Art of Seduction

By: Robert Greene

Narrated by: Joseph Powers

Length: 22 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

Robert Greene's previous best seller, The 48 Laws of Power, distilled 3,000 years of scheming into a guide People praised as "beguiling... literate... fascinating" and Kirkus denounced as "an anti-Book of Virtues."

In Art of Seduction, Greene returns with a new instruction audiobook on the most subtle, elusive, and effective form of power because seduction isn't really about sex. It's about manipulating other people's greatest weakness: their desire for pleasure.

Synthesizing the work of thinkers including Freud, Diderot, Nietzsche, and Einstein, reporting the enticing strategies of characters throughout history, The Art of Seduction is a comprehensive guide to getting what we want any way we can.

©2001 Robert Greene and Joost Elffers. (P)2015 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

I have been seduced

It's not at all what I expected, and for that I am glad. I imagined it might be some pick up artist babble, but what I got instead was a devilishly insightful glance into an essential part of human nature. Greene does not sugarcoat anything, and unveils the secrets of not only romantic seduction, but manipulation of almost every kind. The numerous archetypes of seducers and anti-seducers are explained in lovely detail with many historical and fictional examples to boot. I found myself falling for the book as if I was being seduced myself. The stories and examples throughout not only give great manifestation to the technique discussed, but also have rejuvenated a spirit of wonder and excitement within me. The narration is clear and wonderfully read in a perfect cadence. I cannot recommend this book enough. For someone like myself who has always yearned to grasp more and more power in the realm of social dynamics, this a goldmine.

60 of 67 people found this review helpful

I have had my eyes opened

What a stuff up I have made of my own seductions. What I have missed, what time I have wasted, how cynical I have become. What a fool and not only in love. Business, work, career, family, any relationship. This book is worth the study and when I say study I don't mean listen to and forget. Get your notepad out and start working. Will probably change your life.

19 of 21 people found this review helpful

Monotonous

I bought the abridged Art of Seduction narrated by Jeff David. It was enchanting and the text was animated so interestingly! Loved it.
That encouraged me to buy the full book. Maybe my expectations were elevated but the narration wasn't by Jeff David and instead the book is read as if it's a regular book. Being quite a long book, it sounded quite boring and monotonous.
Please redo the book by Jeff David PLEASE!!

35 of 41 people found this review helpful

fucking amazing stories

although i started not thinking i would finish it, the stories in this book are very entertaining.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

good one to hear

i heard it over and over and over again..to understand each and every chapter...loved it...

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

Probably the most cynical books I've yet read

Would you consider the audio edition of Art of Seduction to be better than the print version?

Yes and no. Apparently the print version has a lot of stylistic printing art, which is lost. However, the narrator of the audio book is very good.

Would you recommend Art of Seduction to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes... But only if they have a prior interest.

What about Joseph Powers’s performance did you like?

The deep timbre of his lively voice, and the cynical sarcasm by which he reads certain passages.

What did you learn from Art of Seduction that you would use in your daily life?

Hmmm.... ;)

Any additional comments?

The historical fragments were extremely interseting. I learnt a lot about French royal society, Catherine the Great, Cleopatra and several other historical figures.

16 of 19 people found this review helpful

This Book Saved My Life!

I first read this book in 2001 and went from 1 girl every three months or so to 5 per month on average until I finally met my wife. It works!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A history of seduction, now with 10% more honesty

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Some of the examples given can be perceived as creepy and or primitive (well, because they come also from a more primitive stage of society).
It would have helped to try to ease the reader into these examples so that there isn't an automatic rejection of the interesting information within them.

What did you like best about this story?

I really liked the realistic view of people and seduction that is presented by the book.
I also enjoyed the thoroughness with which each case was presented, with explanation and plenty of examples.

What about Joseph Powers’s performance did you like?

The narration is really nice and engaging, with a hint of complicity that makes you feel a little bit of a naughty boy. It was really entertaining and funny at times.

Was Art of Seduction worth the listening time?

The whole experience was entertaining in and of itself, and somehow challenging to one's concept of reality, especially for people who don't know much about the topic or come to it from a more naive perspective.

Any additional comments?

I think this book has to be taken for what it is, which is an introduction to the reader to what the author considers is the world of seduction.
I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the content of this book as "outdated" or "not applicable" to today's world as many recent political results have shown, we seem to be more than ever vulnerable to cheap seduction tactics. By ignoring this important part of the human experience, we only make ourselves easier targets.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I've bought several copies.

My copies of this book keep disappearing. It's a great book. I read it again ever couple years and always learn something.
A book which enlightens your thoughts on sales men and con men alike.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Worth every penny

Inspiring and factual reference for real life execution. Requires practice to develop into the desired seducer but the material is complete for you to work with.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

very good

I would recommend this to anyone. A real insight into the subtle complexities of human attraction

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Awesome book

Absolutely incredible book, Amazing narrative too. Read it thrice now and it's definitely a must read.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Brilliant insite - best I have read on the subject

excellent at explaining and analysing how different people attract each other and why it works or fails. Is probably the most insitful book on the subject I've read. includes grate examples across history to give legitimacy to the book.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

eye opener

it is clearly one of the best book I read with audible. the stories and the interpretation are an eye opener in modern seduction.

Out of date

Rubbish book full of out dated ideas of male and female behaviour which frankly have no place in modern society. However if someone is researching historical cultures and mores and societal views then I guess it could be useful in that respect.

Certainly anyone attempting to out into practice what is in the book will end making a fool of themselves at the least and at worst putting themselves in danger.

The reader has a nice voice.

let's be honest here...

Okay people this book is about personal seductions. Others allude to its political value and so does Greene every now and then, but nowhere in the book do I recall it in context. Is it a bit... strange (for want of a better word)... to read a book about seducing people? Perhaps. But that's just an opinion anyways and what I'd call a jealous one. Greene as always provides plenty of advice, examples and guidelines (much to much to chew all at once of course) that make the read entertaining. I can't say I've put much of the book to use yet, but... there is a fun and exciting element to the idea, to whatever extent you plan to follow it through, that may just be enough to spice up life when it starts to drag.

A must for any serious politician

This is applied psychology as seen from The Dark Side. If you want to understand how charisma works, or why anyone would ever *ever* vote for Trump, then read or listen to this.

3 of 6 people found this review helpful

A must read for anyone interested in influence

It talks about learning how to fulfill the needs of others and yourself. Looking in depth into various archetypes. We can all fit into 1 or more of them, whether your consciously aware of it or not. This book uses historical examples and makes reading somewhat poetic and engaging. The book is seductive it it's self as Greene uses examples the evoke the imagination. Simply put this book shows many ways of seducing a person or even a group of people through whatever it is that they feel they may be missing. The role of the seducer encaptures and leads their target through a rage of emotions and human needs.

3 of 6 people found this review helpful

Perfect for Prehistoric Perverts

A nonsense books that treats people as victims in a weird seduction game that we apparently all play. Probably ok for morons.

1 of 4 people found this review helpful