,written in short chapters, a motivational book. I would rate it 4 out of 4 stars.

[MarisaRose]

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.

[KitabuKizuri]

Seeing some of the comments here has opened my eyes to different perspectives on how this book is perceived. The fact that the author has come out of a seemingly dead end life story, to one he redefines, gives him some level of entitlement to his success story. As to whether the lessons he shares have an impact on the ordinary person is another animal altogether, including those who have gone through difficult situations.

It reminds me of a scene in the sitcom Fresh Price. Will, the nephew to Mr. Banks did not like being very dependent on the uncle, so he got himself a job. But the uncle shared with Will how he couldn't have been a successful lawyer if he didn't get some help along the way. Everybody needs a leg-up.

A good example is Mr. Dangote from Nigeria, who got a loan from his uncle to boost his import of foodstuff for resale. He is now a successful business man.

I guess maybe we don't all have a level playing field, if not the same level of intellectual wit to do what we need to do for 'success'.

I don't know if I'm allowed to post links here but I think this Ted talk adds something to this discussion (Jon Jandai: Life is Easy, Why do We Make it So Hard?)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=21j_OCNLuYg

I already did a review of the book giving it 4 out of 4 stars.

[kandscreeley]

I would have to give this a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. There were a lot of good stories and motivational advice. However, I think the author makes it seem a lot easier than it actually is for some people. Some people can "decide to live" and still end up dying. It's all good advice, but it isn't the end all be all. Just my two cents.

[melissy370]

I have read the first two chapters and find them mildly entertaining. The stories don't elicit much excitement in me to read more though. Because of that I would give the book 2 out of 4 stars.

[tmazonga]

As a self-help book, Rob White`s publication And Then I Met Margaret is a welcome balm to depressed people who consider themselves or are considered by others as “the down and out”. It`s a book that gives hope in a world where lots of people have lost hope. Yet, once one loses hope, one practically has nothing left.


Through the book, Rob Hope gives us encouragement and makes us know that where there`s despair, there can indeed be hope; and where there`s failure, there can again be success. Yet, in all of that, we don`t necessarily have to look far to find a solution to our problems.


I once read a church Sunday Newsletter that recounted the story of two men in prison. I can`t remember who was the author, but the anecdote said: “Two men looked out of a prison window. One saw mud and the other saw the sky”. Rob White has made his choice. It`s up to each of us to make ours.

It`s for that reason that I give the book a 3 out of 4 rating.

[Lg_99]

Fun fact: I am currently writing a review of this book. The story was okay; the author tried his best to encourage people and make them follow their dreams. However, he said some things that were too perfect to be true, and sometimes, he came off as arrogant. For these reasons (and a lot more), I rated this book 2 out of 4 stars.

[Frenjie]

I am still to read this book and I'm expecting a lot from it. Motivational and self-help books are one of my interests. I'm sure I'll be able to draw out various moral lessons from the author's stories of personal transformation.

[Whitney Marchelle]

Self help isn't my thing, but this was actually a pretty good read through. I would recommend it to others.

[BookHausJ]

I remember the story of Col. Sander, best known for founding fast food chicken restaurant. KFC. After retirement it did not stop him from asking himself "What's my real PURPOSE in Life?" He ASK himself if the 65 years old can still make it to the TOP and HELP other people and partly change the world. In relation, Bob White maybe doesn't stop from thinking of HOW HE CAN HELP the WORLD through GOD GIVEN TALENT. Bob White was able to do that on his own way. WRITING A BOOK and INSPIRE People. For me that's the simple logic of it. Then I ASK MYSELF, "HOW CAN I HELP ALSO?"

[BiljanaH]

I truly enjoyed the book. It resonated with me on many levels, and I took a lot out of it. Life presents us with many challenges some harder than others, and we all have different ways of dealing with them. Maybe Rob could have gone deeper on his emotional level in the stories about Margaret and Maasai mother like he did in the stories about aunt Theresa or the one about exam cheating but that didn't take anything away for me.