Review by TheWriteAngel -- And Then I Met Margaret

TheWriteAngel · Post by **TheWriteAngel** » 24 Feb 2018, 07:43

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

3 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

And Then I Met Margaret is a self-help and motivational book by Rob White. It follows Rob’s life starting from his childhood in a small town to being a successful real estate entrepreneur and restaurateur. Rob recounts his personal encounters with people and situations and the ways in which he learnt to better navigate through life.

The book follows the idea that we come across many unacknowledged teachers in daily life whose impact on our lives is manifold. We may all have come across such people, whom Rob refers to as “Gurus”, but we may not all recognize them. These gurus inspire you in the most unimaginable ways. Sometimes they show us the world from a different perspective and shatter our self-imposed limitations and sometimes they lead us to personal and spiritual revelations.

To keep in sync with this, the writer adopted a before-after story format. Each chapter starts with a myth that the author had always assumed to be true and ends with the reality which the author has realized upon his experience with the guru whose story has been shared in that particular chapter. This format of the book kept me apprised of what to expect and the belief that was being challenged.

Rob’s childhood narratives of growing up in a small town, of steering away from the traditional lifestyle and the college anecdotes resonated with me quite a lot. One such anecdote was depicted in the chapter named 'Shakespeare in My Left Pants Pocket'. It is a heart-warming story about how unexpected actions from people in grave situations can help change the very core of one’s behavior. Another such story is ‘I Decided I Was Smarter Than I Thought I Was’ where an encounter with a young student named Debbie inspired Rob to follow his dream. The 'reality' highlighted in this chapter is one I intend to apply in my own life.

That said, I did think that some of the realities that the writer puts forth are quite ordinary and not as ground breaking as the writer made it out to be. One such story was that of Margaret. Had the book been named after one of his other gurus, it would have been more accurate compared to the effect that they had on his life (for example, Debbie). In the introduction of the book, the writer mentions that we will meet to Margaret in Chapter 12. However, Margaret’s story appears in Chapter 18.

Despite not being a fan of self-help books, I decided to give And Then I Met Margaret a shot. The idea that we come across many unlikely gurus who help broaden our outlook on life seemed quite interesting to me. While some of the stories seem uninspiring and unimpressive,there are some personal anecdotes that keep the book fresh and provide insight. The casual tone of the writing and the short chapters make it an easy read.

For the above mentioned reasons, I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an enjoyable and lighthearted read, especially someone new to this genre. As for avid readers of motivational books, this might not be up to the mark.

******
And Then I Met Margaret
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like TheWriteAngel's review? Post a comment saying so!

KFree_Reads · Post by **KFree_Reads** » 26 Feb 2018, 14:09

Great review! I agree with you, it was definitely an easy read.It was particularly easy to put the book down and pick it up again without feeling lost. There were also several heart-warming stories in the book as well as memorable ones. I really enjoyed White's book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an inspiring read. I know there are several self-help books out there, but for me, White's book did not read like one.

EvaDar · Post by **EvaDar** » 26 Feb 2018, 17:37

I really liked reading your review. You took a nice, balanced approach. Like you, I liked the structure of the chapters and the easy tone of the storytelling. The stories did provide an avenue for inspiration, though some did fall short. Check my review if you like. Thanks for the great review.

BookishCreature · Post by **BookishCreature** » 26 Feb 2018, 18:36

Lovely review! I really liked the Debbie chapter as well.

TheWriteAngel · Post by **TheWriteAngel** » 27 Feb 2018, 04:11

KFree_Reads wrote: ↑26 Feb 2018, 14:09 Great review! I agree with you, it was definitely an easy read.It was particularly easy to put the book down and pick it up again without feeling lost. There were also several heart-warming stories in the book as well as memorable ones. I really enjoyed White's book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an inspiring read. I know there are several self-help books out there, but for me, White's book did not read like one.

