Customer Reviews

Succulent Wild Woman

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Several years ago, I received this book as a gift from my cousin. I read it, but found it difficult because it is filled with hand written pages in wildly colored text and includes line drawings that seemingly have no connection to the text. Yet there is magic in this book and style, and in reading it again, I see why the format is important. Sark reveals herself, without fear or shame, much as a child simply tells the truth or writes letters and numbers with a crayon.

There are many topics in this self-help book, so I will only tell a little about a few of them. What I have discovered is that I have implemented more than I realized in the years since I first read this book.

Go out Wildly and Alone. Sark wrote, "My mother taught me not to wait for a man to buy me flowers. She always said, 'Buy your own flowers, too.' ... and I do." This bit of advice also covers buying something for ourselves simply because we like it. I splurged on some new knit shirts to wear with my jeans -- because I wanted them and I loved the colors.

Old, Alone, and Succulent in Sark's words: "We are studying now to be the old women we will be." Getting older is a trick of fate, but being succulent is putting up pink towels because you want them; dancing in the rain (sans clothing) - well that's my idea of succulence; not fearing to throw your head back and laugh. Tonight I walked down to the park so I could swing.

Faces of Intimacy: "Nobody tells us as little girls that we may fall in love and have moments of hating our beloved..." We build many walls in our goals of self-protection, but ultimately the walls create isolation. Break the walls down. Start simple -- for years I have walked up to strangers to tell them that I like their earrings or shirt or tie. It is not true intimacy, but it is a small opening.

Erotic Robot is a woman in search of herself. This woman has sexual encounters because (1) it is easier than saying no, (2) she is fulfilling someone's fantasies at the expense of her own, (3) to be polite, (4) get it over with so the man would just leave, (5) to make money fast... and many more reasons. The succulence comes when the sensuous woman replaces the erotic robot.

Succulent wild women wear costumes and let their different personalities out to play.

If you want to have fun, have it. This book is fun. Five stars, and the hope that every woman will be as sensuous and expressive as she wants.

Victoria Tarrani

It was the cover with the dancing images that caught my attention, and then I opened the cover and like a child giggled and read and anxiously waited to get to each new page.

I am being reborn, struggling with fears, wants and desires and this book is a GIFT. Finally a book by a woman who is much like me in many ways. Her sections on Blocks to Succulence and Money and Power are proving to be godsends. I am about to re-read the section on Fear. Her opening statement in the money section "Relax your money is not your life" was an eye opener as I have always struggled to make money. When she spoke of the older woman who was in her 70's (page 48) and the flair she had I couldn't help but think of the late Ruth Gordon (Harold and Maude) and how I hope to be like that in my 70's.

On page 51 where she says it is ok to be crabby I laughed so hard. What a true statement. Page 117 is the beginning of her section on the LIES magazines tell us. The damn magazines that say size 12 is BIG and that we must always seek perfection or that most womens <SIC> magazines have the same bloody topics, same lies but differetent Titles each month is or should be enough to get you to throw the damn magazines OUT. Hell even PLAYBOY has nice looking NON Barbie type OVER age 40 women now.

The book is a godsend because it covers food issues, walking, taking time for oneself, dancing, reading, painting, gardening and other everyday pleasures we should take a new look at. The book does NOT tell you how to live you life but simply encourages you to live YOUR life by your rules and not by what others demand.

I guess the author knows the TRUE meaning of "If you do not Love yourself no one else will either".

Now here is a suggestion. Do you know a woman age 40 or over? Someone you adore and care for? Buy her the book as a gift. Not a gift for any other reason than a surprise and to say to her I LOVE you and value you and respect you because you are older and wiser......

