Customer Reviews

Feng Shui: Arranging Your Home to Change Your Life

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I should have known! The feng shui just wasn't right for an art gallery in that little Victorian house by the sea on the coast of Maine!!! The chi--or life energy--flew down the staircase and out the front door whenever it opened, and the large gallery rooms lacked accessibility from the front of the house--customers had to wind their way through the hall to get there. Now that that little unsuccessful venture is over, I'll use Kirsten Lagatree's Feng Shui to design my new house to maximize happiness and abundance in my new life in the DC area. Little water fountains will keep the chi, or life energy flowing, and yellow flowers in the southeast corner will keep my marriage harmonious. A mirror will face the front door to deflect any poison arrows that might shoot directly in from the street, and my many little animal sculptures will find their optimum positions to bring their benevolent energies into my home. It may sound like hocus pocus--but who cares? It can't hurt, and it could really help, and in any case, I'm sure I'll find great enjoyment in bringing the principles of feng shui into my interior design.

This book is OK, but not terribly inspiring. It is full of "feng shui band-aids", she suggests mirrors for virtually every problem with hardly a mention that you should be cautious about mirror placement. I found "The Feng Shui House Book" by Gina Lazenby and "The Feng Shui Handbook" by Master Lam Kam Chuen to both be more informative and better at expressing the reasons behind and philosophy of feng shui.

I have tried many books on feng shui and found them really confusing and even a bit weird. Lagatree's book helped me understand what feng shui is and how it works. I've already had good results by following her clear explanations. I highly recommend this book!

In the foreward of this book, Feng Shui is defined and described. There are 8 chapters. The photos included are sketches and are black and white. Some Feng Shui books are quite complicated but this book, however, is rather easy to understand. I would have enjoyed this book more if there had been more sketches demonstrating Feng Shui in the rooms of a house. As it is, you stand wondering if your arrangement of furniture is in accordance to Feng Shui.

The book provides a good foundation to understanding Feng Shui. A few examples were provided to demonstration the theories. However, the books does not provide a step by step guide to assist you in reviewing your home. More illustrations would definitely be helpful.

This book contains a great and concise history of Feng Shui, but is written so that it gets kind of confusing as not enough detail is given to remedy situations. For example, I still don't understand this "Pointed Arrow" thing, because wherever I look, I see jutting corners. However, it's an excellent book for beginners like me because of it's broad overview and interesting history.

I came to this book knowing almost nothing about Feng Shui. I is an easy to read, enjoyable and thoroughly understandable book about the subject. I very much like her practical approach to this topic. I was able to make small adjustments both at home and in my work space and really make a difference. I found that by following her instructions and moving some furniture and adding some plants and other small items it really did add an increased sense of harmony to my home. The changes in my work space allowed me to be more productive.

Lagatree is an excellent writer. Her use of humor is appreciated. I think anyone who has an interest in Feng Shui will find this book helpful and a delight. I am looking forward to reading her book on Feng Shui in the work place.

Some people get a little bit obsessed about Feng Shui, but here is an informed, clear-headed look at a fascinating subject. This book will change your thinking about a whole lot more than where the hassock is placed. Lagatree's ongoing columns in the Los Angeles Times just continue to reel out more things you never thought about. Try it! It's the thing you never knew you'd do this week. And you'll be glad you did.

This book is another book that I read in an effort to get information about Feng Shui. It goes into details and gives quite a bit of information about the history of Feng Shui. It's a good book for a beginner, someone with limited exposure to Feng Shui, who wants to get an idea of what it is. It also offers some practical ideas on where to start to make your life less cluttered, more serene.

The illustrations are well done and easy to understand. Ms. Lagatree obviously researched her subject and knows quite a bit about the subject. She includes all parts of your home, not just focussing on one room/place. She explains the "Ba-Gua basics" in a way that is informative and yet easy to understand. From the beginning, with the history of Feng Shui, to the ending, when she describes garden Feng Shui basics, Ms. Lagatree has done an excellent job of conveying to the reader the ideas behind it.

This is a well written book that is meant to inform and be 'user friendly.'

Marguerite Nico
July 14, 2002

Over the years, a girlfriend and I jokingly gave each other books on Feng Shui as gifts because we love the concept, but laughed at everyone arguing how to pronounce "fung shway". Recently, I decided to pick up these books and incorporate the principles of feng shui in my bedroom redecorating and I found this book to be the easiest one to follow and most useful to grasp the basic concepts. Yes, as other reviews have mentioned, this book does NOT go into detail about specific cures. Its primary focus is on proper furniture placement and does an excellent job of explaining the overall basic concepts of feng shui. A great book to grasp the basics to give an introduction to this fascination concept.