Reviews

In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing by Guy Kawasaki, Matthew E. May

blairconrad's review

3.0

A little disappointing. Not a bad read, and many of the anecdotes were interesting, but that's as far as it goes. I didn't find that there was a unifying theme threading between the stories - many of the ideas didn't seem to have obvious elegance or even anything missing. For example, the factory without an HR department - I guess it's missing an HR department, but it's not missing the HR role - they just moved it around. It's perhaps not a bad idea, but I think the story glossed over was was probably a complicated transition in the interest of presenting an "elegant, simple solution".

starrymoonflower's review against another edition

informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

kevinwb's review against another edition

5.0

May discusses the concept of elegance by using 4 broad components: symmetry, seduction, substitution, & sustainability. I was especially struck by his chapter on sustainability and his discussion on observation and how human beings are wired to think and do quickly, but many flashes of insight only occur after we observe and think, and ask "Why."

meli65's review against another edition

3.0

Seems very intriguing, but too deep for my scatterbrain right now.

xdroot's review against another edition

4.0

the book is thought-provoking but seems quite light compared to the other business books i've read. so is it because there's not much to say or because he applies the principles of seduction and subtraction and so forces one to develop the ideas for oneself? while the ideas resonate, it would have been handy if he could have described some tools to apply these principles. maybe in the second book?

meli65's review against another edition

3.0

Seems very intriguing, but too deep for my scatterbrain right now.

ahnmur's review

3.0

The examples were cliché (how many more times do I have to read about the brilliance of Apple products?).
For a work on elegance, it was not so elegant itself.
That being said, I still enjoyed it. It touched on many topics that I enjoy, and it was easy to read. I did particularly like its examination of the rewinding policy in video rentals.

bookwormmichelle's review

4.0

This was wide-ranging and very interesting, although I think it's possible that May has given some odd significance to events. For example, his use of the example of what happens at busy intersections if traffic signals and signs are eliminated, to me shows not "symmetry" but libertarianism. :-) But still, how can you not love a book that manages to tie together neuroscience, cycling, Jackson Pollock, traffic patterns, architecture, the iPhone, fractals and the Sopranos? Fun and interesting view, just too bad that the author apparently intends the book to be primarily used in business settings.