Mastery

Detailed and far ranging discussion of what it takes to be the best you can be. Examples of both widely known and not so widely known domain experts help illuminate what is required.
When the author starts riffing on the malevolent aspects of the mentor/mentee relationship, I think he is off base. Setting that aside, any person that has the drive to be the best will learn something from this book. Super narration.

The substance of this book is great. It features stories of interesting people who have achieve mastery in their fields. It debunks the myth that masters are born and not made through hard work.

Great subject matter with interesting stories. What could be better? It would be better if it were eight hours instead of sixteen. The book simply needs a major editing (pruning might be a better word). The book is repetitive and needlessly lengthy, droning on like a politician's speech after the point has already been made.

This book is a self-help book, told through use of many famous and inspiring people's lives. Robert Greene shares some ideas for improving our disposition throughout the book, at times even suggesting we be deceptive to co-workers under particular circumstances. I found that tidbit of advice entertaining, if not mildly surprising. The biographical aspects were by far the most exciting for me. Greene was able to bring new life to the iconic persons in his book through bits of their lives, either unbeknownst to me, or shared from a fresh perspective.

As far as his advice, well I take it as mostly optimistic opinion. He bases his overlying theme of 'long intensive work equals positive results' on real and sound data, however some of the advice seems to be extemporaneous concepts contrived while he was conveying the dilemmas in his subjects lives. Don't get me wrong; good advice is good, whether fabricated off-the-cuff, or through years of mental labor. It just feels awkwardly and forcefully placed, when he puts his ideas in action, as a parallel to these great men and woman's responses to their struggles.

The narrator was absolutely fine. My idea of a perfect narrator, is one that I don't even regard; I am to engrossed in what I am hearing and interpreting to fathom. I would guess my concentration on the material was broken three times throughout the entire sixteen hours due to mispronunciations. That is by my standards awesome!

Now that I have the negative criticism out of the way, I would like to say that this is a great book. I found it reminiscent of Malcolm Gladwell's 2008 book, Outliers where he too, writes extensively on the ten thousand hour rule. I learned plenty for the money I spent on it, and who knows I might even decided to master something. Enjoy, this is a great bargain!

The author uses plenty of example from Davinci to Mozart to Proust to Darwin to Paul Graham to illustrate his points about Mastery and how it is not through some rare gift but through conscious practice and attention to detail. Understanding this and how it relates to your "life's work" can guide career decisions. I wish I had a copy of this when I left high school rather than learning on the job so to speak.

The idea is common sense. Master something and you will do well. I like Robert Greene's 48 laws of power. Excellent story telling, entertaining and useful. However, mastery is somewhat similar. I did not think it was worth listening. Didn't finish until end and wish i could return for something I have not yet heard.

I haven't listened to or read another author that tries to teach life lessons that are relevant today through historic stories from the past. Is he always successfull? No, not always. Is it entertaining and will you learn some cool stories about great masters of the past (think Mozart, Da Vinci)? Yes!

This book may or may not change your life. The lessons are great and the stories are interesting, however, as with all these self help types of books, you will only see change if you apply it. Fred Sanders does a great job narrating this book (one of the better Narrations I've listed to on a Robert Greene book).

This is a good look at what it really takes to be a master. No quick easy silver bullet but just work, insight and sweat. I like Robert Greene's books as I find them very helpful and well written. Wish I had this knowledge when I was starting out. Of course it doesn't answer the problem when your chosen profession or skill you are pursuing disappears or becomes redundant. You're suppose to have the insight to see where the next step is. I have not found that and feel like I am looking in a dark room for a black cat that isn't really there. Never the less this book is well worth the listen to. One of the good self help books.

One of the best books I've read on mastering your own skills! I loved the stories of all the great master and how they worked to better their craft. This book was engaging and insightful.

While many of the ideas have been covered in other books, this author handles the topics with a fresh sense of urgency, and a lot of good illustration. The message is an overlay of the old joke "how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice!", with the idea of learning to put your passion first.

There is no magic here, but an excellent personal trainer. Its worth a listen.

Gare Henderson

This is a fantastic collection of biographies and lessons. A very pleasant education on just about everything