Life’s A Banquet – Review

Welcome to my latest book review. This one is part of the blog tour for ‘Life’s A Banquet’, by Robin Bennett.

The book is described as an unofficial, but essential, ‘guide book’ to negotiating your way through life. I hoped it might yield a few techniques which I could apply to my own business.

If life gives you lemons, add gin

Life’s a Banquet is the unofficial but essential ‘guide book’ to negotiating your way through life. Through education, family life and business, to relationships, marriage, failure and rejection.

Aged 21, Robin Bennett was set to become a cavalry officer and aged 21 and a half, he found himself working as an assistant grave digger in South London – wondering where it had all gone wrong.

Determined to succeed, he went on and founded The Bennett Group, aged 23. Since then, he has gone on to start and run over a dozen successful businesses in a variety of areas from dog-sitting to cigars, translation to home tuition. In 2003, Robin was recognised in Who’s Who as one of the UK’s most successful business initiators. Catapulting readers through his colourful life and career, Robin Bennett’s memoir is an inspiring tale.

Robin Bennett lives in Henley on Thames, Oxon. He is an author and entrepreneur who has written several books for children, and books on the swashbuckling world of business. His documentary, Fantastic Britain, about the British obsession with magic and folklore, won best foreign feature at the Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards. 

Robin says, “When the world seems to be precarious and cruel, remember that the game is to never give up. There’s everything to play for, and it will all be OK.”

The book description is positive and upbeat, but how did I actually find it to read?

I think that I expected a little bit more guide and less memoir from this book. Having said that, it was engaging enough. Some of the memories of the 1980s struck a chord, with descriptions of selected trends and ways of life during the decade. The sections on Robin and his wife’s attempts to start a family were very moving. Their rollercoaster of emotions certainly swept me along with them. 

Overall, I didn’t learn much other than various snippets about the author. His is a life which is quite alien to me, not least because the book starts with a hunting expedition. It continues to reference hunting and poaching fairly regularly throughout the chapters.

If you’re already a fan of Robin’s books, this is worth a read. If you haven’t read him before, do try it. Unless, like me, you’re not keen on shooting animals. Don’t expect deep insights into how to succeed in life. Do expect a breezy romp through the author’s life, with particular focus on his early years and experiences of education.

If you’d like to buy a copy, you can find the book here (UK). And for those in the US, you can pick a copy up here.