I love this book-- it's become my "bible" of sorts! I love the honesty, freedom, delightful humor (I'm talking giggle fits!), color, and creativity that comes spilling forth from its handwritten pages! I love the little notes and pictures in the margins-- I'm even inspired to add my own to hers! I love that she "grants you permission" to read the book in random order, backwards, forwards or upside down if you want to (I read it in random order and backwards!). I love that at the end of each section she has a page full of other resources (books, tapes, newsletters, etc.) on the topic she's been writing about, and even suggestions for music to listen to for inspiration! I love that I've been quoting from it to family and friends since I started it and that I've already ordered 3 more copies for friends! I love that I received it for Valentines Day from two succulent and wild people- my Mom and Dad, and strongly recommend it be given to daughters (mothers, aunts, friends, co-workers, grandmas, etc.) everywhere who need a burst of positive energy and colorful inspiration in their lives! Wow.

In 2002, I remember speakiing to a group of women in the Philippines at a workshop on women's wisdom. When I told them that there is room in this world for everyone to shine because inside all women are fabulous--- I got a lot of unbelieving looks. A lot of women around the world, even in the United States, don't believe that they've got it in them. And that is one of the reasons why I highly recommend this book. Sark's book is about learning to be a wonder-full woman who is not afraid of life. Here "succulent" is defined with these words: ripe, juicy, whole, round, exuberant, wild, rich, wide, deep, firm, rare, female.

Most women, have been raised up to be quiet and demure---keep your legs closed and your thoughts to yourself....etc, etc. Little do we realize that some of these tenets of femininity have suppressed our full expression of who we are and have prevented us from pursuing our dreams. We need to discover for ourselves how we can live life to the fullest.

This book is fun, wild, inspirational, definitely different and it CAN give you ideas on how you, too, can start to find out more about your fullest self. The concepts that Sark gives in her books, starting with "Succulent Wild Woman" are that women need to live life to the utmost and that they need to love themselves so that they can love others, too.

Here are some more of Sark's ideas that can lead you, too, to be your fabulous self: ...Marry yourself first...promise to never leave you... ...discover your own goodness ...dress to please yourself ...you are enough, you have enough, you do enough ...make more mistakes! And more thoughts on healing, fat, money and power, community, love and romance...

What's more, there's little whining in this book---one of her best ideas is: end blaming... She's got honest, good stuff about facing our insecurities, faults and fears.

I urge all of you timid and insecure women(and don't most of us start out this way?) to find your fabulous, succulent, bodacious selves.... to express yourselves....to find as much support you can get from friends, loved-ones and books like Sark's (and all other great books).... and to get out there and live a life full of love---the romantic kind is only part of this... the Universal kind is what you learn to be embraced by when you are your fullest, most succulent self!

It's past 4:00 p.m. and thanks to SARK, I'm eating ice cream for breakfast in a moo-moo with no bigger plan than to have a Sunday. I am also an author (wrote, "MASTER DATING: How to Meet and Attract Quality Men") and am curruntly running four businesses (all of which feed my soul, but also take their toll). Making time to just relish life and living is probably the biggest challenge I face at this moment. When you read SARK's work, you can't help but smell the glorious roses. You automatically begin to see miraculous beauty and humor and love and life all around you. She grounds me. Thank you SARK! The main premis of my book is "Be who you are and be liked my people who like people like you!" This book will go a long way in helping you to find out who exactly "YOU" are. I reccomend it higly both in the pages of my book and in life. I hope that all woman (and men too) read this book, it would no doubt, change the world. If nothing else it'd be a more fun place to hang out.

I hadn't thought about this book for a while, but in going back to some old thoughts I began to ponder it again.

SARK peaked with this book. It seemed to me to be the fullest, most open of her books. Other readers have dismissed it as too fluffy or overly "look-on-the-bright-side", but sometimes we need those things (and it isn't always true of this book; read on). SARK even says that she is not always a positive person, though because of her books and her public demeanor people tend to think that it must be easy for her.

