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Jan 13, 2011

Xirxe rated it:

Grundsätzlich: eine nette Idee. Wer ist nicht auf der Suche nach dem Glück und hätte gerne etwas Hilfe dabei? Völlig neue und überraschende Erkenntnisse sind jedoch nicht zu erwarten, im Großen und Ganzen sind wohl alle Ratschläge, Empfehlungen in irgendeiner Form schon in anderen Büchern erschienen.
Wirklich gestört haben mich zwei Dinge: Zum einen, dass es auf der Suche nach dem Glück scheinbar dazugehört, sich bei jeder Gelegenheit zu verlieben und eine Affäre zu beginnen (immerhin mit More...

5 comments like (6 people liked it)

Oct 18, 2010

Fleur rated it:

Hector is a psychiatrist. A successful psychiatrist who enjoys his job and is very good at it. Because he likes people and is interested in them.

But Hector had a concern. Why were so many people who had everything - career success, money, family, friends - not happy. It really worried him.

And that was why, when one of his patients told him that he looked tired, he decided to take a holiday. To travel the world and uncover the answer to the question that caused him so much More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Oct 18, 2010

Anne rated it:

Francoise Lelord has had a successful career as a psychiatrist in the USA and France, and now writes full-time.

'Hector and the Search for Happiness' is almost child-like in it's simplicity, yet is so intelligent. It's really difficult to compartmentalise this novel into any specific genre - it's fictionalised self-help in a way, and could be classed as a modern-day fable.

The lead character, Hector, is a psychiatrist, he is successful in his career and enjoys helping peop More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 17, 2011

Rose rated it:

I loved this book immensely! It was an utterly charming little book. I haven't been so amused & charmed & fallen in like with a main character this much since Mma Ramotswe from the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Hector's search in trying to understand what makes people happy or unhappy was touching & funny & quite insightful. Loved it. Can't wait to read book 2.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 08, 2012

astried rated it:

Maybe I've became cynical... I noticed I can't enjoy those philosophical full-of-meaning yet so straightforward kind of book anymore. Once upon a time I've loved Coelho's The Alchemist. I found it so profound and it enriched my life to the point of overflowing. Now I cringe each time I read deep-meaningful sentences. I run away from books that were marketed as insightful, life changing, etc. I bought Laskar Pelangi series for my mother and refused to touch it despite her being wax poetic about i More...

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Jun 16, 2011

Danielle rated it:

this is defintely a 'self-help' book in the guise of fiction. not buying it, but thanks for the boost in morale.

the long and short of it: this book explain therapy and medication and unhappiness and happiness. it does all this by having a psychiatrist, HECTOR!, travel and look at people's mundane lives, and analaze these lives and make assumpitons on what would make these lives better, and THEN calling these assumptions 'lessons on happiness.' he also finds happy people and " More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 01, 2011

Megan rated it:

I thought that this was an amazing book. I practically couldn't put it down, and the entire time I was reading it I felt like everybody I knew should read it.
I saw that this book got an average rating of about 3.5, and I think that's probably because of the simplicity of the book. The author was very careful to present people in almost generalities. I appreciated it, because although you find yourself wanting more detail because that's what you are used to, the fact of the matter is more de More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 30, 2011

Hana rated it:

I picked up this book because I was intrigued by the title, the artwork, and the idea that a psychiatrist might travel to other lands in pursuit of a formula for happiness. It's a fast read, and the writing is extremely elementary (some reviewers equate it to 5th grade level). At first, the child-like style was interesting, but it became increasingly annoying as the psychiatrist gets into some stupid situations, including his cheating (with no remorse whatsoever) on his lady-who-remained-at-home More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 02, 2011

Mackenzie rated it:

This is not usually the kind of book I read. The first thing that caught my attention was the cute-looking cover. It was so pleasant to look at that I couldn't help myself and bought it. When I read the introduction and the first few pages, I was immediately reminded of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist and Mitch Albom's Five People You Meet In Heaven. It seemed like that type of books that tried to 'spiritualize' its readers by churning out life lessons and whatnot through a fictional tale... which More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 11, 2011

Corrisande rated it:

Ob seiner "Kindischen Sprache" oder seiner "mangelnden Ratschläge" wird Lelords Hectors Reise von dem ein oder anderen kritisiert. Ein (kleiner) Roman von einem Psychiater, der sich aufmacht herauszufinden, was Glück wirklich ist, weil er seine Patienten nicht wirklich glücklich zu machen vermag.
Schnelle Ratschläge zum Glück findet man hier natürlich nicht (aber mal im Ernst: Wer das sucht, möge erfolglos einen der abertausenden Ratgeber lesen, die zu diesem Zwecke da More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 15, 2011

Annisa rated it:

“Questions : Is happiness simply a chemical reaction in the brain?”

