Elle reviewed Find The Good by Heather Lende
Warm and homely tales
5 stars
At its face, Find The Good is a kind of surface-level self-help book. Something to tell you how to live your life in a way that will make it better. That genre of product - quick easy solutions for complicated problems - tend to be vapid at best and dangerous at worst.
Here, I cannot say the intent of the author, but I don't feel like viewing the list of lessons provided as chapter titles are really what need to be taken away. The stories within these pages aren't simply a means to an end; they are accounts of deeply human experiences within small communities. They express the meaning of all the things we do, big and small, and the impact that has on those around us. Almost like a high quality textual people watching. People reading, if you will.
Presented from the perspective of the author, an …
At its face, Find The Good is a kind of surface-level self-help book. Something to tell you how to live your life in a way that will make it better. That genre of product - quick easy solutions for complicated problems - tend to be vapid at best and dangerous at worst.
Here, I cannot say the intent of the author, but I don't feel like viewing the list of lessons provided as chapter titles are really what need to be taken away. The stories within these pages aren't simply a means to an end; they are accounts of deeply human experiences within small communities. They express the meaning of all the things we do, big and small, and the impact that has on those around us. Almost like a high quality textual people watching. People reading, if you will.
Presented from the perspective of the author, an obituary writer and grandma, it does read like stories from grandma. That has its pros and cons, but it feels fitting in this particular context.
Feel The Good isn't going to instill profound lessons, but it is a collection of touching slices of life, and I think that's enough.