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Summary: how to focus your energy to succes
Review: An eye-opener for those who don't feel good about standard strategies to succes. How feminin attitudes ( openess, enthousiasme, emotionality even feminin clothes) can help you with succes in bussiness and carrier. It gave me a great push to go on in the way that feels best for me. I advice this book to all (wo)men that don't feel comfartable with most books on management strategies.
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Summary: Yikes! Y'all either love it or hate it, don't you?
Review: While reading The Princessa, I found certain ideas about power made me very uncomfortable, which is usually a sign that something is hitting a nerve. I absolutely adored this little book, and like another reader, keep picking it up to go over pieces of it. Obviously, you can't please all of the people all of the time, but I'm amazed at the vehemence with which certain reviews wrote. I thought Rubin's expression of ideas was fascinating, and I think she's a fine writer. I also liked the manner in which she presented these ideas about women and power; like a myth, like a story, like a fairy tale. Seductive but deadly.I'd save my griping for the drivel John Gray writes; I mean, how many times is he going back to his word processor to "fix up" Mars and Venus?
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Summary: Try again Morris County
Review: The critics of this book don't like it because it's dishonest and incoherent, though, personally, I agree that it is hokey and even trite in it's attempt at erudition. As a woman and an executive, I believe that being a lying, manupulative b**** is ultimately bad for business (look no further than Rubin's now defunct Currency books as a prime example), and, more importantly, bad for the soul. But maybe that's just me.
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Summary: Strange but remarkable
Review: This book won't appeal to the professional victims of the world. It's for women who don't want to whine, but want to win. Sure, it's a little hokey, but it makes more sense to me (a woman) than say The Art of War. Women are not men, but we can play in the same battlefield and win. The folks who don't like this book are probably unhappy because, behind all the myths and hokey language, they are told that they are the ones who are responsible for their ultimate success.
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Summary: Absolute Drivel
Review: When I first saw this book in a local bookstore the inner voice told me to run away--far far away from it. I listened. While on vacation I found I could purchase it cheaper than at home. So, ignoring my first instincts, I bought it. I should have left it at the shop. The book contains "knowledge" which any person with an iota of common sense already has. It made me angry--not that I wasted perfectly good money on it, but because I felt that the author is preying upon the stereotypical uncertainties of of a few women. The 45 minutes I took to complete the book are 45 minutes I will never get back. Do not waste your money; do not waste your time.
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Summary: Study group? An excercise in futility.
Review: The study group idea has not grown out naturally from the popularity of this book. Don't be fooled. It is simply the author's last ditch attempt to save face. The book has been a flop so she (Harriet Rubin) has authored the "suggestions"--which are ironically exceptionally controlling--to the study group in a pathetic attempt to drum up some interest for the audiobook.
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Summary: A very empowering book
Review: I found the book to be lacking in overall writing style but the content, strategies, and principles more than made up for it. I found the book to be a challenge and based on good solid principles that I found were liken to Covey.
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Summary: Nothing to do with Machiavelli
Review: The worst book I've ever read on Machiavellian management/practices. The title alone must have propelled this book onto the bestseller list, because the content was severely lacking.
As stated by other reviewers, the author changed the outcome of historical stories relating to Sun Tzu to prove her own vague points.
I hope for her sake she made quite a profit off of this title and saved her money. I doubt she'll luck out again
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Summary: The author just proved my point
Review: Take a look at Harriet Rubin's response to my criticism that she distorts history and legend in her ill-fated "Princessa." Rubin says that I allege that she misrepresents the Sun Tzu story. I do not. I pointedly acknowledge and reiterate that she does in fact misrepresent it. There is no room to "allege." There is no conjecture to this critism. It is a simple fact easily confirmed through light research. If the case were otherwise then perhaps Rubin would have forwarded an actual argument against my criticism. But she does not. Instead she offers a lame platitude. Harriet's logic leads me to believe that she has been dunking her tea-bags in the East River. Perhaps Princessa has shown a modicum of commercial success, and that is not a surprise. It is common knowledge in the publishing business that snappy titles, attractive covers, and bloated publicity blitzs achieve some public interest. However, thankfully, they do not guarantee any real longevity. And judging from reviews in Elle and Kirkus (see above) this title will be mercifully short-lived. Despite the author's efforts to toot her own horn.
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Summary: The first time I regretted the purchase of a book.
Review: I still can't believe that it was published. I've read betterwriting efforts by first quarter composition students at a university.She is vague. Her tone is conspiratorial. But why? Try to find an outline of her idea. Perhaps that's the only way to read the entire book. I suggest that one reads Machiavelli. I didn't find his gender to be a hinderance. The fact that I am a "she" and Machiavelli was a "he" posed no problem.
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