Live What You Love: Notes from an Unusual Life [Hardcover]

Robert Blanchard (Author), Melinda Blanchard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005

Bob and Melinda Blanchard's first book, A Trip to the Beach, sold more than 85,000 copies and became inspiration for countless people who were ready to start living their dreams. Comprising stories, reflections, notes, insights, and a bit of advice, Live What You Love is the Blanchard's warm, engaging, and personal response to the thousands of fans who've asked them, "How did you do it?"

"What happens if life falls outside the expected lines and inside others that are self-defined? Our experiences tell us that living this way is as wonderful as it is odd. We happen to believe that life really is about choices, and we love what happens when interesting ones get paired together."--Bob and Melinda Blanchard

After the Blanchards' published A Trip to the Beach, they found that readers responded personally and passionately, often buying multiple copies to give friends and family. They received countless invitations to lecture and requests for national television appearances, and have been asked to develop a series for PBS. Everyone, it seems, wanted to live their life: during the winter, the couple operate the most popular restaurant in Anguilla, the tiny Caribbean nation hideaway of celebrities, beautiful beaches and luxurious homes, and spend summers in the green hills of Northern Vermont.
Through delightful and moving stories, reflections, notes--and a soupcon of advice--the Blanchards have written a stunning, inspirational manifesto where truly living what you love becomes a revolutionary act, a rebellion against the common life. They show how, through self-trust, personal adjustment, and daily acts of commitment, each of us can live the life we love and make every day a personal treasure. Full of warmth, humor, wisdom, and charm, LWYL is the Blanchard's love letter to life, a celebration of unusual choices, and a thank you gift to all of their fans.

(20050901)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Many find inspiration in people who give up the big job, big house and big bucks to follow their hearts' desires, but the Blanchards have not only followed their dreams, they've turned their dream-chasing into a cottage industry. Their first book, A Trip to the Beach, about their experiences moving from Vermont to the Caribbean island of Anguilla and opening a restaurant, inspired a legion of people to also follow their bliss. Other books followed, At Blanchard's Table and Cook What You Love, as have radio interviews and an appearance on the Today show. In the latest installment, they share random experiences that illuminate their philosophy, which can be boiled down to: Only do the things you love. Don't expect any grander insight than that from this little book; it's full of common sense, go-with-your gut wisdom, affirmations, aphorisms and lighter than light humor. "No experience is required to gain experience." "Write the headlines of your favorite life stories so far." "Breathe deep. Jump in. Swim, or just float, on the waves of life, of laughter, of love." Some readers may be put off by the self-congratulatory nature of the book, but the book's arranged so it's easy to flip back and forth and cherry pick the passages of import.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

From the authors ofA Trip to the Beach (2001) comes another slim but encouraging manifesto brimming with humorous anecdotes, pithy reflections, and wise counsel. Summering in Vermont and spending their winters operating a thriving restaurant in the Caribbean, this power couple seems to have achieved all their dreams by operating by the one simple principle that serves as their guide: "If we don't love it, we don't do it." In order to share this deceptively simplistic recipe for personal and professional fulfillment and success, the Blanchards open up their hearts and relay their unique experiences in a series of intimate stories that will appeal to fans of inspirational literature a la Robert Fulghum. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Sterling; 1ST edition (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402728425
• ISBN-13: 978-1402728426
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #854,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Big disappointment., March 2, 2006

By 

T. C. Forrest (Fairfield, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live What You Love: Notes from an Unusual Life (Hardcover)

I was disappointed. The Blanchards sound like very nice, fun, hard-working people who embrace change and roll with the punches. They see opportunities and they seize those opportunities. I admire that and would probably like them in person.

The book, however, annoyed me. Aside from its Trump-like self-congratulatory tone and phoney sounding dialogue, there was a bigger issue that I could not get past.

The book talks about how the Blanchards live out their dreams after coming back from the brink of financial ruin, following the long-term hospitalization of their very prematurely born son. They do this by "following their hearts." I don't dispute the importance of that, but maybe the fact that the hospital decided to pick up the tab for the Blanchards had just a LITTLE something to do with it.

