The Art of Friendship: 70 Simple Rules for Making Meaningful Connections

by Sally Horchow, Roger Horchow, Sally Horchow

The frantic pace and casual attitudes of modern life have made real friendship a rare experience. "The Art of Friendship" shows how making true connections can greatly enhance one's life. Seventy brief essays present simple but effective "rules of connecting" with action points to help you put each rule into practice in daily life. Woven throughout are personal anecdotes from the Horchows, sharing their experiences of friendship. Recognizing that...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312360398
• ISBN13: 9780312360399
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 143 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 7.2"

Customer Reviews

Great ideas for helping you to meet and make friends

I'm so glad that I came across THE ART OF FRIENDSHIP by Roger Horchow and Sally Horchow before my upcoming move to Asheville, North Carolina. Knowing virtually nobody there, I'm somewhat apprehensive about how to go about meeting new folks . . . yet the authors seem to have made it simple for me by presenting--to quote the subtitle--70 SIMPLE RULES FOR MAKING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS. For example, here's one idea that I had never thought about: * Host a party for your good friends and ask each of your guests to bring one person that you don't know. I then got a kick out of this suggestion for dealing with the problem of forgetting somebody's name: * Say, "Nice to see you" rather than "Nice to meet you." No one wants to think they were so completely forgettable that you've blanked out the first meeting. Lastly, there was this useful suggestion for avoiding banalities that get you nowhere in a conversation: * Unless you are a meteorologist or a farmer, there is usually nothing vitally interesting in a discussion of the weather. . . . Your goal is to learn about the person you are talking to, not make empty noise. I strongly recommend THE ART OF FRIENDSHIP to anybody interested in making or meeting new friends--even if you think you already have more than enough . . . by chance, even if you fall into the latter category, you'll be pleasantly surprised to pick up some new techniques that will help you strengthen existing friendships.

Small Book with a Big Message

Good things often come in small packages. The stylish design, thoughtful content and Horchow heritage make this simple little book an ageless, all-occasion gift for men as well as women. The 1-2 pg. lessons or tools to nurture friendship are a quick read. However, I found myself returning to the book as a more thoughtful guide to working on friendships, one short lesson at a time. Key points in the book that resonated for me: 1) deep friendships may be as emotionally fulfilling as romantic relationships, so why not invest more in creating them; 2) friendships should be selfless and not based on keeping score; 3) create an ongoing friendship journal; 4) banish banality in your conversation when meeting new people. Example: "Unless you are a meteorologist or a farmer, there is usually nothing vitally interesting in a discussion of the weather." One of the book's quotes by Aristotle -- "Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow-ripening fruit." -- is good advice in today's modern, immediate- gratification world. This little book teaches you big lessons on how to cultivate an ever-blooming friendship garden that will bear a lifetime of fresh flowers.

The Art of Friendship....a good read for everyone

who wouldn't want to learn how to be a better friend, only allows you to be a better business person and that can't be all bad....a book from the ultimate networking team....Father and daughter Horchow teach good lessons from generation to generation

A Must Read!

"The Art of Friendship" is not only an invaluable resource - it's a great read. Roger and Sally Horchow have peppered their well-written, fantastic How-To with personal anecdotes which are interesting, informative, and both complement and underscore their friendship tips brilliantly. This book is rife with wisdom and insight into how to develop, maintain, and deepen Friendhips - but it will not only make you a better friend, it will make you a better person. Buy it, read it, live it!

RULE #71 - SHARE THIS BOOK

In the short time of applying a handful of these rules in my friendships, I have come to realize how easy it is to make even the most long-standing friendships more profound and interesting. What I loved most of The Art of Friendship is appreciating that we can always make room for new and different relationships. Friendship is about making the simplest of efforts. And with 70 of these efforts now easily outlined for everyone, one can only imagine how the world might become a better place thanks to it being filled with better friends!