Customer Reviews

Chicken Soup for the Single's Soul: Stories of Love and Inspiration for the Single, Divorced and Widowed (Chicken Soup for the Soul)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having been a long time fan of the "Chicken Soup" series I naturally jumped at the chance when asked to review this book. Finally, a "Chicken Soup" aimed just for me. Yes, I read the one for the Mother's Soul, but the stories of family life were sometimes hard to relate to or to deal with. I had contemplated reading "Chicken Soup for the Surviving Soul" because isn't that what we're really doing as single parents, surviving? But I knew that it just really wouldn't be what I was looking for. Well, no need to settle. "Chicken Soup for the Single's Soul" is a huge helping of what every single, in any situation, needs.

I found myself diving into the book at every chance possible...In line at the bank, standing over the kitchen stove, waiting for a Monday morning sales meeting at work, and even fishing in a boat in the middle of the lake one sunny Sunday afternoon. This book of absolute inspiration is impossible to put down, and even more impossible to walk away from untouched.

As with the other books in the series, you will read stories of unbelievable courage and strength through all types of adversity. As a single parent you will read many of the stories and be able to identify with the writer and relate something that you and your family have experienced. It's a good book to read when you're feeling down and defeated -- when you feel that you just simply can not go on anymore and the whole world is against you. Between these two magical covers are tale after tale of overcoming the odds, carrying on through the worst that life can give you, and simply finding yourself and being happy with who you are. Somewhere on this great earth, a complete strange has shared their thoughts and fears, shared their ups and downs, and made you take a second look at your life. Someone you can never thank, someone who's hand you can never shake and say "ya, I've been there too", someone somewhere will touch your soul when you lift this book to turn its pages.

Whether you are Divorced, never married, Widowed, or a Single Parent this is a book well worth buying and leaving in a spot where you can read it daily. It will help you through the hard times and give you extra inspiration for the good times.

Just when I wondered if I was the only person being made to feel like a freak of nature for being single I found this book! Many people seem to think there's something wrong with anyone who isn't married. Meanwhile some of those around us are choosing to rush into marriage, stay in loveless marriages, or tolerate cheating or abusive spouses just to avoid the dreaded title of "single". This book made me feel (finally) like there are many, many other people who understand singlehood, and that being single doesn't make anybody less of a happy or fulfilled person, or good parent. In a "couple's world" I'm so relieved to know that I'm not the only one waiting for Prince Charming, and realizing that if I keep getting the frogs instead I'll still be okay! This is a very uplifting book and I highly recommend it!

Well, as with the other "Chicken Soup" books, of course some of these stories made me cry. However, I was very disappointed that there were so few "single and happy" stories. The vast majority of stories seemed to be saying "don't give up...there's someone out there to make your life complete; don't despair". Well, what a sorry message! It will be fine if I find someone at some time, but it will also be fine if I don't. Life can be very fulfilling and complete if you're happy with yourself. I am giving this a 3-star rating, because it's got good stories, and will be a reassurance for those that need one.

I found this book disheartening. I thought it would be a book filled with uplifting stories about people living life as a single person. Instead, it was filled with stories of finding romantic love at unexpected places and times. I didn't find it to be inspirational for someone who is staying single.

If you're single and need a pick-me-up, this installment of Chicken Soup for the Soul is more inspirational than most. Instead of needing a box of hankies, get out your pom-poms and prepare to cheer. This book is brimming with hope, but there's something here for everyone.

There are different phases that single people go through. Sometimes you're single and happy, sometimes you want to find your mate, and sometimes you're confused about being single yet again. All these topics (and more!) are covered in this book. The stories are written by the usual mix of unknown authors ... and the rich and famous.

Bottom line - if you're single, this is the one must-have Chicken Soup book to get you through the rough spots.

In this book, there's a chapter called "Single Parenting." The stories contained in this chapter are a perfect counterpoint to all the gloomy statistics painted by "experts" who claim that children of single parents drop out of school, become juvenile delinquents, become pregnant, wind up in prison, or don't have a chance for a bright future. These stories prove that growing up in a single-parent home doesn't have to be that way. Maybe that so-called expert Judith Wallerstein and others like her who doom kids in single-parent homes to gloomy futures should read this book, especially that chapter.

Because I am divorced and happy being single, I wanted to see what others in my situation felt. It is great to see other divorced, widowed, or single people content like I am, not out there desperately looking for a mate. I loved the chapters, Single and Happy and Single Again. I bought 4 copies for my single friends. Very inspiring!

A true pick me up. 101 stories of hope. I just read this book from cover to cover over the past month. However, this is a true prize to re-read as many of these stories can pick you up when you are feeling down. Some of them make you feel that there is a super power out there watching over you when life has dealt you a bad card.

This is not to say that all the stories are about those people who are down on their luck. Many are about good people who find true love in a very magical way. A lot fo the themes are about perservering but other times its a matter of having an open heart.

My overall impression is that this book is truly heart felt.

This book makes you feel that even though you are alone, you still have potential. Being single doesn't mean that you are missing something, it means that you just have the chance to figure out who you are.

This book touches every level of thought and feeling a single person goes through. With each story, it validates the fact that other people have felt the same way, had the same thoughts. It is heartwarming, hopeful, and optimistic. CS for Singles is the first book I have read that portrayed a single person as someone who could be happy and at peace with being single! If you want to read a book that you can truly identify with, Chicken Soup for the Singles Soul is THE ONE!!! Personally, I don't think you have to be single to enjoy it!!