Customer Reviews

Feng Shui In A Weekend: Transform Your Life and Home in a Weekend or Less

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

 

 

I purchased this book on a whim, expecting to breeze through it quickly. Instead, I find myself really reading every little detail. It is well-written (perhaps quirky to some readers who are not used to certain UK English expressions), full of information and inspiration. I particularly loved the beautiful photographs and computer-generated floor plans that show tips and tricks from the text in action. The layout of the pages lends itself more to perusing and slow reading, but the many added charts make it easy to find information quickly.

I highly recommend this book as an excellent addition to any Feng Shui library!

Feng Shui has attracted a lot of popular attention over the past few years, and there is a large number of books on this subject to choose from. This variety can be very confusing as there are not only numerous formats, but also different types of this ancient Chinese art. Fortunately, it also makes it possible for everyone to find the right kind of book for their needs. Feng Shui is a complex subject and therefore it helps if one has a specific purpose in mind that one wants to use it for. Simon Brown's Feng Shui in a Weekend is an ideal book for someone who perhaps already has some basic understanding of Feng Shui and is looking for a handy and easy-to-use guide that describes a number of very practical application of this art in everyday life.

Being already familiar with Feng Shui and its philosophy, I was searching for a book with more specific instructions for how to apply these principles in my own home. I believe that in Feng Shui in a Weekend I have found exactly what I was looking for. The premise of the book is simple: it breaks down the practice of Feng Shui into a large number of projects that can be done in your free time. It starts out by helping you think about your goals or ways in which you want to change your life, and then directs to specific projects (by referencing their page numbers) that will best help you achieve those goals. In addition, the book is organized by different areas of the house: from exteriors to kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, etc. In this way, if you were just thinking of remodeling your bathroom, you could easily refer to the appropriate section in the book. I find this dual organization (by area and by function) very useful and easy to navigate. It also gives you direction for taking on projects that will make the biggest positive difference in your life.

Feng Shui in a Weekend also is beautifully designed and is truly a pleasure to read: the pictures are full color and carefully selected to serve as illustrations to the text; there are also a number of useful icons and diagrams that help you visualize each concept. Each chapter in the book is typically one or two pages long, with specific projects (and approximate time needed to complete them, from one-half day to two days) outlined in step-by-step fashion at the bottom of the page. So no matter how much or little time you have, you can always find a useful project to tackle in order to make your home more aligned with Feng Shui principles.

Now for a few words of criticism. While this book is very easy to use and definitely practical, I did find that it lacked depth and some of the tips were a bit too obvious. It certainly does not aspire to be a definitive guide to Feng Shui, and therefore should ideally be used as a complement to a more comprehensive Feng Shui book that does a better job explaining the underlying philosophy and how all the elements fit together.

I needed a "beginner book" on Feng Shui and decorating, and I found this book to be a great overall intro to Feng Shui, as well as interior decorating and exterior design, after perusing many similar, but not as good, Feng Shui books. If you don't know anything about feng shui, this is a great place to start. Not too much "hocus pocus" with the animals and numbers and such, just good practical applications, mainly based on the cardinal directions and layout the main rooms of the house (as well as the exterior) that you can use right away. The advice makes sense immediately, works immediately, and provides the essential "a-ha" experience; as in, "A-ha! So that's why this room never felt right!" Simon Brown doesn't just focus on lay out; he also focuses on materials (wood, metal, plants, stone, etc.) and color. This book is jam-packed with quality information, amazing CAD drawings, and beautiful photographs. I keep getting small, immediate results with this book. The book gives great overall direction and philosophy, as well as quick tips and tricks. The book is organized well too.

A visually appeasing book and an easy peruse. If anything, I enjoyed peering into aesthetically designed rooms and homes, many of them seemingly--judging from the written content of the book--located in the United Kingdom. However, I found some of the concepts too complex for your run-of-the-mill Feng Shui newbie, like myself. And, I can't imagine how one could perform all this transformative feng shui-ing in one weekend, even if the reader forfeited Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights' sleep. For someone wanting to get a beginner's grasp on Feng Shui, there are better book choices.

This book has some advice in here that is simply not right. One example is candles in a bathroom, they are a no no, it's energizing and you don't want to do that in a bathroom creating more sha ch'i. I prefer Stephen Skinner's books.

I got in to this book in a book store and fell in love with it because of its simplicity. Number one for beginners.