A Short Guide to a Happy Life

I can't remember if this used book seller described this book as "Good," "Very Good," or "Like New," but it's dirty around the edges and looks like it got wet and then dried. Very disappointed and might not buy any more used books.

Very wise, sweet, powerful advice. In fact great/indispensible advice for people who are too on the go to stop and smell the roses and appreciate all the beauty and love around them. However, this book, while the quality is stratospheric, the quantity was quite disappointing. The book took me a good ten minutes to read, and I am a slow reader. The photos are a huge question mark - dull black and whites. Go to the bookstore, or the library. This book is worth reading, but not for 12, 10, or 8 dollars plus shipping. This is good quality, but the quantity could barely fill a fortune cookie.

If you are looking for a startlingly original philosophy of life or new advice on how to live that life, this book is not for you. Anna Quindlen tells us to appreciate life moment by moment, to take time to smell the salt water (or, I presume, the roses), to have a meaningful life outside of work, to love others, and to enjoy the journey rather than just the destination. Good advice, but I have a feeling I've heard it all before. The book has only 50 pages, and 30 of those pages are devoted to photographs-- 24 black and white ones, which I liked but which are only peripherally related to the text. I have no objection to short books, provided they are priced accordingly, and my copy came from a library sale. Because it can be read in only a few minutes, a reader has little to lose by checking it out, and it might provide inspiration for some. What it does not provide is originality.

If you are looking for a startlingly original philosophy of life or new advice on how to live that life, this book is not for you. Anna Quindlen tells us to appreciate life moment by moment, to take time to smell the salt water (or, I presume, the roses), to have a meaningful life outside of work, to love others, and to enjoy the journey rather than just the destination. Good advice, but I have a feeling I've heard it all before. The book has only 50 pages, and 30 of those pages are devoted to photographs-- 24 black and white ones, which I liked but which are only peripherally related to the text. I have no objection to short books, provided they are priced accordingly, and my copy came from a library sale. Because it can be read in only a few minutes, a reader has little to lose by checking it out, and it might provide inspiration for some. What it does not provide is originality.

Anna Quindlen's charming and engaging little book is a refreshing reminder that life is short, magical and that every moment matters. In a direct and elegant way, Quindlen shares the lessons she learned during and after her mother's death. These lessons focus on embracing your life and not taking it for granted whether you're in one moment enjoying spring flowers or being of service to another human being. I was really touched by the author's honest and humble sentiment throughout the book; Quindlen manages to bypass the drama and darkness of the experience of her mother's death and offer up the richness of what she experienced as a result. Reading it felt like receiving a sweet gift from a friend.

Another book that shares profound life lessons with a similar sense of sincerity and sweetness is Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment, by Ariel & Shya Kane. Through incredible stories and examples from real life, the Kanes share what they have discovered on their 20+ year journey as a couple about how to have life be richer and more fulfilling than you ever imagined. If you want to feel inspired, refreshed and enlivened (rather than 'worked on' or preached to), pick up both of these books and treat yourself to a truly delightful experience.

"Life is made up of moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long stretch of gray cement." A perfect companion to a quiet Sunday afternoon, Anna Quindlen's book flows with trademark elegance and touches on the simple observations of a life worth living. At just 50 pages, it's a quick read and the page-size photos sprinkled throughout the book give it added charm. Some, including myself, may wish she included more.
I'm a fan of Quindlen's Newsweek columns and found that the humanity she brings to her short guide echoes in her biweekly writing. She doesn't offer profound wisdom and her book won't change your life, but it will nudge you along a fulfilling path and, perhaps for a few, move us to embrace a handful of moments that allow us to live and to love. Though it reads like a commencement address at times, full of one-line quotables, it is as titled, simply a short guide to a happy life.

It took me approximately twenty minutes to read A Short Guide to a Happy Life. It's obviously one of the shortest books in print.
But it's conciseness and simplicity is where its power lies. It's definitely a collector's book, too. It's the perfect book to leave right on the corner of your desk whenever you need to drink some sips of inspiration, or bring yourself back to the present. It's underlying message can be read on every page. And if you don't have the time to read, take a look at the photographs. The black and white pictures interspersed among the pages sum up Anna's simple message: get a life.
She humbly admits her lack of specific expertise in regard to academia or any other technical subject. Instead, she humanely writes of her experience of real life, and the beautiful details she has picked up along the way. That's probably why she writes such fantastic novels.
The death of her mother as a young college student changed Anna forever. It allowed her to see the beauty in every moment of her life, to embrace all of life. She writes of the absurdity about many things that mark American culture: "the rat race," complaining, career growth. Periodic quotations of deep minds also back up her message.
A quote sums up her life, and the essence of this book: "I never think of my life, or my world, in any big cosmic way. I think of it in all its small component parts: the snowdrops, the daffodils; the feeling of one of my kids sitting close beside me on the couch; the way my husband looks when he reads with the lamp behind him; fettuccine Alfredo, fudge; Gone with the Wind, Pride and Prejudice." It's a casual definition of mindfulness.
Reading this book is like meditating. It's a quick and powerful way to bring you back to the only thing you ever truly have: the present.

