If you don't love this book, then you cannot be helped.
593252
This is my absolute favourite novel. (This book beat out Jane Austen's Persuasion and Daphne du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel for that top spot)  Maggie O'Farrell writes in a beautiful and unique style.  She creates characters you fall in love with, characters you love to hate, characters you identify with.  I read Esme (and all Maggie O'Farrell's other books) over and over again; I'm truly addicted.  I think there's enough plot summaries, so I won't bother with that, but I will say I loved Esme and I highly recommend.
2197264
I didn't love this book. It taught a good lesson  , i guess, but it just didn't appeal to me.
674102
I just want to say that, as all you can see in this reviewing site, if you look at all the rankings, there are a lot of possibilities you are goning to love this work. I can assure you that all of the people that not liked  this work, are the kind of people that didn't like the Quixote or  Ulysses.
So, they have to hate it because they didn't get it, and have to  hate the people that got the point of this book.
It is about the Odyssey  of a fighter against our absurd  world.
I think all the people that hate  the book because of their mental poverty, are the Dunces still  confederating against Toole, like we know the dunces confederated against  him through his attempts to publish his book during his final years.  So,  thank all of you Dunces, maybe you not only helped him to die, but you  helped him to give us this masterpiece.
And, like someone below said,  cancel your next three days appointments, you won't be available.
1983803
John Piper's book can be summed up in one sentence.  You should strive to find joy and happiness in God.  I loved the point of the book.  I loved that he went a little bit more in depth when looking at stories where people were suffering to show that ultimately they were striving to find happiness and that God not only honors that, but desires that too.  Psalms 37:4 says "Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."  For me that was the whole crux of the matter.
With all of that being said, I did not love this book.  I did love the idea of the book, but I found it to be too long and in depth to hold my attention for long.  I didn't need all the extras, and even found it to be tiresome to come upon the defense of the term Christian Hedonism again and again.  I did not need the term defended, I don't love the term, but understood Piper's reference the first time he explained it.  I think it would be a great study resource, but for me there was too much minutia to dig through.  I would recommend the book to people who love to study and cross reference, but if you are looking for light reading this is not the book for you.
I did receive the book from the publishers to provide a review, but my opinions are my own.
699831
The only probably isn't with the book--its us. Unfortunately the passive spirit is broken by need. As long as someone thinks they are ok-well then- they are ok.
799641
My sister adored this book. I believe she read it several times as we were engaged in the haphazard pursuit of arriving at maturity and adulthood. I see it's rated nearly 5 stars based on close to 1,000 votes. And yet here I am, making it known to all and sundry that I just never saw the appeal of this book. I tried to read it several times--once out of curiosity, once because of a vague and mistaken impression I had to if I wanted to be 'well-read', and at least twice in my teens because I thought it would show common interests with girls I hoped to impress. I failed utterly on each occasion, flinging myself from the ramparts to escape the relentless patter of furry feet bent on prosecuting their War of Tedium.