Thank you! Yes, since the chapters were not really connected, it was easy to pick up after a break. Glad you could relate.

Samy Lax · Post by **Samy Lax** » 27 Feb 2018, 04:46

Yes, you are right about it not being up to the mark for regular motivational genre readers. That's a wonderfully written review!

KFree_Reads · Post by **KFree_Reads** » 27 Feb 2018, 07:20

TheWriteAngel wrote: ↑27 Feb 2018, 04:11
KFree_Reads wrote: ↑26 Feb 2018, 14:09 Great review! I agree with you, it was definitely an easy read.It was particularly easy to put the book down and pick it up again without feeling lost. There were also several heart-warming stories in the book as well as memorable ones. I really enjoyed White's book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an inspiring read. I know there are several self-help books out there, but for me, White's book did not read like one.
Thank you! Yes, since the chapters were not really connected, it was easy to pick up after a break. Glad you could relate.

You're welcome

KFree_Reads · Post by **KFree_Reads** » 27 Feb 2018, 07:22

TheWriteAngel wrote: ↑27 Feb 2018, 04:11
KFree_Reads wrote: ↑26 Feb 2018, 14:09 Great review! I agree with you, it was definitely an easy read.It was particularly easy to put the book down and pick it up again without feeling lost. There were also several heart-warming stories in the book as well as memorable ones. I really enjoyed White's book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an inspiring read. I know there are several self-help books out there, but for me, White's book did not read like one.
Thank you! Yes, since the chapters were not really connected, it was easy to pick up after a break. Glad you could relate.

You're welcome

TheWriteAngel · Post by **TheWriteAngel** » 28 Feb 2018, 08:28

Eva Darrington wrote: ↑26 Feb 2018, 17:37 I really liked reading your review. You took a nice, balanced approach. Like you, I liked the structure of the chapters and the easy tone of the storytelling. The stories did provide an avenue for inspiration, though some did fall short. Check my review if you like. Thanks for the great review.

Thank you for your feedback, Eva! Will definitely check out your review.

TheWriteAngel · Post by **TheWriteAngel** » 05 Mar 2018, 05:42

Samy Lax wrote: ↑27 Feb 2018, 04:46 Yes, you are right about it not being up to the mark for regular motivational genre readers. That's a wonderfully written review!

Thank you for your feedback!

Yeah, I feel this book would be good as a light read, however, for someone looking to bring about a major change into their lives, this would not be the best source of inspiration.

Damisparkles · Post by **Damisparkles** » 07 Mar 2018, 09:10

I loved reading your review, especially where you highlighted how Margaret's story ended up in chapter 18,instead of 12 as introduced. That got me cracking!.
it's also cool to see good similarities in our opinions about the book. Coincidentally, I found myself applying one of the realities discovered(about using good actions to respond to bad actions) in chapter 3 of "The Great Vitims Candy Caper". While i read in your review how Debbie's story inspired you also,i couldn't agree any less.

AnnH · Post by **AnnH** » 07 Mar 2018, 21:27

I must mention here that I enjoyed reading this book, Debbie's story was a true inspiration, it's wonderful to see or witness a student mature and come into there own so beautifully, overcoming their fears and insecurities. I still give this book 4 stars.

TheWriteAngel · Post by **TheWriteAngel** » 08 Mar 2018, 05:49

Damisparkles wrote: ↑07 Mar 2018, 09:10 I loved reading your review, especially where you highlighted how Margaret's story ended up in chapter 18,instead of 12 as introduced. That got me cracking!.
it's also cool to see good similarities in our opinions about the book. Coincidentally, I found myself applying one of the realities discovered(about using good actions to respond to bad actions) in chapter 3 of "The Great Vitims Candy Caper". While i read in your review how Debbie's story inspired you also,i couldn't agree any less.

Thank you for dropping by, I appreciate it. It's good to see someone with similar views as mine. 'The Great Vitim's Candy Caper' was another one of my favourites!