16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Mediocre Read at Most, October 6, 2007
This review is from: Avalanche: The 9 Principles for Uncovering True Wealth (Modern Parable) (Hardcover)
"Avalanche" topped the Wall Street Journal list of business books several weeks ago and caught my attention. After reading the reviews here, which at the time all happened to give the book five stars, I bought and read it, and now feel obliged to add a more critical perspective for those considering this book.
The ideas that money doesn't make you happy, that you should cherish your relationships, have a good purpose in life, stay healthy, help others, use your money wisely, etc are all wonderful but far from new, let alone eye-opening. If you are someone who understands this, understands that monetary wealth is far from equal to true wealth, you won't get much from this book. If you don't, and if you keep an open mind, chances are it will give you something to contemplate about and has the potential of changing the way you look at things. My feeling, however, is that if you are already aware of these ideas and appreciate them, this book will be essentially worthless to you, whereas if you are not (like Andrew, the main character before his revelation), chances are you won't pick up this text.
The book is very poorly written. It's incredibly predictable, with convenient plot turns, and describes in very tedious detail every conversation, at times reminding of a soap opera. Andrew, the main character, tells his life story and the recent changes he underwent to everyone he meets, and the authors feel obliged to retell it to the reader every time as well. The dialogs are boring and 'overly sweet': Andrew's wife calls him 'honey' on every page; whenever Andrew meets a 'good' person, they exclaim that they are 'so glad', 'so happy', or have been impatiently waiting to see or meet him. The sun shines or something sparkles whenever Andrew has a revelation. Ugh.
On a positive note, it's a quick read, and has a website accompanying the book. I think this book may be useful to wealth advisors to remind them that each client is unique and has a different purpose for investing. The book will also make a good (although unflattering) gift to someone wealth-centered like Andrew. Other than that - I wouldn't recommend the book.
Finally, I found it ironic that after talking for the tedious 160 pages about 'uncovering true wealth', the first thing that the authors mention about themselves in the 'About the Authors' section is that they've helped build multi-million dollar businesses or manage over a billion dollars in assets. So much for practicing the 9 principles.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
I was disappointed, October 17, 2007
This review is from: Avalanche: The 9 Principles for Uncovering True Wealth (Modern Parable) (Hardcover)
I'm always looking for a good metaphysical story or stories based on truth principles. The truth for me about this one is, I felt like the story was rushed. So much happened in such few pages. I found it unbelievable and was disappointed that I bought it based on some 5 star review. I felt the messages they were getting across important enough to make it into a longer story. On one page he is dreaming about climbing a mountain, the next page, 6 months later he is saying good bye to his family, to run off and climb the mountain. A quick read that falls flat!
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simple and Profound, August 29, 2007
This review is from: Avalanche: The 9 Principles for Uncovering True Wealth (Modern Parable) (Hardcover)
I think we all feel a little lost at times, and many of us have chased the almighty dollar only to find, that there's got to be more to life that capturing buckets of those dollars.
The protagonist is this book faced the same dilemma, and his journey to a healthier happier life was blessed by the support of friends and loved ones. And yes, he lived happily ever after, AFTER surviving a challenging, enriching life event.
This book is structured like a simple parable, and yet it's meaning is profound. There's more out there to see and be than the obvious, and more substance to you if you will just open yourself to discover it, as did Andrew.
Great book and easy read. Start it early otherwise you'll be up late.
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