Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-04
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

Synopsis
Once known only by an elite who were unwilling to share their knowledge of the power, 'the secret' of obtaining anything you desire is now revealed by prominent physicists, authors and philosophers as being based in the universal Law of Attraction. And the good news is that anyone can access its power to bring themselves health, wealth and happiness. Fragments of The Secret have been found in oral traditions, literature, religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. A number of the exceptional people who discovered its power went on to become regarded as the greatest human beings who ever lived. Among them: Plato, Leonardo, Galileo and Einstein. Now 'the secret' is being shared with the world. Beautiful in its simplicity, and mind-dazzling in its ability to really work, The Secret reveals the mystery of the hidden potential within us all. By unifying leading-edge scientific thought with ancient wisdom and spirituality, the riveting, practical knowledge will lead readers to a greater understanding of how they can be the masters of their own lives.

Customer Reviews

Some good ideas, must try harder. C-
Reading this book is like being told about a great film by someone who saw it on a plane; shoddily related and in danger of ruining a good thing for you.
You know what it's about by now. As a science student this book appalled me - the writing standard is shocking. There's no real structure, quotes are miscellaneous. If you read the first ten pages you can stop, because you won't learn anything new after that. If I handed this in to my lecturers, I thought, I'd be in real danger of failing, positive thinking or no.
The worst part is that some really interesting ideas are presented here, they're just presented in such a frivolous manner! As if exclamation marks explain everything! It's infuriating, and a waste considering that a lot of people are discovering these ideas through this book. Frankly I cannot believe it was allowed into print as it stands. It simply isn't good enough.
There's also a pervading attitude towards hard work that's at best misleading and at worst dangerous. The only mention of actually working towards your goals is to say that it should feel easy, when the success stories presented are of people who worked for it. I can't say whether it was easy for them or not, but the notion of working is completely skipped over. You could argue that getting what you want without working for it is the crux of this particular book, (though not necessarily the ideas it's based on), and this is an entirely personal viewpoint, but you shouldn't look to get through life without working for what you have. You'll be so much better for it. Bear in mind how biased that makes my review as I seem to disagree with the core of this book, but I can't help but feel I could be far more objective if the book in question were written by a more capable author.
Clearly I've highlighted far too many flaws to recommend this book; it would lose none of its value if someone else read it and summed it up for you. By reading these reviews you've negated the need for it. If it's self-help you want I'm sure there are better sources out there. As an authority on the Law of Attraction it's worth a glance, (at someone else's copy), as long as you accept straight off that it's an interpretation, and a poorly written one at that.

The best kept secret...is not a secret at all.
The secret is simple: Think positive thoughts and the world will be your oyster. Dwell on negative thoughts and your life will spiral to the abyss; although Byrne, it has to be noted, explains it with far more melodrama.

Ok, so maybe The Secret isn't really that much of a secret after all. Although, when almost every other paragraph of this book is a quote from some chap announcing just how amazing the secret is and just how lucky you are that the author is sharing it with you - one is left wondering whether they are not missing something.

Don't get me wrong, I actually feel that this book carries a very important message, but I honestly believe that the whole thing could be reduced to just one page. The majority of the text is just an endless repetition of the same principle. Just when you feel Byrne is starting to elaborate on putting The Secret into practice - such as when she suggests Meditation as a way of enriching life - the text becomes ambiguous and Byrne reveals nothing more than what I've written in the first paragraph of this review. E.g., she writes: "Three to ten minutes a day to begin with can be incredibly powerful for gaining control of your thoughts". But no further insight into meditation is given, no tips, suggestions of techniques to try or anything of the sort. Instead, the book repeats itself endlessly and you are left wondering if Byrne was getting paid by the page.

There are also many false statements in this book that didn't fail to annoy me. Such as, "Einstein knew a great deal of the secret and he said `thank you' hundreds of times each day. He thanked all the great scientists who had preceded him for their contributions..." I'm sorry but Byrne doesn't seem to be speaking in a metaphorical sense here, so where is her justification for stating this? And statements such as "Diet's don't work," when she explains that in her opinion, by focusing on loosing weight, "you will attract back having to loose more weight." This second statement aside, I'm sure there are many people out there who have dieted successfully. These are just two examples of the flawed logic Byrne utilises throughout her book.

If I am going to look for good points in the book then I would admit that it is easy to read and the way it is spaced out really helps with this, but again this just fuels me to believe that Byrne is trying to make her book as thick as she can.

Overall I can appreciate the concept of this book but what maddens me is the way she drags it out and patronises the reader by continually dressing up the secret as something utterly amazing. Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the impression she just wanted quick and easy money with this book full of other people's quotes and endlessly repetitive dogmatic drivel. I'm sure there must be better "self-help" books out there, but unfortunately I am unable to recommend any myself as it is not a genre I usually read. I would, however, encourage anyone who is tempted to buy this book from Amazon, just to flick through its pages in a bookstore or a library first - maybe then you'll see what I mean. After you have done this - wash your hands with plenty of soap (only kidding) and think instead about looking into NLP. Maybe consider buying Introducing NLP Neuro-Linguistic Programming by Joseph O'Connor and John Seymour. This book, though still an easy read, is not nearly so insulting to your intelligence.

Not So Secret
In my opinion, totally unoriginal. The professed "secret" I don't believe is any secret at all. This information has been purported and regurgitated throughout the ages. The 'law of attraction' is no secret, it's just been peddled to the masses in a variety of different ways with different labels attached.

Sure, the law of attraction can work, but nowhere near as profoundly as this incredible, earth-shattering book "The Secret" would have us believe.

It's delivered in typical glossed-up, info-mercial style blockbusting presentation. But the initial excitement, novelty and ensuing adrenalin rush soon wear off when nothing life changing seems to happen.

All in all an entertaining read and an interesting concept, and it does have some merit, but don't expect instant miracles, and don't hold your breath waiting for the miraculous to happen.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton