Reviews

I enjoyed a summary of the book better because the book itself is repetitive and overly detailed while focusing better on power and manipulation rather than respect and mutual growth.
However, summeries are more than worth reading bc they provide a unique perspective, practical strategies (which are useful not only to use but to recognize when used on you) and understanding human nature with some historical examples.
Nonetheless, it assists you to recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Turns out, i am a mix of The Star and The coquette archetype (+The Prude) while having attributes of The natural and The Ideal lover which is quite intriguing especially since i'm also more likely to be seduced by someone with similar qualities as mine (plus The charmer archetype) which is a good information to have about your self. Now you just have to keep an eye out for the strategies and you are already one step ahead.

styxis's review against another edition

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4.0

People are more complicated than the masks they wear in society.

I can see why some people detest The Art of Seduction.
It teaches how to seduce people in a mostly manipulative and toxic way, which is definitely not the right thing to do when you try to win someone over respectfully. This is definitely not a book one should try to take too serious and follow step by step unless you want to be a living and breathing red flag.

Still, I thought it was insightful and very interesting to learn about all these different seducer (and the anti-seducer) types. At times it felt like I was doing a little personality test, trying to find out what traits I see in myself or in others. I liked the example stories as well. All of them being quite intriguing every time they popped up and nice to have for a further understanding of the topic at hand.

Some outrageous sentences aside, I feel like I learned a little bit more about human behavior and thinking, which is why I think it is an informative read. But taken lightly.

justroo's review against another edition

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It’s more about manipulation than I’m comfortable with.

asrok14's review against another edition

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This book was too dark for me to finish. Really started messing with my head. It's a good read though, I see a lot of people using these manipulation tactics on my friends and myself. Very useful knowledge.

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