[EN] The Secret - Rhonda Byrne

Title: The Secret
Author: Rhonda Byrne
Publisher: Atria Books
Release date: 2006
Pages: 198

 

* Love and gratitude can part seas, move mountains, and create miracles.*
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It has been passed down through the ages, highly coveted, hidden, lost stolen, and bought for vast sums of money. This centuries-old Secret has been understood by some of the most proeminent people in history: Plato, Galileo, Beethoven, Edison, Carnegie, Einstein - along with other inventors, theologians, scientists, and great thinkers. Now, The Secret is being revealed to the world.

The Secret is a book that really suprised me. First of all, I must admit I do not usually read this genre, so I did not really know what to expect. I was lent the book by a friend and I was quite excited by the idea of reading something completely different, although I suspected I would not enjoy it that much. I was wrong.

First of all, most readers will probably be attracted by the cover, the design and the back cover summary. If you do not know about the film or you have not read reviews of the book, you will be wondering about this amazing secret. What is it?

You will find out in the first pages what it is about, and I must say I was quite disappointed to start with. Is it as simple as that? Is it just this little thing everybody has heard about at least once at school that can change one’s life? But as I went on with my reading, I discover that it was actually much more interesting than what I had first thought and that I had never realise how much it meant in everyday life.

The organisation of the book is extremely clever and attractive. I would have read it only for its wonderful design. The pages are of this hardcover edition is of extremely good quality and is in imitation of an old book. There are several pictures, which are at the same time elegant and plain and do not disturb the eye during the reading. Various fonts are used as well to help us make the distinction between the different kinds of information given: a basic one for the general advice, an italic one for proverbs, sayings and explanations given by famous people, an ornamental one for the titles of the different parts… It is not that easy to describe, but believe me, the visual effect is amazing.

As I have just mentioned, there are not only the author’s advice but also a great range of proverbs and quotations. I liked that because everything is illustrated by one of these and it gives the whole book a light style. Also, the book is divided in short parts, which first describe the secret and then how it can be used in various areas of life (for instance for money, health, relationships… etc.) At the end of each chapter, there is a short summary with a bullet-point list of advice to follow. So if you do not want to read each part, you can have a little insight of what is said in it.

Another good point is that you do not have to read these parts in the right order (except the first few ones, where the basic ideas are explained). You do not have to read it all in a row either. Personally, I enjoyed being able to read one little chapter every now and then… and still understanding what was said.

Regarding the advice, my opinion is a little more complicated to express. As I said, I do not read self-help guides so I cannot compare it with anything else. However, I found that some of the tips given were very interesting and can be used easily by anybody in their daily life. So The Secret was an interesting discovery for me and I especially enjoyed the wonderful design. It will make you conscious of how much control you have over your own life and give you interesting advice that you can then choose to follow or not to follow…

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Thanks Kim for lending me your book