Customer Reviews

The Hidden World of Birthdays

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

While my fiancee and I were on vacation in the US, we found this impressive new release in a local bookstore. We're both tremendously amazed how much our birthdays actually say about our personalities. Having been a nonbeliever in astrology all my life, I can certainly say that Turner's "Hidden World..." has changed the way I look at not only myself but also at the ones who are dear to me. Personally, I've found the categories "Harmonious Health and Nutrition" and "Judith's Insight" the most helpful. The latter's detailed characterization of my fiancee was so exact that it was almost scary. We consider the knowledge about our Best Day of the Week and our Lucky Numbers very useful for any kinds of future decisions. "The Birthday Book" will definitely become our favourite birtday-,anniversary- etc. present to our family and friends, not least due to it's easy-to-read style.

I received Turner's book "The Hidden World of Birthdays" and Gary Goldschneider's book, "The Secret Langugage of Birthdays" as Christmas presents. I became fascinated with the subject after reading Goldschneider's book years ago in a library, which seemed accurate to me.

I had similar high hopes for Turner's book. I thought it would be an in depth study of astrology and birthdays. Her study is advice that, in my opinion, could be found online or in any book about astrology. The personality profiles she gives for each birthday is general, unhelpful and sometimes stupid. For example, on one birthday she gives the advice, of "Health Scent: Lavender--This scent might lead others to trust you and make you patient." Excuse me, but how can a specific scent lead others to trust you more? Or, on another she gives the Possessions and Desires, "Crocus: You may spend too much time stewing over those who have innocently harmed you." Turner doesn't give an explanation for why each of these flowers, charms, or colors are right for each birthday.

Turner doesn't give any historical background for why certain stones, numbers, etc; would be good for one birthday as opposed to another. Nor does she explain how she develops the numerological numbers for each birthday. Another thing noticeably absent from Turner's book is that she doesn't have any descriptions about each one of the astrological signs or their "element" (i.e. fire, water, earth, air) and how they relate to one another.

In fact, Turner's book was so bad, the person who gave me the gift initially told me to trash it.


One might ask why I'm being so harsh on Turner? It's because I believe she's borrowed the "personology" premise from Gary Goldschneider and Joost Elffers in "The Secret Language of Birthdays" who do a much better job than she does. Each profile is more in depth, and they include names of famous people born on your birthday, as well as meditations, numerological and tarot cards related to your birthday profile, as well as specific explanations of how they developed them. At the beginning of Goldschneider's book there are definitions/personality traits of each specific astrological sign. Each sign is then divided into four groups (which includes the "cusp" group) and with personality traits and advice for each group. For example, Virgo is divided into Virgo I, Virgo II, Virgo III and the Virgo-Libra Cusp. It includes information about colors, plants, foods,composers,etc; attractions, and life path "themes" for each sign and the stage of human life that every sign represents. There's also an astrological chart included and an index to look up famous people and their birthdays. Turner's book has a few of these features, along with angels for each birth date, but no explanatory notes about why they're used for each day.

If you're looking for a great astrological study, there is no comparison: skip Turner's book altogether and go with Goldschneider and Elffers's "The Secret Language of Birthdays."

this book contains typical horoscope information. however, there are some fun additional things like finding out the right composer for you and finding out which tree matches your birthdate. judith's remarks are also remarkably accurate. this is a really fun coffee table book or book to use for an icebreaker!!

I love this book because it was so accurate. I enjoy reading about Astrology but this book it the nail on the head. I felt like the author new me and all my family members. It's a good book to have if you want to findout who someone really is.

I bought this book a couple of years ago and I still consult it. My birthday is May 12th and I read my page over and over for entertainment when I'm bored. It says that I'll be married at an early age. Yikes lol I'm 17 at the moment. Everything Judith says is true about my personality though. It's indescribable. The reason I gave it four stars was because I would have liked more than one page on my birthday.

This book is an interesting look at your birthday and how it seems to affect personality and character. I did not think my birthday description was correct, but it did seem accurate for some of my friends. (it is hard to be objective on one's own personality)

I first read this book while waiting for an intuitive reading, and decided to buy it. It is fun to share with friends, and I have used it as an ice breaker for a get-together.

The book gives colors, gems, flowers and fragrances for your birthday. As well, your lucky numbers, charms, best day of the week. etc. Judith then gives a description of your personality and it is fun to read about those close to you to see if the description fits. Entertaining, and detailed.

What a disappointment! There is no documentation whatsoever.

For example, astronomers and astrologers agree that there are fixed stars assigned to every day of the year (and used for birthdays), but none appear here. This author cites stars, but gives no hint of where/how she arrived at them (and, no, they're not the same as fixed stars).

Likewise, she cites guardian angels for each day of birth, but, again, her's differ from those in other books, but give no hint of where/how she arrived at them.

She assigns everything from trees to composers to each DOB, but gives no hint of whether these are well-researched, or figments of her imagination.

Moreover, padding is used to make the book look much fatter than it really is ... If there are only eleven guardian angels, there is no need to repeat the definition of each one on every page -- and this is done for all subjects and topics.

In short, this book was a huge disappointment, and is being returned. I don't understand why the author couldn't cite any sources or give any clues to how she arrived at her information.
A bibliography would have been ideal, but if she'd at least briefly referenced this, it would have been okay. Without it, the book was garbage.

I frequently use this book when I meet new people bc it makes for interesting conversation. I'm not kidding when I say it fits 99% of people that have read it..mainly Judith's insight paragraph. I really don't pay attention to the lucky flowers, colors, etc. It's surprisingly right on...not generically written to say "you have a troubling past" or "you will come into money" that can fit any Joe-Schmoe. Love it!

This is also a very entertaining book. I put it on my coffee table and everyone who walked in just HAD to pick it up to see what the book had to say about the day they were born. You will have lots of fun with this book.

Not to be taken too seriously, this is a fun book and conversation starter.