Personally im not a big reader anyway but came across this and am so glad i did. I couldn't put it down. I chose to skip straight to a chapter called a broken heart to see if i liked the style of writing. so interesting as it seems to be of a pessimistic stance but i found myself agreeing. For the price its a bargain.

If you have any interest in philosophy this book is fantastic! If you have any interest in the world this book is fantastic! Such a great into to philosophy and so engrossing, not too academic and very easy to read. Read this book and let it open your mind.

A beautifully written and entertaining introduction to the way in which philosophy can console us in our daily lives. Socrates consoles us for our unpopularity. Epicurus consoles us for our lack of wealth. Seneca consoles us for frustration. Michel de Montaigne consoles us for all sorts of inadequacies, including sexual. Arthur Schopenhauer provides consolation for a broken heart, and Friedrich Nietzsche seems to have thought feeling wretched a virtue and consoles us for our difficulties.

I read this book on the train but generally only manage a few pages before some passage sends me off into a contemplation of my own. It is at once profound, humorous and down to earth. An excellent book with which to dip one's toe into philosophy, or, for those who have already been seduced, to recall why we were seduced in the first place.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the practocal values of philosophy for everyday life. It's easy to understand and enjoyable to read.