Rating: 
Summary: A Little Anna and Starbucks Go A Long Way.....
Review: A fan of Anna Quindlen's, I wanted to read this book, but because I didn't think its size warranted the asking price, I pulled up a seat at (my local store) and just read it right there -- in minutes. Got a quick boost of excellent inspirational thinking to go along with my cup of Starbucks coffee, put the book back on the shelf for those people who might want to purchase the book as a keepsake and moved on.
Rating: 
Summary: short guide to a happy life
Review: This book is an easy read and can be read in one sitting, but every line is a word of wisdom and should be read and reread. It isn't profoundly new information, but a wonderful reminder about the important things in life. A great little gift.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: This is a quike read.
Go to the library
Spend an hour and put it back on the shelf.
Rating: 
Summary: Recycled Psycho Pop Goop
Review: I skimmed this at a bookstore and it took me six minutes flat. I wasn't even finished with my coffee. Amazing, now Anna Quindlen is the new New Age queen, offering the most silly fluff that has been said before, and even stock photography which everyone has seen on Hallmark greeting cards. This is rip-off city. Some of the reviewers said it makes a good gift, but there are much better "little" books out there than this silly thing.
Rating:
Summary: You'll feel GOOD (and feel OVERCHARGED)
Review: Anna Quindlen's A Short Guide to a Happy Life has a WONDEFUL message: Get a life. She means a full life, where it's fully understood that the "clock" is ticking. Live and appreciate the beauties of the present...now..rather than having to be jarred into this realization."One day you were walking around worryng about whether you had anything to wear to a party and reminding yourself to buy Kitty Litter or toilet paper," she writes. "And then you were in the shower lathering up, or you were lying on a doctor's table or the phone rang. And your world suddenly divided, as my world did many years ago. It divided into 'before' and 'after.'" The problem is this: that quote is a decent part of the book.
This book is shockingly short. It's almost like an expanded newspaper column (if you're a fast reader it'll take 5 to 10 minutes to read this). And as thin as it is, some whole pages (in some cases two whole pages) are covered with beautiful photos. So as good as the MESSAGE is -- it IS a good one and wonderfully expressed -- this book can DISAPPOINT because it is shockingly thin in content, even for a thin small book. If you're after a good, QUICK pick-me-up that you can read quickly when times look bleak of you think you're losing yours sense of prorities, this is for you. If you expect a content-heavy book that's more than an expanded newspaper column it is not.
Rating:
Summary: A Happier Life
Review: Anna Quindlen is one of the most articulate, informative, and enjoyable contemporary writers I have read, and "A Short Guide to a Happy Life" is another great addition to her list of books. Although it was written as a commencement speech and not intended to be a book, there were so many requests for copies of the speech, it made sense to publish it in book form. I wish I had read a book like this one when I was growing up, but I learned most of Quindlen's advice the hard way. Maybe I would've had a happier life when I was younger, but my life is happy now that I've learned that things usually work out for the best. It's still a good book to read after acquiring lots of wisdom and experience -- just to keep everything in perspective and remind us of the most useful things to pass on to our children and grandchildren. I recommend this book to everyone -- young and old.
Rating:
Summary: Great gift
Review: This book would make a great gift!!! I am going to send it off to friends and family members as part of their Christmas gift. A really easy way to send something thoughtful and smart. This is great especially for those working women who want to send a sweet gift and don't have much time to shop!! A smart and simple text with volumes to say about life.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have!!
Review: This brief engaging book puts life in perspective! It is a book you may refer back to when things get crazy. Common sense collection of thoughts written in such a way as to remind the reader what life is all about. Quindlen also gives ideas on how to get back to basics. Get one for yourself, your friends and family members!
Rating:
Summary: Too short
Review: Folks, it's true. You can literally read this book in 8 minutes. I cannot believe the nerve of Anna Quindlen, Ms. Liberal Money Isn't Everything...that's what she preaches and then she tries to rake in the gold for this tiny, cliche ridden, preachy, treacly, sentimental slop..
Rating:
Summary: A shockingly trite entry by Anna Quindlen
Review: I am surprised that Anna Quindlen wrote this very short book, and probably made money on it. There is nothing new here, nothing surprising, nothing that leads me to a happier life. In fact, Quindlen uses so many old sayings that I'm surprised she didn't footnote. This might have been an excellent book if Quindlen had made it into more than 50 pages (including sappy photos that have no context). The story of the death of her mother might have been a fantastic non-fiction book. But this is no little gem. It's a waste of time and a waste of money. Liking Anna Quindlen's work as I do, I was really surprised. Don't bother buying this book.
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