Most books take the vantage point of the author being an expert in the
subject or a celebrity. A Short Guide to a Happy Life claims to come
from neither foundation, even though the Ms. Anna Quindlen will be
well-known to many for her best-selling books and Newsweek
columns.
Instead her perspective in this book is a humble and common
one, that of someone who experienced what we will all experience in
due course, but at an earlier age -- the loss of her mother to ovarian
cancer when her mother was 40 and the author was 19. That early loss
changed Ms. Quindlen's perspective on life, and she thinks it will
eventually and should now change yours, too. "Do you think you'd
care so very much about [your career] if you developed an aneurysm one
afternoon, or found a lump in your breast while in the shower?"

She describes her qualifications for describing the happy life,
"I am a good mother to three children. I have tried to never let
my profession stand in the way of being a good parent."

"I am a good friend to my husband."
"I am a good
friend to my friends, and they to me." ....
Now that you have
the perspective, what is Ms. Quindlen's prescription for you:
"Get a life in which you are not alone." "All of us
want to do well. But if we do not do good too, then doing well will
never be enough."
The simplicity and ordinariness of that
perspective gives it a power and eloquence that the expert and the
famous person cannot command.
But what was remarkable for me was
the insight that she shares with us, that I would never have developed
on my own....Basically, without awareness of mortality, we would
continue to waste our lives in pursuit of things that are not really,
after all, so important. This is what makes this a five star book
that you should read immediately . . . and remember for all the
remaining days of your life. It will make a wonderful gift for those
you love, and help bring you closer together.
Let me quote just once
more: "Life is made up of moments, small pieces of glittering
mica in a long stretch of gray cement." What a shame it would be
to miss one of those moments. If you skip this book, you will have
missed one, I'm afraid.
The message is powerfully reinforced by the
many beautiful black and white photographs of nature, companionship,
and youth in the book. Be sure to enjoy them, as well.
After you
have finished reading this book, sharing it with others, and changing
your priorities, ask yourself a new question: If I only had today,
what would I do differently? Then ask that question every morning.
You'll be glad you did. So will we all.

One can read this brief but powerful book in 15
minutes but the lessons are timeless. Anna Quindlen
gets to the heart of what is valuable and precious in
life by reminding us how temporal our existence is. I
love her idea to "...think of life as a terminal
illness, because, if you do, you will live it with joy
and passion, as it ought to be lived." She reminds us
that the simplest of moments are miraculous and worth
celebrating. This small volume offers tons of
inspiration.

Another book I go to for inspiration is Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment
by Ariel and Shya
Kane. This book is filled with delicious stories
that touch and amuse but ultimately guide the reader
to a place of well being and gratitude for all that
life has to offer. Both of these books are pure
magic. Keep them near by in case you get knocked
about by life. These authors will bring you back to
living fully and joyously one moment at a time.

"A Short Guide to a Happy Life," by Anna Quindlen, is as short as the title promises: of 50 pages, 30 are photos and only 19 are text. I was motivated to read the book after first reading Al Franken's hilarious parody of the genre, "Oh, The Things I Know!"; I would recommend it as a companion text.
Quindlen offers some advice pertaining to the title topic. Along the way she quotes Yogi Berra, John Lennon, and Gwendolyn Brooks, and cites the New Testament. I felt the strongest part of the book was her very personal account about how experiencing the death of a family member impacted her.
Yes, some of Quindlen's phrases strike me as a bit too self-consciously cute, and the concluding anecdote may be too sentimental. But the part of the book I found most effective is Quindlen's metaphor of having a personal reawakening or rebirth; this section is powerful and well written. Quindlen's "Guide" may not be the final word on the meaning of life, but it's a worthwhile read.

