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I came across this book whilst viewing the online material the Wellcome Collection has put together for its Happiness project. I have been interested in happiness as it touches on so many other areas of our lives and is for many people the ultimate goal and therefore if we want a better life shouldn’t we pursue this.
Sophie Hannah, a fellow Agatha Christie fanatic who writes Poirot novels commissioned by the Agatha Christie estate, has a deep interest in self-help and has written her own novel on the topic. The writing style in this book is not for everyone; it feels frenetic and often a stream of consciousness, however I found this endearing and created a sense of intimacy. The format like her fiction is a mystery outlining both the philosophical greats' view of happiness alongside those of popular self-help influencers.
"Perhaps the truth is that I don't want to get my happiness-mystery solution from Aristotle, Schopenhauer or Katherine. I want to find it myself. I don't want to be helped or saved by a Poirot equivalent. I want to be the Poirot in my own life."
The juxtaposition may trouble some as the explanations of those historical figures is succinct whereas her heroine Brooke Castillo's own philosophy covers vast swathes of the book, but she still has a healthy critique of her work. The most interesting part of the book was her life coach sessions where the back and forth was intriguing and more combative then I imagine many sessions are.
I think if you are interested in self-help or the coaching world it will give you a critical perspective and some food for thought, will it get you closer to happiness I’m not sure. The ending which I will not reveal here does in a rather mind-bending way come to a satisfactory conclusion.
I came across this book whilst viewing the online material the Wellcome Collection has put together for its Happiness project. I have been interested in happiness as it touches on so many other areas of our lives and is for many people the ultimate goal and therefore if we want a better life shouldn’t we pursue this.
Sophie Hannah, a fellow Agatha Christie fanatic who writes Poirot novels commissioned by the Agatha Christie estate, has a deep interest in self-help and has written her own novel on the topic. The writing style in this book is not for everyone; it feels frenetic and often a stream of consciousness, however I found this endearing and created a sense of intimacy. The format like her fiction is a mystery outlining both the philosophical greats' view of happiness alongside those of popular self-help influencers.
"Perhaps the truth is that I don't want to get my happiness-mystery solution from Aristotle, Schopenhauer or Katherine. I want to find it myself. I don't want to be helped or saved by a Poirot equivalent. I want to be the Poirot in my own life."
The juxtaposition may trouble some as the explanations of those historical figures is succinct whereas her heroine Brooke Castillo's own philosophy covers vast swathes of the book, but she still has a healthy critique of her work. The most interesting part of the book was her life coach sessions where the back and forth was intriguing and more combative then I imagine many sessions are.
I think if you are interested in self-help or the coaching world it will give you a critical perspective and some food for thought, will it get you closer to happiness I’m not sure. The ending which I will not reveal here does in a rather mind-bending way come to a satisfactory conclusion.
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