What a nice peace of literature. It was very easy to read and very enjoyable, the childish tone did bother me at times. But I mostly like the narrative and the descriptions of the situations and feelings.
Very similar to the film, I think few scenes were better portrayed there, but I will definitely suggest everybody to read it.

The title, book cover and the blurb had piqued my interest but that didn't last long. The narrative was a let down, it was really elementary for me, unless that was the intention. If I overlook the narrative style then I would say that it was an easy read.

It’s easy to understand why this book became a bestseller. It’s cute, funny, easy to read, close to the self-help department but no so much that falls in the common vices of the genre, and it is aimed at making you feel better about your life.

While reading, I constantly keep thinking of this as a grown-up version of The Little Prince, which is also why the main weak point of this book is even more unfortunate. An excessive naïveté and forced innocence prevented the author for speaking in a natural voice when the topics get near suicide, sex or violence. I mean, the subject matters are already there, I don’t see the need to tip-toe around them so much.

I’m not saying that the use of this forced innocent tone made it a bad choice for me, it just something that I would preferred had been different about this book. But still, it’s a good and entertaining one.

The main complain I have seen in the negative reviews for this book is the way it handles infidelity and Hector’s relations with women. For that part, nevertheless, I think it presents a very fresh and straightforward look. People cheat, and people fantasies about other people they meet, and then also have to make choices. For all the naïveté that keep me cringing while reading Hector’s journey, this was something that the author manages to tackle on with a pretty pragmatic and sensible approach.

So, if a combination of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry tale of understanding friendship, love and happiness combined with the writing style and life fables of Paulo Coelho sounds good for you, and the acknowledgment of the existence of infidelity is not going to make you recoil in disgust, then go for it. You may learn a valuable thing or two regarding what makes you happy.

I loved Hector and the Search for Happiness. It is a delightful, well-written, amusing tale about a serious subject: what makes people happy?

Hector, a caring psychiatrist, is puzzled that a large number of his patients seem to suffer from what might be called "garden variety unhappiness," or, in clinical terms, low-grade depression. To help understand this unhappiness and to better help his patients, Hector embarks on a long journey to many countries to try to understand happiness. He keeps a journal of what he learns, a very pithy and accurate description of what makes people happy, as well as what does not. As with his earlier journey to find the secrets of love, Hector meets many interesting and unusual people and periodically finds himself in perilous situations. However, Hector, being thoughtful and non-judgemental, is always able to use his excellent reasoning skills to extricate himself and help others at the same time.

This book draws on the happiness research and literature of psychologists like Martin Seligman and Dan Baker, and turns their very accessible and excellent work into this charming parable. Hector is a very likeable character, his journey is amusing and full of twists and turns, and the people he encounters on his quest are fascinating.