After reading the book and then checking the the store reviews both pro and con, I must disagree with those who nitpick about the title and/or the premise of the book. Before paying for a book, I make good and sure it will fulfill its promise. That is easily done by thumbing through, reading excerpts from the book, previewing the table of contents and/or index, and deciding a book's content, length, tone, narrative, etc. provide what I'm looking for. To not do so until after paying for the purchase and taking it home, and then to whine about it as was mentioned by at least one reviewer....well, caveat emptor. I bought this book as a gift for family members who are non-readers and not knowlegeable searchers for help and answers to a lot of troubles, upheaval, and uncertainties they are dealing with at present. It was well-received by them, and was read in its short entirety (the title does say it is "short," so that is a strong hint.) This guide seems to be helping them make well-thought-out, informed choices and decisions, and consider the ensuing outcome from their choices and decisions. I can't argue with the positive effect this concise guide has made for them. After all, its content can't be trite or cliched if this is somebody's first exposure to what the book offers.

Anna Quindlen offers us hints that the painful events in her life have provided her with some valuable wisdom, but she doesn't seem to want to share it with us.
Quindlen is a good writer, with good ideas. So I'm puzzled as to why this little book was published. It's short, about the length of a short essay or long newspaper column. It may have been originally written, as another reveiwer has noted, as a set of notes for a graduation speech, which would explain the length.
But the lack of substance is hard to explain from a Pulitzer Prize winner like Quindlen. The advice isn't bad in itself, but it doesn't lead anywhere. With the addition of the black and white stock photos, reading the book felt a bit like browsing in a greeting card store. The reader moves from one platitude to another with only a tasteful black and white photo of two girls on a beach to mark the transition to the next idea.
It's particularly frustrating, because I would imagine that anyone with Quindlen's experiences and skill with words could have reached a little deeper and given us something unique. I want to hear more about the homeless people she interviewed, for instance, or how she felt to be living in a suburban developing house and delivering morphine to her dying mother at 19. Yes, it's true that you can get a glimpse of this through some of the characters in her semi-autobiographical novels, but it sure would be nice to hear Quindlen speak from the first person about some of these issues.
If this is all Quindlen is willing to share with us, we might have been better off with just a collection of her columns. The content would be more interesting, and we wouldn't be left with that unsatisfied feeling of knowing that there might (or might not!) be more to be said.

Several years ago, Anna Quindlen, was asked by Villanova University to give that years commencement speech. But as the date of graduation approached, Quindlen found herself in a conflict which resulted in her cancelling from attending. A graduating senior, though, wrote to Quindlen asking her for a copy of her speech which then made its way onto the Internet and private e mails. Many readers weren't satisfied with the unbound pages and urged Quindlen to publish this as a book and so A Short Guide to a Happy Life became a book with an interesting story about its birth. But least any reader think this is the end of the story or destination, doesn't know Quindlen that well for within the pages of this small book, she sets her audience on a thought provoking journey which doesn't end when one closes the book.
Fueled by the loss of her 40 year old mother when Quindlen was 19, she reflects on how she learned at this early age what is important in life. And not just a life to be lived chained to one's desk or a life which forces one to covet material things but a life of exploration and unbridled happiness. When Quindlen urges her readers to "get a life," she forces them to reevaluate what they find precious and dear. And as Quindlen continues to describe what she finds important, I also found msyelf, as I'm sure most of her readers did, shaking my head in agreement and shedding a tear. If Tuesdays With Morrie explained to many readers how to die with dignity, then this book shows us how to life lives which are meaningful and presonally productive.
Quindlen, a long time favorite of mine, beginning with her columns for The New York Times, has written a perfect book not only for a new gradate but a gift of words to be cherished for any age at any time.
And now, I will always remember to look at the view!

This essay, which can be read in 15 minutes, should be required reading for those who find themselves overcommitted, rushed, stuck in a rut, and overcome with the details of life. Those who criticize her writing style as 'cliche-ridden' miss the point that our lives can become just as problematically mundane if we forget to stop and enjoy the simple things, if we forget to listen, if we neglect the view along the way.
This book should appeal to just about anyone, but especially to those who are on the cusp of 'getting a life' (i.e., graduates or those embarking on careers), or to anyone so overly focused on the destination that they tend to forget to enjoy the journey.

It seems the publishing industry has found a way to beef up their profits by publishing really short books and selling them at outrageously high prices. This book ...took me all of 8 minuits to read. In this respect it reminded me of "The prayer of Jabez," and "Secrets of the Vine." However, this one is even shorter. Not only is is short but it seems the author wrote down every cliche about life that she could think of and tried to squeeze them all into one essay, which is what this book really is. These include such things as "If you win the rat race, you are still a rat" and "Life is a journey not a destination." If you can think of any others it is probobly in here. In closing the book fails utterly to enlighten. It's real success seems to come not from enlightening the reader, but in lining the pockets of the publisher. Save your money, and spend it on something a little less trite.