On the surface the book looks rather simple: bright colors, little drawings. It's relaxing to look at and generally invokes a positive vibe.
However, upon investigating deeper the reader learns of some of SARK's past: sexual abuse by an older brother, various addictions and such. I've seen some reviews that say that the readers felt uncomfortable about purchasing the book after seeing the incest and abuse parts. Unfortunately, these forms of abuse are a very real (and sad) fact of life for many people; I am lucky that I have never experienced this, but I know people that have, and yes, it is ugly and uncomfortable. If we ignore it, or in this case throw out the book because there are uncomfortable issues in it, that cycle will all the more easily continue. This aspect of the book helps SARK to iterate that her life hasn't been all about rainbows and eating mangoes naked. People *should* feel an emotional response to this part, but it should be anger (for her sake, not at her) rather than discomfort.
It's somewhat difficult to reconcile the two images of SARK -- her darker past and her current, seemingly better-adjusted self -- but it is a sign that even someone with such issues can get out of that state.

SARK also delves into her imperfections, and it can be a little intense to see all the therapies that she has partaken in; this again emphasizes that she is not perfect and that life is not easy, though it does come across as a little obsessive at times.

A definite plus is her encouragement for women to further flower in their own femininity. This can inspire those who are repressed, depressed, confused, in a slump or just need to remember. I also don't think that this book is restricted to women only; there is plenty of information that can apply to men too, and can also help them to realize some of the issues that women face and ways that they can respond. I do tend to think though that many men would feel rather self-conscious carrying around this book, which does have a distinct female flair. I applaud those who are strong enough in themselves that they can move beyond this feeling and read the book anyway.

In addition to the printed book, I used to have the audio casette version, which in some ways was even more fulfilling, as you get to hear her speak the actual lines, as well as some improvisational expansion. I wish that it was out on CD.

I must say, I was amazed that I was so receptive to SARK's sometimes gregariously positive messages, since I am a pretty cynical person. Some of her suggestions for being "succulent" are a little too New Age for my taste, but I incorporated a few of her ideas when I was at a bad spot and they did help me. I would suggest that the reader pick what personally feels best and blend it with their own beliefs, traditions or meditations.

Could I subsist on a constant diet of SARK? No. But in many ways this book is a nice little vacation from a lot of the aspects of daily reality. I'm disappointed that her more recent books didn't feel as lush and often seemed hurried or *too* lightweight ("Change Your Life Without Getting Out of Bed" in particular). I drifted off from SARK for a while and thus haven't read her most recent book ("Make Your Creative Dreams Real"), which looks more calculatedly self-help-y, and I probably won't. Among the books of the SARK oeuvre, "Succulent Wild Woman" is the one to come back to. Enjoy it.

This book was my introduction to SARK, but it will certainly not be the last I book I read of hers. I feel blessed because I stumbled into this book at the bookstore, having never heard of SARK before. Reading her (hand-written!) words is like having a talk with your dearest friend, the one who will talk about anything and isn't embarassed by any topic. You not only can see SARK's love and appreciation for life in her writing, you can feel it being infused into your blood as you read. Her book came to me at a rather desperate, stressful time in my life, and it has lifted me to a much brighter (more colorful!) place. My wish for every woman is to read at least one SARK book.

I identify with many, many aspects of this book, for I am a woman who is a little too intense for most people. Every woman I know can benefit SARK's reminder to rejoice in the female aspects of themselves, rather than apologizing for them. I stumbled across the title while browsing Amazon and added it to my 'Wish List' on a whim. My brother (the only person in the world that has a clue about my tastes in books and music) gave it to me for Christmas. I know I will purchase more of her books.

I never imagined that a publisher would produce a book that so totally deviated from the norm. The use of actual handwriting, instead of type, and doodles - and COLOR - made the book even more interesting to read. What a wonderful affirmation it brings to women!

This was one of the first books I was introduced to when I was looking for a change in my life. I was looking for purpose and freedom. This book delivered...not only in the content but in the experience of the book. The book is written like a diary and I was blown away by the way it all unfolded. I came away with a new direction and a vision for my life. Get the book...sit on your patio...drink something wonderful and relax and read. This is an amazing find.