I was so happy for the Blanchards when I read about the hospital's kindness to them. I could not wait to read about how the Blanchards would be inspired by that act and someday do something kind for someone else... how they would incorporate that kindness into their lives and business ventures. What goes around, comes around, right? Maybe they'd donate a percentage of book profits toward medical research? Or do restaurant promotions to support families with sick children? I was disappointed that there is never any mention of them doing anything to help anyone but themselves.

Then, there's the "financial struggles." At times, they are legitimate. But then, when they miss Vermont and want to get back somehow, it sounds as though the Blanchards scrimp and save to buy a piece of property in hopes of "someday" building a small house they could retreat to for 2-3 months a year. A few pages later, they're building the house and struggling to make it happen on a tight budget. I'm not sure their definition of "budget" is the same as most people's, considering it's a majestically situated 6400 square foot home and art studio.

For all I know, the Blanchards may be two of the most generous, philanthropic people around but that never comes across in the book. Perhaps it was the book's "preachy" tone that made the absence of any mention of selflessness so conspicuous. My impression of this book is that it is nothing more than a marketing tool to promote their other books, restaurant, and possibly upcoming resort. They seem to view themselves as free-spirits, but what comes across in the book is that they are really good salespeople.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun, simple, quick, but touching, May 15, 2009

By 

J. S. Breunig (Princeton) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live What You Love: Notes from an Unusual Life (Hardcover)

Three and a half stars really, curse you amazon for your integer rating system.

Look, this book is a good read. Is it revolutionary in new ideas? No. Is it blithe and trite? No. This book is simply a pointed collection of simply-written life-stories from the authors. The stories all contain some angle on how they chose the feel-good, fun-loving alternative as opposed to the mundane, bill-paying one and what a fabulous idea that was for them. They keep some perspective though and freely admit to problems they faced as a result, agony in certain decisions, and errors in judgment.

Will you change your life because of this book? I struggle with that thought. The book is so simple, so easy-to-read, it screams out "beach reading!" at every page that it is hard for me to fathom altering my decision-making style. And yet, I find myself thinking of the characters (well, real people) and while their carefree spirit may not end up guiding me it certainly infects me and nudges me.

Live What You Love is a great book to give at graduations (and other such ceremonies) because its not your usual "Great Man" biography or cookie-cutter "Life Rules" books. It is simply the story of how one couple stuck together and made some brave moves. Plus it's short. And as a grad, I prefer my life-lesson books to be brief.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Than a "Special Features Disk" to "A Trip to the Beach", June 24, 2007

By 

Peter Porcupine (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live What You Love: Notes from an Unusual Life (Hardcover)

"Life is to be lived and to be loved", writes Blanchard, which befittingly defines the doctrine of Bob and Melinda's lives, as well as the invaluable message conveyed in "Live What You Love". In an uniquely inspirational companion book to their first triumph, "A Trip to The Beach", Bob and Melinda Blanchard reflect on their extraordinary and anomalous lives full of successes and failures.

The book shares some of their salutary words of wisdom learned from a remarkable life to help you begin to live a life you love. Organized into a series of random intriguing personal short stories, you are provided with tonic quotes and an end to each chapter with a checklist for you to begin striving towards your own aspirations. This book is to be held and carried indefinitely, not rushed through like a novel. It's designed to be read over and over again, consoling a reader like a Tony Robbins or Joel Osteen book.

We've all heard the admonition of, "follow your dreams", but what does it really mean? Where do we begin? I have a steady job and am receiving AARP applications in the mail, is it too late? For anyone who might still hold an unconventional long cherished dream that doesn`t snugly fit into the sequence of an "average American lifestyle", Bob and Melinda do more than tell us how, they show us. To read "A Trip to The Beach" and "Live What You Love" consecutively will have you reflecting on where you are currently and wondering why you haven't begun to fertilize a lifelong dream kept in your backseat.

As Blanchard sums it up, "Our Life is a series of positive acts with purpose." Having lived a life less ordinary; opening eight businesses, residing in two countries, building everything from restaurants to sailboats, to going from six digit debtors to wealthy entrepreneurs has bestowed the Blanchards with a crate full of knowledge on how to live a life for what you are truly passionate for. Despite any atypicalities or the absence of predetermined roadmaps for success, the Blanchards overcame much apprehension in shadowy times to become impelling life motivators.