The Art of Conversation: How Talking Improves Lives Paperback – 3 Sept. 2009

Now a permanent item in my library.

A wonderful book to remind us of the joys of human contact of the platonic kind, and how much richness of life we lose when we dismiss and ignore it.The central message of the book is that to have a good conversation: listen, pay attention to the other person and be interested. The message is delivered in many charming and different ways, through anecdotes, psychology, philosophy, literature, history and humour.Anyone can follow her advice, and if you do, you'll have lots of friends, a loving partner and everyone will think you're wonderful. A deep and valuable message despite its lightness of touch and apparent frivolity. Enjoy the book and then go out and listen (with warmth). That's a gift you can give the world.

Liked some of the ideas in this book but the author undermines her point by her choice of vocabulary, sentence structure and clarity of thought. Her ideas and references jump around making it sometimes difficult to follow her line of thought. Also while I thought her statements interesting I found them suspect. For instance she suggests that the trend towards depression in S Korean youth is due to a lack of conversation. Yet she glosses over the detail of their situation which read to me like bad science- to use Ben Goldacres term. The tone reads like a newspaper or magazine article in which the writer needs to be witty but does not have the word count to be insightful.

Ms Blyth's verbose and over-engineered structures make for some very irritating reading. Although the book does contain a few interesting ideas, unfortunately the reader is left to drown in a soup of convoluted, confusing prose which proves to be totally counter-productive to understanding and enjoying the work. I managed to finish it off... hopefully I won' t have to repeat the experience!

Not quite what I was hoping for. As a bit of a wallflower, I expected a book giving a strategy for guiding me through the maze of conversation, some ideas for navigating its dead ends and reaching the other side feeling I had at least attempted to find my own way there. What one gets is an essay on the thoughts of an admittedly witty and interesting author: how she dances her way through a conversation, reminiscent of the style of Peter Ustinov or similar social luminaries, full of anecdotes and observation.I have yet to finish this book, as it is now consigned to a category of 'interesting and entertaining' but I have not found much in the way of 'informing.' In her Introductory Chapter "We Need to Talk" in the section "There is no Right Way" Catherine Blyth mentions a 'scary novelist' whom she feels is sceptical about her qualifications. '... You'd better be bloody good at it' he advises her, and I am, so far, not convinced.

I bought this book because I felt it could be interesting. It is very informative on conversations, great analysis on a topic that is of such a fluid nature. Don't get me wrong, it is not a scientific book on the subject. It can be called a discussion. It is quite entertaining at times, and well structured. It covers a lot of topics on conversations and keeps it interesting. If you'd like to better your skills, the book may serve for that.However... Quite often, the language of the book is really tiring. As English is not my native tongue, I had assumed that it may be my problem. Then out of curiosity, I checked the reviews on the Amazon USA site to find the very same opinions. The style of writing can be exemplified by calling a "good book" a "literary marvel on A5 parchments masqueraded between two previously-wood-now-covers". In short, it seems as if the writer tried really hard at times.But if you don't mind that style, which does turn out to be quite witty sometimes as well, you will probably enjoy the book. I would definitely recommend it.Shortly: On the back side of the cover, there's a Sunday Times review which says "Terribly smart and witty". I almost agree with that. It is sometimes terrible but mostly smart and witty.

This is an excellent book written by a promising new author of obvious talent. the author has used her wit and erudition to create a charming little book about an often neglected subject. This book addresses the topic of conversation in all its various forms and situations fairly comprehensively. The author, in the first chapter and indeed throughout the book, presents the case for conversation successfully. It can be a little florid at times, but I am sure this is only the result of the author's vast acquaintance with the English language and also the writer's unquenchable enthusiasm on this particular subject. The book is well written with a rich vocabulary, it is often quite insightful, contains many interesting anecdotes, and lots of useful tips, complemented by a pleasing design. The book uses the anecdotes and stories to good effect by drawing many reasonable conclusions from them. The book is aesthetically satisfying in both its writing and design. It is interesting, informative, useful and a pleasure to read. All in all this is a great book which I would highly recommend.

I don't really consider myself one of life's natural converationalists, so I approached this book with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation, hoping for something light and entertaining, but fearing a self-help manual. Actually, I was delighted to discover that this book provides the best of both. Blyth has a lovely, light tone and a somewhat drôle air, and her guide through this "neglected pleasure" is a joy from start to finish. It's light enough that you can dip in and out, enjoying the anecdotes, but it's also well-researched and sage enough that I do believe that it has even taught me a few pointers on how to improve my own conversational life. Perhaps you can teach an old dog new tricks after all.If this is the author's first book, then I'm very much looking forward to her future output. It's beautifully written and the words simply skip off the page - it's like reading Dorothy Parker without any overly-acidic undertones.A joy and highly recommended.

Big gaps in understanding this book. Couldn’t figure out her writing. A couple of good things when the language is in English though. If I wrote a bit like the the author my review would say…In the annals of literary history, there occasionally emerges a tome so bedecked with linguistic flourishes and verbal arabesques that it transcends the mere act of reading and metamorphoses into an arduous expedition through a baroque tapestry of convoluted prose. Such is the fate of this book, , a magnum opus that, alas, finds itself ensnared in the very nets of its own overambitious diction.One might imagine that the author, in a fervent endeavor to craft a masterpiece of unparalleled erudition, has instead forged a labyrinthine narrative replete with sentences so recondite and adorned with such an excess of adjectival and adverbial embellishments that the reader is left gasping for the simplest of semantic clarities.

Well written, entertaining AND a wealth of practical tips to improve your conversation skills.

Awesome Book ...Must Buy !!!

A thoroughly enjoyable read. The book makes an excellent case for learning to enjoy the pleasure of conversation in a modern world. The author displays a sharp wit and adroitly weaves in an eclectic array of examples to gently chide, educate, and deliver practical advice.As you read you find yourself being drawn in and agreeing with the author, which perhaps is a testament to the same skills being taught in the book itself. She is clearly a erudite woman and has packed a lot of good information in a small space. You'll learn a lot about conversation and get quite of few laughs too. It is definitely a book I will reread in the future and highly recommend to friends.

You have to be as lame as me to think about buying this book !