Psychological nuclear energyOctober 4, 2008 4 out of 5 found this review helpful
As its more tangible counterpart, this information can destroy or sustain. From one standpoint I am just glad to have a pretty well organized blueprint of human actions: a lens through which I can categorize things I see. Personally, I intend to take it no further than to add some spice to certain relationships (and to wary myself against manipulative behavior): a pretty narrow application, I admit, but I'd have paid far more than $10 to get this information.
To whom does the book apply?
Seduction is a very general term. In that sense everybody needs to know more about, or how to defend against it because you WILL be seduced at several points in your life and it is likely that at least one of those events will significantly alter your future. HOWEVER, the book itself is far too corrupting for some reader groups, and a pretty obvious subject is divulged in far more than others. Definitely, as far as teens are concerned I wouldn't have them read this directly - but in the hands of a concerned parent or someone who can see beyond the sexual overtones, or maybe even use them beneficially in their marriage {though I can imagine ruined relationships due to too brusque experimentation} it CAN {and that's really the operative word here} give you insights into the human psyche like few books you're likely to read: if you choose to, you can spend minutes meditating on each page and even more trying to link a chain between various parts of the book to a particular situation in your life. IMO, there's that much good content.
I've read my share of books: just finishing a very good 'The World is Flat', but 'The Art of Seduction' is the first that I consider a member of the 'red hot' category: my highest tier of books, to which I have not yet added one. What sets it apart from 'sequential books' that are unable to escape their content is that it provides a solid informational foundation for the thought process it instigates. That framework to me is the most valuable contribution - even if the author, and certainly some of the reviewers who got stuck on 'this book is bad because it advocates this, or that' only intended or noticed a prescribed linear applicative methodology.
There are those who, in regards to 'The Art of Seduction,' aim to a) get too much ...
The book itself, is massive, and overwhelming - lives of famous lovers and courtesans cover only a few pages each, and the fascinating lifestyle can make the gullible experiment with things they're not ready for - indeed no one person embodies the full raucousness enclosed, but it is alluring to try to grasp it all as a reader.
b) get too little ...
To treat it as a 20th or 21st century self-help book, where the main effort expounded is in the uncovering of the procedure by the author, misses the point.
What this is, is a very interesting and well-expressed beginner/intermediate course in psychology whose practicability depends on how much you want to meditate and use to unlock certain aspects of your life: how much you get out of it depends far more on YOU than other texts. It will require a lot more imagination because the real deep learning in this scenario many times cannot be 1-to-1 applied (few are likely to live even one or two of the circumstances described, but one can definitely learn from EACH) - I believe this lack of perception is the motive for some of the negative reviews, though some of the positives probably equidistantly veer in the opposite direction (a shallow fascination with the admittedly very interesting and well narrated anecdotes.)
So for all those who want a 1-2-3 book to picking up a 36-24-36 chick, look elsewhere and spare a good literary work your equally-weighted terrible reviews. As James discovered, 'This is not much of a self-help.' Shattered expectations, however, are not equivalent to bad content.
[Self-help books are the 'cheat-sheets' for life, but Casanova didn't have a step by step program for wooing women. Knowledge and insight generate actions when inflexible techniques fall short. They both have their uses however, particularly with self-help books helping to add a focus to the 'how' that they 'why' books sometimes lack]
Reality Check!August 24, 2008 This book is absolutely fascinating! The historic relations to the content is helpful and provides even more insight throughout the chapters. The book wastes NO time with puffy sentences or grand introductions.... instead the author's every sentence has substance, and you begin to actually learn something right from the beginning. The book is a great tool to completely rebuild yourelf, as well as teaching you the 'art of seduction.' The book is intellegent and complex, yet it's written in a way that is easy to comprehend because it deals directly with its title. The book never loses the focus, and it is on point from beginning to end.
The chapters/sections are just flat out amazing... it's like the proverbial 'light bulb' turning on in your head.
Not only does the book support its title, but it's also a great description of the human condition in general.
Very objective - Provides factual evidence - Non-biased - And downright illuminating.
Better books out thereAugust 19, 2008 0 out of 5 found this review helpful
I just read Mystery's book, then the new book by Billy Conroy, then this book. Kind of a crash course in picking up women. Unfortunately, this book was third best. I enjoyed Cougars, Poptarts & One Night Stands much better, making it difficult to finish this one. Not enough real world examples here, and not enough laughter. JMO.
Seduction as an artJuly 31, 2008 2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book covers certain concepts and ideas that you have probably been exposed to throughout your life, however the eloquent and exotic stories the author had woven into each chapters make his arguments potent. Even if you do not agree with the methods this book offers, you will still enjoy reading about it. i also recommend for this kind of topic my favorite book I Love You. Now What?: Falling in Love is a Mystery, Keeping It Isn't
Decent, but Greene's other books are better.July 6, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I wasn't really impressed by this book as much as I was by 48 Law of Power. The Art of Seduction was more of a history book that wasn't very well organized. Don't get me wrong, you'll probably be able to pick up a few tips and tricks from this book, but if you want more of a manual on seduction, check out some other authors (Neil Strauss, etc). Art of Seduction is decent, but I really just should have spent my time re-reading The 48 Laws of Power.
