The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
jbrins1's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.75
joey_schafer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.75
nasathespaceship's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 / Would you believe that having a 5 course 4 hour dinner at an expensive Italian restaurant in Italy is a more meaningful and enjoyable experience than grabbing something off the dollar menu at McDonald’s and shoving down your throat in your car? WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT!?!?! Thank you Carl
cathy1665's review against another edition
Due at library and chose not to renew.Â
bailey_the_bookworm's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
3.5
It probably says something about me that I listened to this book at 1.5x speed and it still took me a couple of weeks to get through itÂ
dejongmarion's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
veronicachp's review against another edition
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
3.5
3.5 stars, enjoyed it and it will stick with me, would recommend, but probably won't reread.Â
The good: I'm a long time supporter of the slow movement, and I enjoyed reading about the various ways we can take a step back from a frantic life and regain some poise. I earmarked a lot of quotes and thoughts in the book that really resonated with me, and it is overall an engaging and enjoyable read. I preferred the parts where he waxes poetic about the slow lifestyle over the parts that are just statistics and facts, but there's a pretty good balance between the two.Â
The less good: My edition of the book was printed almost 20 years ago, in 2005, and parts of it are a bit dated and out of touch by 2023 standards. The chapter on work, particularly, feels...upper class. Some of his suggestions, like "What's a pay cut compared to job happiness?" and setting your own work hours, budgeting time into your work day for meditation and small naps just feel somewhat out of touch with the actual worker class. He includes lots of quotes from executives and businessmen/women about how slowing down has helped them so much, but none from, say, maids or shop cashiers. The chapters also get a bit repetitive and formulaic, but are still overall engaging.Â
The bad: Also dated, the author's mild but persistent fatphobia and references to very 2000s diet culture and how TV makes people fat and lazy and therefore morally bad. This was really the one sour note of the book for me, and while I know it was typical of the time the book was written, it's still off putting
The good: I'm a long time supporter of the slow movement, and I enjoyed reading about the various ways we can take a step back from a frantic life and regain some poise. I earmarked a lot of quotes and thoughts in the book that really resonated with me, and it is overall an engaging and enjoyable read. I preferred the parts where he waxes poetic about the slow lifestyle over the parts that are just statistics and facts, but there's a pretty good balance between the two.Â
The less good: My edition of the book was printed almost 20 years ago, in 2005, and parts of it are a bit dated and out of touch by 2023 standards. The chapter on work, particularly, feels...upper class. Some of his suggestions, like "What's a pay cut compared to job happiness?" and setting your own work hours, budgeting time into your work day for meditation and small naps just feel somewhat out of touch with the actual worker class. He includes lots of quotes from executives and businessmen/women about how slowing down has helped them so much, but none from, say, maids or shop cashiers. The chapters also get a bit repetitive and formulaic, but are still overall engaging.Â
The bad: Also dated, the author's mild but persistent fatphobia and references to very 2000s diet culture and how TV makes people fat and lazy and therefore morally bad. This was really the one sour note of the book for me, and while I know it was typical of the time the book was written, it's still off putting
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia
rlwertheimer's review against another edition
Didn't finish the book. While I agree with the sentiment, the content is presented in a somewhat judgmental way that I don't enjoy reading.
solitarysoul's review against another edition
3.0
Some interesting facts; but I already live this way. I liked the chapter on speeding.