Conversations on the Bench: Life Lessons from the Wisest Man I Ever Knew by Digger Cartwright is not your typical story. It is one you will not soon forget. The book begins with the description of an actual meeting between Mr. Cartwright and two complex, intriguing men. Sebastian, the older man, is larger-than-life, jovial and wise; his friendship with the younger man Robbie is one of being a mentor, a sage and whole-hearted supporter. Most readers will relate to Robbie, as he learns to deal with the ups and downs of the corporate world, while reaching his goals and maintaining his integrity. Although Mr. Cartwright is not a witness to most of the conversations, Robbie shares the essence of his many conversations with Sebastian, providing the author with an inspiring body of modern-day life lessons.

Although this book is full of memorable narratives, the beginning chapters of the actual meeting between Mr. Cartwright, Sebastian and Robbie were rather lengthy. I was anxious to read the life lessons and how these were imparted to Robbie. Mr. Cartwright’s writing style is eloquent and substantial; you can almost hear the voices of Sebastian and Robbie, as they consider another meaningful topic. This book would probably be most enjoyed by reading one chapter at a time, savoring the richness of each story and the life lesson enmeshed within it. This approach would enable the reader to fully integrate the many jewels found within Digger Cartwright’s Conversations on the Bench: Life Lessons from the Wisest Man I Ever Knew.

Conversations on the Bench is an inspirational non-fiction book by author Digger Cartwright, subtitled: Life Lessons from the Wisest Man I Ever Knew. The man in question is a notable gentleman named Sebastian Peréy, life and soul of any occasion, and a man whom our author actually only met once in person. Sebastian’s wisdom stretches through many veins of life, from business dealings to love and social mobility, and also features his young protégé Robbie Clinger, upon whose suggestion the author constructed this book. Cartwright presents his own personal perspective on Sebastian’s life lessons in this well written tome, where different life issues are set out in different chapters.

Part biography, part memoir, and part self-help book, Conversations on the Bench takes a little while to get into in terms of the author’s casual narrative style. For me, the real strength of the book is Digger Cartwright’s portrayal of characters, particularly in the seemingly opposed figures of Sebastian Peréy and Robbie Clinger, whose opposite upbringings and political views clash wonderfully against the backdrop of the real world. I feel that the advice given within the book is fairly generic, but the stories behind how these lessons are learned made it an interesting read. I would definitely recommend this read to businessmen of Cartwright’s own ilk as I’m sure it will resonate fully with such an audience, and the wider readership is sure to enjoy the colourful memoir-style vignettes of Sebastian’s difficult upbringing and his journey through life.

Have you ever had a conversation so profound that it changes your life forever? That is exactly what happened to Digger Cartwright when he met Sebastian Peréy. Even though their meeting was brief, it left a deep impression on Digger and he was later honored to get Sebastian's full story and wisdom as seen through the eyes of his dear friend Robbie Clinger. Listening to Sebastian's life story left Digger with so much to think about and completely changed his life. In his book titled Conversations on the Bench, Digger Cartwright narrates how his entire view of life was changed by this brief encounter and the conversations that followed. He shares the invaluable lessons he learned from these conversations and how they forever changed his take on life and its various challenges. These stories share lessons touching all aspects of life including self-discovery, life purpose, soul searching, positive energy and so much more.

Conversations on the Bench, by Digger Cartwright, is a compilation of insightful life lessons taken from an extraordinary life journey. This is not your everyday self-help book; it is a refreshing read, easy to grasp and even easier to connect to our everyday circumstances. I love that the book was written in story form as this made it not just an insightful book but an enjoyable read too. Each chapter introduces a fresh life lesson, each drawn from a different life experience, keeping the book fresh and the advice easily relatable. In Conversations on the Bench by Digger Cartwright, you will learn how to improve every aspect of your life by learning how to take on different business, social and personal situations. Digger Cartwright wrote the book with genuine passion and you could really feel that his life was truly changed by Sebastian stories. I too was truly touched by this enlightening compilation of lessons learned from an amazing life journey.