 Falling short in conveying the message
Although I sympathize very much with the intentions of the author in educating us on some basic elements of architecture very much appreciated by many of us, I find the shortcomings of the book annoing. Such a book would benefit tremendously by having more and better illustrations. Also at times I find the text too elaborate and off track, especially in the first chapters.
 Not a page turner & not deep analysis
I have read most of the customer reviews listed on Amazon - unfortunately only after I finished reading the book. I am impressed with the quality of authors of those reviews. I can not say I am knowledgeable about architecture. Yet that was precisely why I bought this book. To get more insight.
What I found, however was a compilation of one man's opinions about architecture. Whether he likes this or that.
I am finding De Botton a hard to read man. I think there is too much trying to make "perfect" sentences. However because it's not done on a perfect level, it gets tiring to read. I contemplated a lot whether I should stop the book after mere 50 pages. But I had to finish - God only knows why - so I pushed myself. There were maybe few points which I got from the book. But all in all it was a waste of my time to finish it. Sorry Alain!.
 Should have been 5-star
I would have rated this book 5 stars had the photos been in color. The text/prose was marvelous and well reviewed by others, certainly worth 5 stars. The photos, which occurred on almost every other page well-illustrated the author's points made in the text. All would have been perfect had the photos, at least some, been in color.
The book is beautiful: exquisitely bound, thick pages, vibrant purple cover, colorful and attractive dust jacket - so many things that appeal to those who are drawn to the sensory aesthetics. I was so disappointed in the lack of color within the pages. The exterior exuded, promised as much beauty within.
Alas, the text and prose don't disappoint, so this is consolation. Lack of color within the pages might seem a minor point, but to me, black and white photos on every page dulled my senses, and I grew bored. Details were obscured with the varying shades of gray, but with color, details would have been more prominent on the small pages of this 8 in x 6 in book.
Alright, I'm done beating a dead horse. Great prose, hate the black and white. The book deserves 5 stars, but with no color photos, I can only give it 3 stars.
 We are Different People in Different Spaces
Spaces change who we are.
This ideas is expressed by de Bottam this way: "belief in the significance of architecture is premised on the notion that we are, for better or for worse, different people in different places -- and on the conviction that it is architecture's task to render vivid to us who we might ideally be."
So we should think carefully about where we spend our time. Intuitively we seem to seek in architecture what is missing in ourselves, or what will balance us, or make us whole.
de Botton quotes German philosopher Novalis who said, "In a work of art, chaos must shimmer through the veil of order". This seems to be an overriding theme of the book, the balance of order and disorder.
Orderly architecture combined with the chaos of daily life is humanizing and pleasing. However, if the architecture is itself disorderly then the addition of life's chaos creates that environment described by de Botton as producing "disorientation and frenzy".
And more generally, "we are drawn to call something beautiful whenever we detect that it contains in a concentrated form those qualities in which we personally, or our societies more generally, are deficient. We respect a style which can move us away from what we fear and towards what we crave: a style which carries the correct dosage of our missing virtues."
We also find beautiful that which is stronger than we are and admire structures of strength and substance.
These are interesting and provoking ideas and de Bottam's writing is for the most part clear and rich, often seemingly unusually enlightened.
How do we test these ideas? I suppose by going into different spaces and seeing how they affect us. I was inspired to look at buildings differently and more directly in the future, and increase the order in my own live.
Opened My Eyes
Often when I am in a building, I get a "feeling" about how comfortable I am there, but I could never figure out what about the building made me feel that way. What I love about this book is not Botton's flawless understanding of architecture, which is certainly not the point of this book. What makes this book great are his theories about what gives us that "feeling" about a building, and I found them very insightful. I now find myself able to look deeper into what it is about a building that I find so beautiful or comforting. It is precisely Botton's lack of straight-up archtitectural knowledge that allows him to take a different view, and find the fault in a lot of architecture: not considering the emotion that a building conveys.
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