Sukaaaa.. Banget sama buku kecil ini.. Kalo The Alchemist nya Paulo Cuelho membuat kita mempertanyakan tujuan hidup dan merenung dalam, maka buku tentang pencarian arti kebahagiaan ini akan membuat kita tersenyum simpul dan berucap “Oh iya ya..”.. Simpel tapi bener banget.

Bercerita tentang Hector, seorang pshychiatrist di sebuah negara yang makmur dan aman dimana penduduknya rata-rata berkecukupan, namun m More...

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Nov 07, 2010

Dale rated it:

This is a novel about a psychiatrist who begins to wonder why so many of his patients are well-off, healthy, and have very few substantial problems, yet are unhappy. He wonders what is the secret to happiness and decides to go on a quest to find out. He travels around the world, to places where he has friends, and makes an effort to be attentive and to write down his observations about what makes people happy or unhappy.

The novel is written as a kind of children's story (though there i More...

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Oct 18, 2010

Gigi rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 14, 2011

Thebruce1314 rated it:

I found this book on the clearance shelf at Borders and I'm very glad that I didn't pay full price for it. The book is a simple story about a psychiatrist who travels the world looking for the basis of happiness in different cultures. The author - a real psychiatrist - comes off as preachy and patronising to the reader, making assumptions that the average person doesn't understand basic terms and situations encountered in the course of Hector's travels. While I admit that some of the lessons More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 24, 2011

Nikzad rated it:

This was my first “pop-psychology” book, and I got it for free. The first few pages were good and didn't sound like the usual cliché; the author was hinting at more fundamental problems like the empty depression of the middle class as opposed to the more fundamental problems of the poor and less-privileged. I guessed it was hinting on the unfair class system pertinent to the modern world societies. At least the author starts his quest to quantify and understand “happiness” based on such paradoxe More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 06, 2011

Connie rated it:

This book is entertaining and informaative especially if you are into The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. There are many good quotes and insights into happiness. It appealed to me. At first it reminded me of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The writing style is similar--like a children's book, but it is not a children's book. It would have to be rated PG or PG13 because of one word, and the sex which is actually described as 'that thing that people in love do',

In his quest f More...

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Jan 07, 2012

Katy rated it:

I came across this book randomly while I was at the library, and read the first few pages of it. The narration of the book immediately reminded me of the narration used in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (film), which I loved - quirky, odd, funny. I thought because of the narration, along with the subject (searching for happiness), I would this a fun little read. Though I did find it fun, I sorta found it quite boring. There isn't really much that held me together to keep reading, though I did More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 13, 2011

Pegah rated it:

Es war einmal ein ziemlich guter Psychiater..., der auch ein ziemlich gutes Buch schrieb um das Geheimnis des Glücks zu entdecken.
Wenn man das Buch gelesen hat, weisst man kein bisschen mehr übers Glück, aber ist man irgendwie glücklicher,

oder war's wieder der Champagner?!!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 02, 2011

willaful rated it:

A well-meaning and caring psychiatrist with an unexpectedly complicated love life goes on a journey to discover the truth about happiness in this interestingly quirky, but ultimately rather disappointing book. It’s written in a deliberately simple style, with enough echoes to make comparisons to The Little Prince inevitable, but unlike that book, the ultimate message seems pretty trite and not especially touching. Will likely read the next one though, since this was reasonably entertaining and q More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 20, 2011

Eileen rated it:

A uniquely simple (and short!) story about the lessons one man learns about happiness as he expands his horizons and travels the world. Hector, a psychiatrist who is ultimately unsatisfied with his life, decides to travel and visit friends in China, Africa, and the land of More (a very accurate description of the United States, in my opinion) to find out as much as he can about happiness- what causes it, what the results of having or not having are, and how one can obtain it. It is humorous, de More...

