57 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely Sentimental (And That's Being Nice), February 19, 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit (Paperback)
Perhaps, I am too cynical. Perhaps, I have lost my innocence. But once again, I picked up a book, I thought might reach deeper, might have meaning . . . but alas, I found a book that made happiness and meaningfulness seem easy, too easy. I didn't buy it. This book tries so hard to please that it smacks of a cheesy attempt to make money on a public truly searching for meaning. Don't get me wrong, there are some wonderful stories in here but too often they are surrounded by those quick anecdotes about someone who would have comitted suicide if a stranger hadn't said I love you to them on the bus and now their life is wonderful. Or Big Ed who after one seminar finally learned to love his wife and ended-up executive vice-president. To me, this book makes me wonder why I have such a difficult time changing my life and finding true happiness. It seems so easy to these people. If you lower your expectations, feel free to read this book, you'll find a few gems. If you want short stories filled with more depth try Anthony de Mello's One Minute Nonsense or Song of the Bird. And if you are truly looking for books that will get you thinking about the meaning of it all go try John Irving's Prayer for Owen Meany or David James Duncan's River Why or Daniel Quinn's Ishmael. I found this book to be less like Chicken Soup and more like lifesavers. They sound good and taste good, but if you are really hungry they do not come close to filling you up
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, not great, June 27, 2009
I picked up this book based largely on the fact that it is a #1 NY Times Bestseller and that it has received rave reviews. My impression after reading it is that the book on the whole is not worthy of its stature as one of the bestselling books in the past 2 decades. Some of the stories are good, and some do evoke emotions. But the ultra-short length of the stories makes them seem (again, over all) more superficial than stories of greater length. It's difficult to convey a compelling feeling or thought (which, by their very nature, need some context) in one or two pages. But some of the stories are good and I'd recommend others to pick up this book. Just keep your expectations in check.
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18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Book Review: Chicken Soup for the Soul, August 5, 1996
By A Customer
The book "Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 Stories to Open
the Heart & Rekindle the Spirit" is an excellent book.
The book was originally given to me by a friend who thought
that I "would enjoy it". Me, the person who genuinely
dislikes reading any kind of book for pleasure, "enjoy"
this book. Definately not me, I thought to myself.
I had to travel on a business trip alone, therefore I
took the book along (just in case I got extremely bored).
Thoughtout my trip, the book didn't get cracked open. I
found other things to do with my time, than read a book.
Yet, on my return flight, my reservations were mixed up
for some reason or another. Therefore, I ended up having a
4 1/2 hour layover in the Dallas Airport. Being upset, I
didn't even want to shop. I also didn't want to look out of
place, so, I opened the book and started glancing at first,
pretending to read.
Then all of a sudden, as if a magnet were pulling me
closer, I began to read the first short story in the book.
It was so real and inspiring that I continued to read. I
couldn't wait to flip a page. As a matter of fact, I was
really thirsty. Not wanting to put the book down, I
continued reading. Every story hit close to home and I
could relate to most everything being read.
At one point, I heard a young man say "I think you
could use this tissue more than I can", as he handed me a
tissue. Looking up at him, I noticed that my eyes were
filled with tears. The story I had been reading was so real
that I found myself crying and feeling the characters
emotions. Being a little embarrased (but not much), I
explained how I typically do not shed a tear for most books.
I told the young man how this book was so capturing and
inspiring, that it pulls you in and holds your mind,emotions,
and attention captive. He laughed and said something to the
effect of "most women cry over mushy things".
Sitting next to me, he read over my shoulder as I
continued to read. When I finished the short story, I turned
and looked and him and noticed that he too had tears in his
eyes. I didn't say a word, but the spiritual emotions were
evident. We were both captured by this wonderful book.
Till this day, I thank my friend for giving me this book.
I have also given a copy of this same book to many friends
(the first one, being my new friend that I met at the Dallas
Airport that day).
I highly recommend this book to everyone, it will
rekindle the spirit of everyone who reads it (especially
the ones who think that this is just another one of the
"mushy" books.
If I could, I would put a money back guarantee if not
fully satisfied on this book. That is how much I enjoyed
reading it.
Thank You, and I hope that you have the opportunity
to pick up this book and give it a chance, I did and I loved
it.
From a real Skeptical,
Lucy R. Fonseca
3127 S. Nelson
Amarillo, Texas 79103
(806) 379-9201
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