Customer Reviews

How to Be a People Magnet: Finding Friends and Lovers and Keeping Them for Life

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have read all of her previous books and generally speaking, I feel that she is an excellent author. I even went so far as to pre-order this book before it was released. However, let me warn you, this book fails to live up to her previous books.

To put it simply: it is a disappointment. There are some excellent points made in this book, but they are the same as advice that can be found in her previous books. For example this book claims to: "Make strangers like you instantly; Make everyone around you feel special; Give the response that separates social 'winners' from social 'losers.' " Unfortunately, this book falls flat on its face delivering these points when compared to her previous book: Talking the Winner's Way: 92 Little tricks... This book does deliver, but in a more eloquent and applicable manner.

Your money and time would be better spent buying or, if you already own, it re-reading her earlier book: Talking the Winner's Way. Best of all, this advice saves you money as this book is out in paperback!

I really needed to hear some suggestions on developing/maintaining and nuturing friendships. This book was more than I could have hoped for at a time in my life when I needed friends the most and didn't seem to have any. It gave me the tools I needed to do just that and more. I'm finding it fun to work on "Knights At My Round Table." I'm learning how to develop friendships with all different types of people - people I really like who may not necessarily like each other.
Leil shares some very personal experiences in her book - experiences that are only printed words to people who have not gone through them. She talks about the importance of having friends during these times. Friends who do things for you without asking "why or how." Friends who help us live our lives when we have trouble remembering how.
I'll never be without friends now after reading this book. It's helped to change my life and see what's most important to me in addition to my immediate family.

As a person, who is involved in a very ethnically, racially, and educationally diverse community, and also happily employed in the human services profession, I read People Magnet, by Leil Lowndes. I read it for both business and personal reasons, as I am, surprisingly, very shy in my personal life. I finished the book less than two weeks ago and have seen immediate improvements in both my personal and business life; from getting along with people who others in my business circle label as "very difficult" - to closer relationships with the important people in my life. Also, this week, I have been able to ask for and be accepted for a date, with a woman, who I have been wanting to get to know better, but was too shy to ask out for almost a year now! In summary, reading this book has been like participating in the best quality personal presentation seminar. However, I've paid hundreds of dollars to attend such seminars and have not achieved the results that I have already achieved after two reads of Ms. Lowndes' book. Of course, it is a book I will reread again over and over.

Ms. Lowndes book is different not only in content from the standard conversational improvement books, but the process of reading the book requires active reader participation and the signing of contracts and clauses throughout the book to engender more commitment. The book is written from the heart and speaks to issues of the growing isolation and alienation that are so real in the year 2001. I have read many of the top ranked books on personality improvement, conversation improvement, etc. by many of the best known authors of today and yesterday, but I found Ms. Lowndes book to be most down to earth, while the facts are supported by research, testimonials, and an extensive bibliography. Most important, this book spoke to the heart. I am buying one copy for the office, one for home, one to carry around with me at all times, and an extra copy to give to someone who I think can use it, as I am so impressed by this book.

I read one of these kind of books every once in a while. As I've gotten older it takes more effort to socialize, and I'm always looking for tips to make the process a little smoother. This book is more for someone who has convinced themself that life in a cabin in the mountains on a desert island with no phone is the way to go, and needs to be persuaded otherwise. In other words, this book is less about how to be a people magnet and more why you need a network of friends. Probably a bit more geared for women, as one might expect, and not without some good insights at a basic level, but probably not much that is going to turn you into the life of the party. Still, like most of these books, if you come away with just one or two things that you can put into practice, it's probably been worth your while. It's an easy read, and has a few good items, and I thought was very level-headed in its treatment of the men/women differences in communication, etc. Again, the book is well written and light, but I don't think it's likely to make anyone into a people magnet who wasn't headed there already.

I read her "HOW TO MAKE ANYONE FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU" book and it was entertaining and interesting. Even in that read, there was some stereotypes and generalizations. But this one was a complete disaster! She makes so many corny lame jokes thru out the thing that you're just totally confused on what she's trying to say. And yes, way too many stereotypes and generalizations!! Overall, the book is just corny and it doesn't seem to have much of a direction to it either. It just keeps going on...........

The material in this book is somehow intriguing and indeed useful. What drags it down is the author's style, which is somewhere between gossip and hairdresser's conversation.
It's a pity that a lot of energies are spent digging into the countless fluff to get to the bottom line, which, as said before, is not bad.
An advice? Read only the summary boxes in every chapter: you'll get a downhill ride throughout the book in 30 minutes to 1 hr (depending on your inspired thoughts).

all her other books are interesting, but not this one. lowdnes.com is a sales pitch site. no valuable info there other than ordering new copies of her books.

This book does not give as many good tips on how to build good relatioship as are given in the other books by the same author.

However it has some interesting discussion on the nature of Life, Friends and Love, which makes the book still worth the money to buy.

Peter

I read Leil Lowndes's "Good-bye to Shy" and it worked like magic to get me over my shyness. After reading that book, I wanted more. I thought "How to Be a People Magnet" was the next logical step. It was! I am so glad I read this book.

There are three things that I especially like about it.

One is that iIt progresses logically. It starts with 1) making strangers like you instantly and how to "win their hearts in ten words or less." Then 2) Things you can do to turn a stranger into a friend. 3) A section on how a man can win with woman and the opposite. 4) How to build a whole network of friends. 5) How to give depth to a new or existing friendship, or reawaken an old one.

Second, it is based on truth, all backed up by studies on "interpersonal attraction.." For instance, "being popular is not the same thing as people really liking you." And "You don't just mke friends, you earn them by the benefits you bring to a relationship like intelligence, wit, or kindness."

A part that was especially helpful to me because of my old shyness was "how to work a party like a politician works a room." Also the book tells "how to create chemistry" with someone.

Third, "How to Be a People Magnet" is not just general advice. It is broken up into 55 concrete steps or "clauses" you sign off on. I did all of them, or at least most of them, and I notice a BIG difference in how new people are drawn to me and how my current friends seem to be warming to me even more.

I highly reccomend this book if you want to make more friends and deepen the relationships you have.

Bravo, Leil. I can't wait to read your other books.

Having read all 4 of Ms. Lowndes' book, I am definitely her fan. Anyway, I will try my best to write an unbias brief review. This book shows you what you can do in your life so that you are the life of the party! It shows you techniques (sometimes subtle) you can use to enhance your life; making you shine where ever you go.

Positive qualities about this book: -The book is written very well and is very easy to understand. -Advices are backed by facts and research not "opinions"!

-Good organization.

Despite the positives qualities, there are some things I don't like about this book or throughout most of her other books. For instant, some examples that she used in this book and on all her previous works seem contrived. I am not convinced that some events she used as an examples really happened the way she described them in the book.

I won't call these "bad qualities", but I will say these are the qualities I don't "like" in this book: -Some examples seem contrived -Some advices she gave in this book are already discussed in her previous works and on Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People". However, there are still many fresh materials you can benefit from.

Overall, it's a great buy! You will benefit more by spending $20 on this book than $20 on your date! Trust me, after reading this book, your date will like you even more!