This book had big shoes to fill. The concept- a mini guide to thriving in the modern world using historical concepts- intrigued me. The cover was elegant, the summary exciting, and the narrator has an amazing voice.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel like the experience really came together. The first half of the book is spent recounting the historical background behind stoicism and the main actors. I got lost in the weeds of such a condensed historical recounting of an entire era-- it was similar to "Lives of the Stoics" by Ryan Holiday with little side quests of fun stories sprinkled in. But unlike "Lives of the Stoics," I wasn't mentally prepared for the historical content or for the pacing.

By the time I finally reengaged with the text, there were only a handful of chapters remaining. To be fair these delivered on the initial promise of advice for the modern life, but it left me wanting so much more from this book.

This is one of the few times were I think the book might be fully appreciated as written word, instead of an audiobook-- simply to allow the readers to come back time and again for small chunks of pick-me-up wisdom.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Media for providing this ARC-audiobook. All opinions, as always, are my own.

I was disappointed when I realized how short this was but then I was blown away by the content. Piercy gives the historical background behind stoicism and then goes on to explain the philosophy and show how it can be applied in life.
"It is what it is" is certainly simplistic but is a good illustration of why I and so many people find stoicism attractive. Bad things happen but being able to accept that those events are outside of us makes life easier. Piercy uses great examples, and the narration is fantastic.