"Delightful, Engaging and Insightful"
I love this guy's work. It's not just that he's a marketing visionary - he's a brilliant communicator too.
I'm amazed at how well the book works in the audio medium. It's almost as if he wrote it with audio in mind.
Strongly recommended. Very, very useful if you have your own business.
"Great material but reader is laugh-out-loud bad"
I'll come to the bad comically bad reading in a minute, but first the actual material.
I'd heard a lot about this book and expected it to be in the same vein as Think and Grow Rich and other self improvement books of the early 20th Century. I was pleasantly surprised.
The messages for financial self betterment are very simple, yet very wise and powerful.
It's a series of charming parables, written in a pseudo King James English style - "thou doth, thou givest" etc. Somehow, rather than sounding pretentious, their 'Ye Olde Worlde'' Biblical style gives the stories added weight and authority, making them all the more fascinating.
The fact that the messages are presented as parables also gives them a certain charm. It makes their wisdom so much easier to hear and digest than the wordy treatises of Napoleon Hill.
It seems as though the writer was writing for his grandchildren. I got the impression of someone patiently crafting vital lessons to young people he really loved. The stories are infused with lively historical drama and details in the style of Boys Own comic strips of the 1920s.
As for the reader, well - he was so bad at the start that I nearly asked Audible for a refund, especially when I saw that other reviewers were of the same opinion as me.But I decided to listen it out and make up my mind at the end.
I'm glad I did stick it out. I got used to the reader, and found myself not minding despite the breakneck speed and frequent, ignorant mispronunciations.
Perhaps the reader did improve as he went on. I gave him two stars in the end. But my eventual enjoyment was a testament to the quality of the book rather than a drastic change in the reader's part. The material triumphed despite the odds.
The book itself really is good. It's a concentrated source of valuable lessons about money, put in such a way an 11 year old would easily understand. It's charmingly written too.
I'm pleased to say I decided not to ask for my money back in the end. The reader did actually make me laugh a few times too.
"WARNING: Don't listen in public - too funny!"
Continuously, outrageously, laugh-out-loud hilarious throughout. I embarrassed myself several times on a trip to the supermarket whilst listening to this. My uncontrolled outbursts of raucous belly laughter drew so many uncomfortable looks had to pause it.
I'd only ever seen one TV adaptation of a Tom Sharpe book previously and this was even better.
His caricatures of stuck up, cloistered, pompous Brits, the lower classes and unrefined Americans gangsters, who all end up colliding in the most unseemly ways thinkable are stylish, incredibly vulgar, and so, so funny, all at the same time.
I wondered if this is something that would only appeal to Brits who know something of the ''old order", but I suspect not. If you enjoy British caricatures along the lines of PG Wodehouse or Evelyn Waugh all from the viewpoint of someone with a preoccupation with repressed, absurd, sexual deviance you'll love it. Think very up market ''Carry On" films minus the corn.
Beautifully written - the story lines are wonderful and the dialogue is superb.
I couldn't stop listening to this once I'd started. I got through it in 3 sessions.
The narration is exquisite. Every character has his or her own believable voice. My only criticism is that the narrator's American accents aren't nearly as polished as the English ones. Even so, they are still unique and clearly identifiable. What the narrator lacks in the American accent department is easily made up for by Sharpe's wonderfully colourful dialogue.
Will definitely be listening to more Tom Sharpe.
Strongly recommended.
"Very Classy Book, Great Ideas, Easy to Implement"
Wow! Really, wow! What a pleasant surprise. Don't be fooled by this book's average looking cover.
Firstly, it does exactly what it says on the tin- It tells you where you can find your best ideas and how to capture and build on them.
But it's much more than that. It's also about finding 'flow' , about silencing your inner critic and other demons for long enough to let your higher self shine It's exciting, motivating and offers some of the very best techniques for overcoming writer's block I've ever come heard.
If you need some inspiration and motivation to tackle major problems in your life, whether work related or life issues, I strongly recommend you have a listen. You don't need to be a writer to use the techniques. But if you are a writer like me, then you'll find them doubly valuable.
As you listen you'll find yourself itching to try stuff out. It really is that good.
I've ordered a hard copy to serve as a permanent writing companion. I know it's going to be a book I keep with me for a long time.
It's broken down into lots of short chapters. Each one describes a technique and has various exercises to follow. You'll need to stop the program to do the exercises. If you listen straight through without stopping you must then go back to listen again, otherwise you'll miss out.
As you listen you won't doubt the power of the techniques covered. He's a really good writer and he puts it all down to the techniques he's describing.
Also, it's been very well recorded and read. The narrator has done a great job. His voice is easy on the ear, well suited to the material and he keeps you listening.
Do yourself a favour - get this book!
"Good Content Spoiled By Rapid Reading Speed"
Essentially this is a very good book, but it's one you really have to work at to absorb. It's not an easy listen by any means. That's because content has a fairly dense, text book-like tone to it.
If you get it you'll need to sit and listen to it without any distractions. Don't try driving, walking or doing household chores with this one on, or you'll miss out on what she has to say.
It's a psychology book of sorts - written with the aim of helping us develop better minds and it really is deep and insightful.
Writing easily digestible prose is clearly not the author's strong point though. She relies on a logical, left-brain, technical type of language throughout. Her words are a bit too big and grown-up for my taste; lots of syllables, and she's not the best at telling engaging stories.