I really liked this little book. The pictures are really cool, and the comments on what it takes to be happy are good reminders, like:

-- Being a good spouse, mother and friend
-- Laughing, listening and just showing up
-- Keeping still and being present
-- Being generous
-- Remembering to live instead of just exist...and many more

This is a very quick read, so it's easy to pull it out again from time to time to remind us of what's really important. It would make a nice gift book, too.

The advice in this book is old stuff. Quindlen writes about living in the moment, feeling happiness, finding the positive in your life, and appreciating what you have because it may be our last day on earth type of stuff. There was not one original "lesson" here. I have read this and heard it on TV shows over and over. There is nothing new here.
There are little stories intended to illustrate the point and to expand on how Quindlen arrived at her advice. The lessons are not "deep" either. There were no stories that were remarkable and the worst was the story of the homeless man loving his life because he gets to sit on a pier and appreciate the view of the sea.
The title states this is a short guide: take that literally. Not only is the size of the page very small but there are many photos that take up a whole page and there are wide margins and lots of white space on each page. The entire book took me less than 10 minutes to read and I am not a speed-reader. The photographs don't bear any relation to the text at all and I couldn't figure out the logic of why these were chosen for the book. The subjects of the photos vary greatly in subject matter: lighthouses and seashores, people, etc. I think the photos could have been better chosen to somehow relate to what was being written about.
Perhaps this advice would be new to someone such as a high school graduate or for someone who has not yet realized that life is short and to enjoy the moment. I bet this was written as a little gift book to be given to teenagers or young adults, perhaps by an adult who feels the younger person wouldn't listen to their advice so better to convey it through an easy and fast read!
If you are a mother of young children in search of reminders to live life to the fullest and appreciate your children and your life now then I recommend "Mitten Strings for God". Another great book was written by a father to his 16 year old son with life advice is "Letters of a Businessman to His Son" which has great advice for both genders but makes a great gift book for high school graduates. Anything by Robert Fulghum also is fast and easy reading full of lessons about life.

I picked this little book up as an impulse purchase - - it was on display by the cashier at my local bookstore. The title of the book and the reputation of the author, who I have enjoyed reading in the past, told me that this should be a good read. What it is is a quick read - - had I seen it anywhere else in the bookstore I would have read the whole thing in about 5 minutes and saved myself the money. It is ostensibly 50 pages, but one can see how the publisher struggled to get there - - the text is double spaced and over half of the pages consist of stock black and white photos that seem to be unrelated to Ms. Quindlen's pitifully short text. The writing consists mostly of trite, well-worn stock platitudes, such as "life is a journey, not a destination", "no one on their deathbed ever wished they spent more time at the office", etc. No deep insights here. I expected much more from the pulitzer prize winning columnist - - I feel that she is ripping us off with this one. Read it in the bookstore if you're curious, but save your money for something else.

This book will make you appreciate your life and be thankful for what you have. It will definitely give you a new perspective on living. I loved the black and white pictures in the book. Somehow they are able to convey the most peaceful and tranquil feelings. Every time I need to lift my spirits I read this book. It has made me learn to take the time to "stop and smell the roses!"

This little booklet is an extended greeting card. It has a lot of white space, a lot of pictures, and enough greeting card thoughts to give some people a warm feeling. There is a lot more to living than taking a moment to have a warm feeling. We can all write a book like this: "Happiness is holding a purring kitten or playing with a joyful puppy." Here's another one: "Look closely at your child's face. Your child will grow and you will miss that child's innocent expression." If you want a small, simple giftbook with pretty pictures and thoughtful ideas I recommend instead, "Timeless Values", a Helen Exley Giftbook. If you really want a guide to a happy life, I recommend "Achieve Lasting Happiness, Timeless Secrets to Transform Your Life," by Robert Canright. This is a book that can change your life.

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.

Sometimes the best things really do come in small packages. It is precisely because of the length that Anna Quindlen's little book was just what I needed. I think this will make a wonderful gift to anyone who is in the hospital, recovering from a traumatic event, or simply taking time to reflect on what's most important in life. It's not just about getting a life, but recognizing how intensely precious the life you have really is. You never know how much the things and people you take for granted are worth until they're gone. Why wait?

I borrowed this ebook from my local public library and read it on my Kindle.

While I found some of the text inspiring, it was so short - 218 locations, most of which come in the form of photos - that I never felt I sank into it.

Would I read more by this author? Not sure. This wasn't enough to help me decide.

I was terribly disappointed by "A Short Guide to a Happy Life." An avid Anna Quindlen fan, I bought it with huge anticipation and brought it to a restaurant lunch by myself where I could savor it. But I was halfway through the book before I realized I wasn't reading the introduction; in fact, I was reading the book itself. Wah! I finished it before the end of the meal, and I was still hungry on both counts.
Save your money and read it at the bookstore.