The Little Things

Product Information

It is a surprise to me to rate a book at 5 stars, there being so few great works to be easily found. I loved this book. Enrapturing throughout for me. There's hardly an exception where I would not prefer to have a book in physical form rather than have the audio version. This is different. I want both the audio and physical book, the last to mark well and refer to. The advantage in any arena of life is earned far in advance of the moment when its required to perform." So, what is it that kept me so intrigued you ask? Multiple layers of deceit. The mysterious reasons behind running away from London. The odd stranger that has taken sudden interest into both mother and daughter, Rachel and Vivian. The toxicity seeping through to the surface threatening to infect all around. It’s a slow burn of a story but one that is absolutely worth the cerebral investment. The narrative is really where this story is at its strongest – the feeling of a threatening shadow just creeping into the corners of your vision was palpable. What’s going to be revealed? This is a story that will have to be torn out of your hand to get your attention on something else! Emma Dodd's illustration and book design always feel very special, and The Little Things makes gorgeous use of gold foil throughout, which is sure to enthral little ones and could also make this book a very nice gift.

He writes that a person cannot achieve beyond what they really believe to be the truth about themselves. ‏‏What a person really believes is so powerful that their belief actually controls their behavior. He tells us that we should spend less time setting goals to satisfy the expectations of other people and use more time to concentrate fully upon legitimately increasing the level of what we really and truly believe is possible. And he tells us that this can only be done by aligning ourselves on a course to pursue the life that God has identified for us as the very best. The suspense builds up gradually and the crimes and events are revealed gradually. Now I have finished the book I can say that I enjoyed it and can appreciate the build up of the story, but around half way I was getting a little bogged down with the book . The voices of the teenage Vivian and her mother do ring true. their relationship is fairly disjointed and you hear from both about this. Some chapters are set in the past and although you know that an event has taken place which preceded the move, it is not until later on that you know what actually happened. Vivian , especially comes to self realisation in the book. Please be aware: a person who obstinately chooses blindness is a dangerous step or two beyond mere pessimistic perspective. A gloomy way of seeing things is only a walk along an unguarded cliff. Choosing not to see the cliff at all, however, can be the end of everything. But I peaced out HARD around chapter 3, when he makes a valid point about not taking offense about things, and being able to control your own behavior regardless of your own emotions. Yes, that's good advice and I agree. Then things start falling apart slowly but surely, but Rachel keeps telling herself everything is ok … she’s in denial.

Paperback

He tells us that average people compare themselves to other people, while extraordinary achievers do not compare themselves to other people. Instead, they compare themselves to their own potential. ‏‏He tells us that if we want to be an extraordinary achiever, then we really do want to be different. To my friends; get this book please? To one never met; it might just be you that God wants to read/hear this. The Little Things covers similar territory to books like Together and Home is Where the Heart Is, with themes of love, tenderness and kindness. Like those books, it also follows a family through an entire day, from sunrise to sunset, which makes this a lovely, calming read for bedtime.

Again, it is important to note that for a time in my life, I chose to be blind. Because of that choice, I was blind not only to beauty; I also was blind to opportunity, to forgiveness, to the value in others, and a host of other things, material and spiritual. My rejection of these virtues at that time effectively neutralized any chance I might have had to pull myself into the light of a better life. The author is very proud of himself, which is ok, until you start to toot your own horn too much. I got tired of him telling us about how his books has been sold in so many countries, has been used by so many schools, and so on. He covers it a few times in a very short book. Really, his stories and thoughts stand well enough on their own and people would talk about him and his books even without him having to tell us how wonderful he is every chapter. This is definitely a story of escaping after trauma and not really dealing with it properly. Throughout the whole story you are left wondering what really happened in London, what lead to this character being like this. I really loved the spiral down into one of the characters depth and change of behaviour. The enhancement from sort of regular frustration at the world attitude to completely psychotic was so cleverly done. When I thought I had the big reveal worked out I couldn’t have been more wrong which actually I really loved because seeing it go a different way would have been very disturbing. Imagine as a mother, repeating that again and again whenever something strange happens around your child or when your child behaves in an unexpected manner.

Keep in touch

The point of view is the way we see things, blindness is the decision not to see anything. The choice of an unfavorable point of view is a limitation, and the choice of blindness is a tragedy. Mum Rachel and daughter Vivian moved away from London to get a fresh start. Or so they think. You find out later on in the book why they moved, and even more later on what really happened. Rachel knows that Vivian is a challenging girl, she always has been. But she seems naive to what Vivian is really like and only discovers this much later. Far too late.

Rachel and her daughter Vivian moved away from London 6 years ago in need of a fresh start, but why? What motivated the sudden move? When a young guy takes an interest in both mum and daughter all their secrets threaten to come to light. Assuming you read it or listen to it, which I would encourage because I love listening and talking with a close friend, doesn't that call into question this problem?;... These people are so far off the graph that most of their friends don’t really have a grasp on what they do. I have found that what they do is usually several things, and rarely do those enterprises seem to have any relation to one another. (c)

The book covers a wide range of thoughts, including chapters that will bring peace to your family, and some, when you harness what they teach, can make you a lot of money or turn your team into a winner. My favorite chapter is on change: "Change happens slowly" is a myth. Andy points out that a lot of change -- true change -- actually happens instantaneously. It may take time to prepare to change or to decide to change, but the actual change itself happens fast. Another myth: "A person must want to change." Actually, often change comes to you whether or not you want it. Ok, the work is the product of the author. And what is the product of this work? That would be you or I. What will be the product of this book? The answer is up to each one of us. I am sorry to admit few will answer well. If one aspires to a higher level of life, one will not reach it by following the path chosen by all others. Rachel and her daughter Vivian have left London to start a new life in a small town. Rachel is worried about Vivian, but at first things go quite well and she’s happy to see Vivian seems to have found friends at school and life feels good.