Nevertheless, as someone seriously interested self improvement I found it well worth my attention. I just wish they'd chosen a different narrator - or at least made a more subtly nuanced recording. It's not that the reader is terrible. It's just that she doesn't manage to bring the words alive. She reads way too fast and she's too far from the microphone to sound intimate and engaging. As such, the words go in one ear and out the other.
This kind of content calls for far more variation in pitch, pace pausing and more expression to hold attention well. Ironic, as the book is all about attention.
"Buy this and You're Paying to Hear a Myoplex Ad!"
Duh! I should have known by that guy's cheesy toothpaste salesman smile on the cover and all the schmoozy, "float over the music testimonials" cheerleader testimonials.
This audio book is the work of a Los Angeles marketing agency. It is a thinly disguised advert for Myoplex.
If there are lots of positive reviews, they have almost certainly been bought.
On the face of it the plan seems good. It seems well put together until you get down to the nitty gritty of training - there is absolutely no substance there at all. He just says do weights.
I went to the website looking for a weight training routine - the agency goes on and on about weight training, but no routine to be found.
Take my advice if you want to get the gist of this book - just go to their website and read the sales copy.
Very disappointed in the ethics behind this one.
"Full of good material - but hard work at times"
Peter Guber is a remarkable, talented, dynamo of a business man in the world of mainstream media. His experience in the world of big-time entertainment and media is mind boggling.
This is worth listening to just to hear some of his stories and about the people he's rubbed shoulders with, projects he's run and films he's made.
It's jam packed with valuable insights and if you need to become more persuasive then you should definitely get it.
That said - especially given his pedigree - I couldn't help feeling that the book was quite hard work at times. In some parts it comes across as a text book. You get his message loud and clear. But there are areas where he lost my attention - somehow his style is less than engaging at times. I put this down to the fact that he's a 'suit' in the entertainment business, rather than a front line creative talent. His use of language is heavily dosed with the language of business: 'incentivise', 'objectives', bottom line', or similar. I often found him sounding more like an American business consultant talking to a marketing conference with a powerpoint slides and pie charts than a man who personally has what it takes to ignite a room with passion and purpose through the power of story telling.
There was nothing wrong with the quality of the reading, but perhaps the book should have been abridged for audio - rather than simply read. Either that, or it would benefit from an overhaul by a different editor.
Don't get me wrong, it is a valuable work for anyone who needs to be improve their powers of persuasion. I've actually bought two hard copies. One for myself, and one for someone whom I also think would benefit from some of his experience. Just don't expect an easy listen. I'd be surprised if the book becomes a best seller in its current form.
"How to Change the World - Seriously..."
If changing the world in some way is something you've ever thought about doing, get this audio book. Even if you're not planning on changing the world any time soon, get this audio book.
I believe that most of us feel like starting a movement to bring about change at some point in our lives. Perhaps we don't want to run for office or tackle global issues, but on some level or other - most of us would like to change some part of our world for the better. Sadly, most of us tend to feel that our attempts would be futile. This book will put you right and explain how to bring about change.
No matter whether you're in business, supporting a non-profit, or you're a stay-at-home parent, no matter what status quo you'd like to change - Seth Godin will convince you that you can do it and explain how in simple terms.
As I've come to expect from him, beautifully written, very well read. He keeps you listening throughout.
Such a pleasure to hear and learn from this great writer.
"Outstandingly Helpful - Very Easy to Listen to"
I've read so many self help books, but this is different. It has a certain lucidity and humility to it. Every one of the recommended techniques is backed up by easy to understand, legitimate scientific findings.It's very easy to listen to. It's written for the lay person with an interest in science. It's well read and very accessible. I listened to the second chapter whilst having root canal treatment and hardly missed a word.I've now bought the hard copy too, just so I can dip into it and refresh my memory when needed.I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in any aspect of self improvement.
Most of all I like the new insights into myself that she has given me.It helps me understand the willpower traps I've fallen into throughout my life and given me simple, practical strategies for overcoming them. I've learned all kinds of new, useful and interesting stuff about the way my mind works. She covers a lot of stuff that I've never heard in any other self help book before.Another thing I really like about this book the tone - this writer does not come from the classic high pressure, ra ra "high fives and hype" sales background from which most coaches come . On researching her afterwards, I found out that Willpower is just one of the classes she teaches. First and foremost she's a devoted and highly qualified teacher in the field of health and wellbeing.This book does what most coaches and the writers of most self help books don't seem to understand - it starts from a position that most of us struggle to maintain enthusiasm for longer term goals. It explains what's actually going on when our willpower wanes—that positive thinking alone is not enough. It explains why certain types of positive thinking can actually be harmful.
Good voice modulation, pitch, pace and pausing. He kept me listening.I didn't pay much attention to the name of the author when I bought it. Somehow, when you hear the voice of a man reading, you think it's been written by a man. It gave the learning more about the author afterwards experience a certain wow factor.
Yes, absolutely. I zipped through it. Now I am listening to it again and have bought the hard copy.
I was surprised at how young the author is. I have no doubt that she will become a household name in years to come. She is really good at what she does and clearly a very dedicated and humble person. Check out her one hour author's presentation video given to Google staff after you've read the book. Google doesn't invite just any old author to talk to its staff. This is a mark of real distinction. It's a great summary. It's on youtube.
"Worth getting this version"
I have an older, printed copy of this book. Side by side, this one is greatly superior. The orginal text is completely preserved, but the editors footnotes add a great deal of insight and value.
Strongly recommended.