If you are given the chance to edit the ending of the story, how would you like it to end?

[kjoan]

I wish the whole book brought something fresh to the table. The book was basically a cycle of meet someone, scratch the surface of their experiences and then, even before things get interesting, jump to another person. I feel that that cycle wouldn't have allowed for any grand finale.

[Mercelle]

In my view, the book focuses on the author as the main character. The reason the minor characters get dropped like that is because the author doesn't move with the same characters throughout the course of his life.

[Ashiyya Tariq]

The author elaborates the concepts of contentment, success and money in well defined fashion. I am satisfied with the ending.

[Rosemary Wright]

The book ended well. I don't think I have anything more to add to it. The stories are loaded with a lot of lessons to learn from. Indeed, I'm a first-class being.

[BethaniLou]

I don’t think I would change the ending. I

[SPasciuti]

I don't think I'd change the ending. I really enjoyed Peter's story even if I didn't agree with the author's take on it entirely. I think I'd have been interested in learning if his wife had any significant impact on his life aside from simply convincing him to take a adrenaline fused plane ride. This woman is part of huge pieces of his life and he barely even talks about her. It makes her feel as though she barely impacts him at all, which is kind of sad to me.

[Heena_Gaonkar]

It would be nice to give a suspicious ending to keep a reader's mind rolling.

[inaramid]

If it were an autobiography, I wouldn't say anything about the ending. Hey, it's his story. He has the right to tell it like it is. BUT the book was also promoted as a MOTIVATIONAL book, a book about the transformational wisdom of others. The fact that he ended with an epilogue about how I - as the reader - might get an AUTOGRAPH from an unexpected guru really threw me off and made me question his motivations for even writing the book in the first place.

[SPasciuti]

If it were an autobiography, I wouldn't say anything about the ending. Hey, it's his story. He has the right to tell it like it is. BUT the book was also promoted as a MOTIVATIONAL book, a book about the transformational wisdom of others. The fact that he ended with an epilogue about how I - as the reader - might get an AUTOGRAPH from an unexpected guru really threw me off and made me question his motivations for even writing the book in the first place.

I hadn't thought of that before, but you definitely have a point. The ending wasn't right for the genre. I found myself rather put off by the fact that he advertised himself, as well, when he'd finished. I imagine if someone were truly interested in visiting his site, it would have been fairly easy for them to find without his including it in his book. I always feel a little weird about self-promotion, though.

[bookreview519]

I feel as if the ending of the story was very accurate and totally made sense, I would really not edit anything about eh ending of the book considering I thought It was very well put out there.

[inaramid]

I hadn't thought of that before, but you definitely have a point. The ending wasn't right for the genre. I found myself rather put off by the fact that he advertised himself, as well, when he'd finished. I imagine if someone were truly interested in visiting his site, it would have been fairly easy for them to find without his including it in his book. I always feel a little weird about self-promotion, though.

Totally agree. You took the words right out of my head. I actually used the words self-absorbed, self-serving, and self-righteous when I reviewed this book, but I think the word "self-promotion" captures everything.

[R-g-R]

Perhaps with an acknowledgement of the author’s awareness that he is not as self-aware as he thinks or he is

While his first few stories showed some heart, I suspect the later recounts have been written the way he would tell them at a rah-rah-rah-you-can-do-anything conference or convention, receiving rapturous applause in response to his flying all around the world and talking in millions rather than thousands. I am glad that he shares some of his failures, that is helpful, and in reality I have been a little challenged and reminded of some things personally which is the point of him writing.
I agree with another comment, however, that the author simultaneously comes across as quite a narcissist, rather than the philosopher he is claimed to be.

[Kathryn Price]

I think it ended on the right story, totally. But I was a bit disappointed with the last line. After this guy - a peanut seller, so not a "successful" business millionaire in the normal motivational book sense - decided to live, based on the beauty of life, the final line is: "Do you accept the fact that you’re first class?" I felt that cheapened the message. I kind of wanted the final message to be that all the striving, the success, the money etc, it's not what life's all about. That when it comes down to it, just managing to live can sometimes be the success, and finding the best in it is often what makes it worth living. That's the polar opposite of what "accepting you're first class" means to me, which is totally individualistic.

I think the book walks that line a lot. It's trying to be different and give a message about small things being important, but it's written by a motivational guru who can't quite move away himself from the idea that happiness = success = money.

I agree. The book switched between measuring success as your personal growth and your wealth/status. It would have been better to end a note that emphasized the importance of being confident and happy with yourself rather than about money and other superficial things.

That's a keen observation. I would like to add the importance of contentment.

Absolutely. Contentment is the best measure of success in my opinion. Maybe that's one lesson that he hasn't learned yet...

[N_R]

I think it ended on the right story, totally. But I was a bit disappointed with the last line. After this guy - a peanut seller, so not a "successful" business millionaire in the normal motivational book sense - decided to live, based on the beauty of life, the final line is: "Do you accept the fact that you’re first class?" I felt that cheapened the message. I kind of wanted the final message to be that all the striving, the success, the money etc, it's not what life's all about. That when it comes down to it, just managing to live can sometimes be the success, and finding the best in it is often what makes it worth living. That's the polar opposite of what "accepting you're first class" means to me, which is totally individualistic.

I think the book walks that line a lot. It's trying to be different and give a message about small things being important, but it's written by a motivational guru who can't quite move away himself from the idea that happiness = success = money.

I agree with this comment in the second paragraph that there is the idea that happiness means you have to succeed...even if that is learning from everything...and money results. I felt that there was a level of arrogance in some of the writing too - not sure if anyone else got that?

[N_R]

If it were an autobiography, I wouldn't say anything about the ending. Hey, it's his story. He has the right to tell it like it is. BUT the book was also promoted as a MOTIVATIONAL book, a book about the transformational wisdom of others. The fact that he ended with an epilogue about how I - as the reader - might get an AUTOGRAPH from an unexpected guru really threw me off and made me question his motivations for even writing the book in the first place.

I totally agree with this statement that you questioned the motivations for him writing the book in the first place. There are some wonderful stories in the book and some lovely lessons, but there is that underlying sense that there is some other purpose for writing the book.