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Apr 11, 2011

Laurenlhorsley rated it:

I am admittedly a sucker for any story that follows an inventive character's journey around the world, especially when it involves a quest for self-discovery. So I'm quite sure I was unduly charmed by Hector's quirky (mis)adventures, making me willing to overlook his sometimes-overly-simplistic observations on happiness. However, there are definite kernels of wisdom interspersed throughout this novel and because they are laced with a decent sprinkling of wit and clever observation, I couldn't More...

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Feb 08, 2012

Molly rated it:

I'm giving this book a slightly better review than I would normally because I think it will spark discussion at book club, and that is a good thing! I typically like books like this, that have a light tone (see On Loveand The Tao Of Pooh) but this felt like the author was talking down to the reader... perhaps something was lost in translation. Certainly there were some great passages int his book, and for that, I give it 4 stars! More...

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Mar 01, 2011

Big Apple Book Addict rated it:

This is going to be a short post because Hector and the Search for Happiness is a quick and enjoyable read. I picked this book up because of the simplistic cover. I loved the art and the color scheme. Just under 200 pages, you travel the world with Hector (a psychiatrist who has noticed that many of his well-off, successful patients are not happy) as he attempts to find the meaning of happiness. It is an interesting journey told in short chapters and while his findings are by no means definit More...

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Oct 18, 2010

Alexa rated it:

I really liked the idea behind this story and it certainly made a lot of good points, but I found the writing very childlike and I felt completely disconnected from every character. I like feeling included in a story and here I felt as though I was an outsider, looking in on a journey to which I was not invited.

There were some really great and very funny quotes in this book. The one that stood out the most and made me pause to think was when Hector's friend in America tells him somet More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 22, 2011

Erin rated it:

I was desiring a quick read, and this fit the bill. The title was a source of curiosity, after all happiness is an important thing, but unfortunately it fell short of enlightening. At times Lelord's parable was a bit trite. It struck me that Hector's journey seemed to follow a strong western notion of looking to other cultures to understand one's own, which drudged up the notion of colonizing methodologies/ideologies. I will not begin a rant on this topic for all of our sakes ;) In short, it is More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 26, 2011

Bonnie rated it:

This was a sweet story and quick read that is exactly what you expect it to be. The premise is a psychiatrist visiting several different countries in search of what makes people happy. By the end he has been to four continents and discovered around 20 "lessons" on how to be happy. The back of the book describes it as part "The Little Prince," one of my favorites, and part "The Alchemist," which I'm about to read, and from what I know of both I'd have to agree. A bit More...

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Jan 15, 2011

Brianne rated it:

This could quite possibly be the cutest, sweetest book I have read in a really long time. A light, quick read, Hector and the Search for Happiness reminds us that sometimes books don't have to be overtly literary or speak to some higher cause other than making us happy. The book follows the story of Hector, a psychiatrist, as he tries to figure out just what makes people happy. His travels and the results that he finds are not all that surprising, but incredibly sweet and telling. We all forget More...

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Jan 04, 2011

L3xicon6 rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Dec 10, 2010

Jackie rated it:

This book is sneaky. It seems like a simple story, told in a tone that is reminiscent of fairy tales made to be read to children (though it is translated from French, which may be adding to the formality of it). However, some powerful insights are packed into this little paperback. Hector, a psychiatrist, goes on a globe trotting quest to find out what happiness is made of. He ends up with a list of 22 (it would have been 23, but he scratched #18 out) things that help to create happiness. More...

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Jan 16, 2012

Ines rated it:

I'm not sure why, but I really enjoyed this book considering it's in the realm of fiction. I became addicted to it as soon as I speed-read through the first chapter. I have a fondness towards psychiatrists and the fact that Hector is one and is searching for happiness in life as he jots them in his own book intrigues me. It's quite an easy and pleasing read. And what I mean is, if you're going through a bout of depression and need to be lifted but not bombarded, this will work. Or if you're goin More...

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