It's difficult to analyze this dislike. I enjoy fantasy and sci-fi; it's not as though I find sentient rabbits a very big leap from hobbits and Stormtroopers. Or very big hop, if you will. It's well written in the sense that the words he chooses are pleasantly deployed and harmonious, I just can't march to the tune he's calling. This may well be a love it or hate it kind of book, so the curious reader will have to decide whether or no to gamble. I apologize, sometimes that's just the best I can do. I rated it three stars in recognition of it's fans' abiding love as reflected by the votes here on Amazon, though obviously I enjoyed it from more of what may be called a one star perspective. Never let it be said that I'm not meticulously fair in my ratings!
3262769
I you believe it is your responsible to teach your children that happiness is pleasing the authorities, you will love this book. 1 star is two too many!
545973
I love that she says to only keep what you love. It is a great book but I just can't do it! I am a creative soul and I love to reinvent things. If I don't love something, I change it so it becomes something wonderful. Or I share it with a friend in need. There are so many people who have a need, so I feel like 'more is more' ...if I have something...I will share it. I do believe that you should get rid of broken or unusable items. I love to give my books to people I know will love them and pass them to another book lover (once they have read the book). I will never be a minimalist, though, I love things to be clean..I like to see a collection that is thoughtfully chosen. What do I like about the 'life changing' book?  I like that it is about intentional thinking. Being mindful in cleaning up makes you feel wonderful. I wonder if I could convince her to come over to my house! She would have a good laugh and maybe, I could give her a wonderful book to read!
2273066
I wanted to love this book, but the story itself is not 'loveable'.  After the book transitioned to Cressida as the "intern" I was lost in how this section fit with the rest of the story, and felt angry at not understanding it.  I should have gotten it right away, and had trouble reading through parts of it, and skipped through large portions, impatient to get to the rest of it.  Regardless, it was well-written and I guess just not my 'cup of tea' for bedtime reading.
2373167
Personally, I didn't enjoy this book, but I think that's because I'm not generally a fan of this genre. Occasionally, I find a book that grabs me, but not very often. That being said, this book should appeal to fans of religious or self-help books. NOTE: There were random words capitalized throughout the book.
667535
The book itself is just okay but DOING the book is life-changing.
98767
Though undoubtedly a literary classic, and groundbreaking in its fluid change of voice and stream-of-consciousness narrative style, this book is beyond my capacity to read and understand. While some may enjoy it, an average reader will be left confused and irritated by seeming lack of plot and erratic change of pace.
3880297
I can't say that I love it.  I want to love it so badly, but after reading it a second time, I find that it falls short of me loving it.  As for David Rakoff, I found him to be an absolutely beautiful person, who was such an inspirational essayist and actor, and his death is tragic, but I don't think this book is his finest moment.  It's brilliantly written in rhyming couplets, but as the reader, I found the rhyming took away from the message being told.  The rhyming added limitations to the storytelling, and thus I found myself having to re-read portions of the book to make the connections within the different stories.  Looking at it as whole, the book is absolutely brilliant, but I didn't enjoy it like I was hoping I would.  I think of it in the same light as I think of the movie "Citizen Kane"; It's brilliantly done, executed masterfully, but it's not my favorite style.
903940
While I didn't love the book, it is an incredible effort on kate's part to portray her views on feminism.  Anyone who calls this book 'unsupported' clearly did not read it. It is fine to disagree with her, but it is NOT fine to NOT support her right to author this book.  What is the problem with raging liberals and dissenting opinion?  It seems that they are the fascists when they go to extreme lengths to keep people from reading/hearing people like Kate O'beirne and other conservatives (I'm hip to the 'let's get the 5-star rating to the bottom so that nobody wants to buy this book' effort).  It's fine to not support Kate, but by God, support her right to express her views.  This is AMERICA!!!

I know a little bit about Kate, and she is so smart, so educated, so successful, and seems to be so lovable as a person....someone a girl can look up to.  Young girls need role models like kate o'beirne
4364531
the people that need to read this book,will not,and if they did they just wouldnt get it.the people that do read it are already getting it. Parents it is time to open your hearts and eyes and look at the disaster you are willingly creating for your children and grandchildren.
4136927
I thought I would love this book.  I did not. I thought it poorly edited or written (not sure which), it rambled, it jumped, segments that should have been powerful came across as negative and whiny, and some stories within the story seem unfinished. I did not expect so much war policy and political opinions, while they are valid to the author, their high concentration detracted from the book.  Or perhaps my expectation of the book, given it's name.

I honor this author, and all who have or are serving.  I am sorry we do not have all that is needed for their support when serving, and even less when they no longer do so.  It is our dishonor as a country, not theirs.  If this book helps change one thing, one attitude, or expands the Tuesday program by even one dog, that will be the true success of this story.

I certainly don't think one will be sorry they purchased the book - there are parts that are great. The BOOK could have been great - and perhaps that is the greatest disappointment of all.
3567561
It is a good book, not for the person who is does not have a true desire to be changed.  It would be just hogwash to them.  They wouldn't grasp it as truth.