I have read and reviewed this book. I was looking for a word that suited the author's behavior and after I have come across your opinion, I have realized it was narcisstic. Thank you for this. I agree with your observation.lavellan wrote: ↑01 Jan 2018, 14:09I agree as well. Toward the beginning of the book I was more interested as the stories seemed to be relatable to me, but as the story went on, he became a total narcissist. I enjoyed that he was willing to point out his flaws, but it seemed like he never really grew out of his self-centered ways. I disliked that the stories all followed the same formula where he encountered a problem, solved it, and then helped someone else. It became very repetitive after a while. It also is pretty easy to say that you can overcome anything when you’ve never encountered any true adversity in life. This book would be enjoyable to casual readers, but it wouldn’t be very helpful to people who have serious problems in their lives.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.
Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
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Re: Overall rating and opinion of "And Then I Met Margaret"
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“We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.”
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I agree, while we all have,i believe, unlimited potential the fact that that potential os easily squashed by those above us in power can be discouraging and hindering to say the least. While we all have potential for greatness that potential is not always left in our own hands thus we can only get so far when forced to rely on others to help us move forward.MsTri wrote: ↑01 Jan 2018, 15:01 I haven't read this, but 'Wow', @AliceofX; a self-help book that isn't very helpful, huh? And I know exactly what you mean. All my life, I've heard, "you can be anything you want to be", "follow your dreams", etc. Well, I can guarantee that I never intended to be poor and struggling all the time. Despite reaching reaching reeeeeeeeeeeaching and clamoring for my dreams, here I still am. I agree with you; sometimes life just doesn't give one the tools or opportunities one needs. It's all well and good to give the previous advice, but when so much of life depends on others, especially others in positions of power, what can one really do?
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I have read the book and thoroughly enjoyed the author's stories and lessons he learned from different people. I did not get the sense that the author was narcissistic at all. You may like to read my review or others to help you decide if you want to read the book or not. It was a lot like Chicken Soup for the Soul type of book.mac83 wrote: ↑21 Sep 2018, 09:24 I haven't read this book, but going through the reviews of it, it seems to be split on whether or not the book would be enjoyable. A lot of people are saying it was a good book, where others are saying the author is narcissistic. I usually enjoy self-help books where the person is able to turn their life around. But I don't like when they are trying to preach their way of doing it.
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I have seen a lot of these types of books lately. Authors who seem to have a blessed life with ordinary challenges like to preach that working hard can get you anywhere. I love to read about individuals who are truly broken, rising up and conquering. But I just can't take advice from those who haven't truly faced life-altering challenges. God's grace is truly what saves all of us.AliceofX wrote: ↑01 Jan 2018, 05:15 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."
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This is interesting Alice, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger “ I like what you believe about it, I believe that what doesn’t kill you mutates and tries againin the end as you have said everything we have is by God’s Grace, the author’s opinion on hard work pays off is something I found a little inconsiderate on my part… overral the book is a good read.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.