You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
funny
inspiring
I found this book tucked away on a bookshelf in a hostel in Lisbon on a dreary, rainy day. I was tuckered out from having been out late the night before, and just wanted something fun to read. I wasn't sure about Yes Man at first. I'd seen the movie starring Jim Carrey, which I found enjoyable but ultimately silly and only just worth the price of a rental. Before I knew it though, I'd torn through the first 100 pages of the book and was rolling on the floor laughing at nearly every page.
The book has a simple premise. Danny Wallace is not really down on his luck, he's just become incredibly apathetic, preferring to stay in and saying no, even lying, to his friends to get out of going out. One day though, he meets a stranger on a bus who tells him to "say yes more". This short piece of advice resonates with Danny, it starts him thinking, reevaluating his life, and he decides to follow it. In the presence of his skeptical friend, he makes a promise to only say Yes for the next year, to everything.
Danny starts out in the way most people start diets, excited and pumped up over the plan, ready to tackle new challenges and say Yes to things. Like people on diets, he doesn't get results at first, and nearly gives up, but then amazing things start happening. He wins 20,000 pounds in the lottery (and then loses it the next minute, but what does that matter?), he goes on a drug-fueled trip around Amsterdam that ends with him as the owner of a lovely portrait with a small dog, he gets promoted, and he meets the girl of his dreams.
That's not to say there aren't hurdles along the way. Danny comes across many situations where saying Yes is clearly the wrong choice, but he does them anyway. This made we wonder if I could truly stick to plan like this. The nature of memoirs makes us readers wonder what we would do in those situations, how we would react? I'm not sure I could say Yes to everything in the way Danny does. Implicit, unswerving Yesness implies a faith that everything will turn out ok, that Yes opens doors but is not that dangerous. Maybe Danny was lucky, and his Yeses just happened to be for beneficial things.
Or maybe not. Maybe saying Yes really is the gateway to bigger and better things. I found myself taking Danny's advice and looking back over my past choices. By and large, the things I regret most (save one or two instances), are when I said No to something. Some of the best times in my life have been when I inexplicably said Yes to something and experienced something amazing. Yes is an inherently positive word, it implies an eagerness to live, to interact. Though I'm not willing to go as far as Danny did and say Yes to everything that comes my way, I've been more careful about decisions that come my way. I'll ask myself, will I regret saying Yes to this? And if the answer is no (haha), then I'll take that opportunity. Who knows what it might bring?
The book has a simple premise. Danny Wallace is not really down on his luck, he's just become incredibly apathetic, preferring to stay in and saying no, even lying, to his friends to get out of going out. One day though, he meets a stranger on a bus who tells him to "say yes more". This short piece of advice resonates with Danny, it starts him thinking, reevaluating his life, and he decides to follow it. In the presence of his skeptical friend, he makes a promise to only say Yes for the next year, to everything.
Danny starts out in the way most people start diets, excited and pumped up over the plan, ready to tackle new challenges and say Yes to things. Like people on diets, he doesn't get results at first, and nearly gives up, but then amazing things start happening. He wins 20,000 pounds in the lottery (and then loses it the next minute, but what does that matter?), he goes on a drug-fueled trip around Amsterdam that ends with him as the owner of a lovely portrait with a small dog, he gets promoted, and he meets the girl of his dreams.
That's not to say there aren't hurdles along the way. Danny comes across many situations where saying Yes is clearly the wrong choice, but he does them anyway. This made we wonder if I could truly stick to plan like this. The nature of memoirs makes us readers wonder what we would do in those situations, how we would react? I'm not sure I could say Yes to everything in the way Danny does. Implicit, unswerving Yesness implies a faith that everything will turn out ok, that Yes opens doors but is not that dangerous. Maybe Danny was lucky, and his Yeses just happened to be for beneficial things.
Or maybe not. Maybe saying Yes really is the gateway to bigger and better things. I found myself taking Danny's advice and looking back over my past choices. By and large, the things I regret most (save one or two instances), are when I said No to something. Some of the best times in my life have been when I inexplicably said Yes to something and experienced something amazing. Yes is an inherently positive word, it implies an eagerness to live, to interact. Though I'm not willing to go as far as Danny did and say Yes to everything that comes my way, I've been more careful about decisions that come my way. I'll ask myself, will I regret saying Yes to this? And if the answer is no (haha), then I'll take that opportunity. Who knows what it might bring?
Yes Man has been one of my favourite movies for a while now and I didn't know how I hadn't realised it was based on a book! The book was uplifting and joyous and really makes you look at the choices you make on a day to day basis. Big and small things. It really makes you think and maybe be a little more open to saying yes!
honestly deserve something like a Netflix limited series instead of some loosley based Jim Carrey movie.
P.S. recast Zooey Deschanel, the main redeeming quality of that film.
P.P.S if I could give more stars I would
P.S. recast Zooey Deschanel, the main redeeming quality of that film.
P.P.S if I could give more stars I would
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
I liked the positivity in this story but I thought it was over embellished quite a lot. Also, Danny was no where near as naive as he tried to portray himself as (seriously, the whole Omar stuff....) I enjoyed the journey though and I occasionally think of this book a d wonder if I could say yes more often.
I was determined to read this book before watching the film, so I eagerly scoured local second hand book stores for it and was delighted to soon find it. I say no far too often, so I thought this would be a good fun read and see what could happen when you say yes.
This book is written by, and narrated by Danny Wallace. He's written many books before and after Yes Man, which I can't wait to read. Oh and he lives in London.. I swear I didn't know this before I started! The book starts with Danny being rather down and at a bit of a lose in life. He doesn't go out very much and is forever saying no to any invitations to get out of his flat. And then one day, after jumping on a rail replacement bus he starts talking to a man. This man on the bus tells him simply to "say yes more", and so he does. This book is the story of what happens when Danny says yes.
One of the things I like about this book are the little yesisms. I don't know if that's a word, but it's when he uses "Yevels" for levels, and "yessons" for lessons. Each chapter brought new adventures, and some unexpected stories.
This is a light, easy read, which had me laughing so much I'd get funny looks from people watching. I've never read anything like this, and now I definitely want to read more of Danny's work. Reading this had made me want to say yes more, definitely not to that extent, but just being more open to new opportunities, which is a good message from a book. I suggest you try it too.
This book is written by, and narrated by Danny Wallace. He's written many books before and after Yes Man, which I can't wait to read. Oh and he lives in London.. I swear I didn't know this before I started! The book starts with Danny being rather down and at a bit of a lose in life. He doesn't go out very much and is forever saying no to any invitations to get out of his flat. And then one day, after jumping on a rail replacement bus he starts talking to a man. This man on the bus tells him simply to "say yes more", and so he does. This book is the story of what happens when Danny says yes.
One of the things I like about this book are the little yesisms. I don't know if that's a word, but it's when he uses "Yevels" for levels, and "yessons" for lessons. Each chapter brought new adventures, and some unexpected stories.
This is a light, easy read, which had me laughing so much I'd get funny looks from people watching. I've never read anything like this, and now I definitely want to read more of Danny's work. Reading this had made me want to say yes more, definitely not to that extent, but just being more open to new opportunities, which is a good message from a book. I suggest you try it too.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Loved it! Funny as hell, with real laugh-out-loud parts! And so inspiring, too. The storytelling is ace. Everything comes full circle, in a way that isn't forced or unrealistic. =)
I loved this book! I haven't read anything this funny in a long, long time. I have to wonder if everything he did was real though. The movie was good, but the book was way, way better! I highly recommend it!
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced