Slow

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and appreciated her authentic approach. The book itself is quite attractive and has some lovely photos in it. It’s design literally encouraged me to move slow and appreciate the book itself. This book is not about the author telling you what a “perfect” or “ideal” simple life looks like. It is about living with intention that is based on and consistent with your own values. If you want to get the most out of this book, you have to be willing to do a little soul searching, and she gives you excellent prompts for that. I appreciated the way she embraces imperfection. My favorite chapters are “Start With Why” and “Wobbly Balance.” Favorite tidbits I will take with me are: my “why” (that she helped me to clarify), and a great reminder that “I cannot be everything to everyone.”

There is a saying I love by Donna Quesada, “You don’t think your way back to joy, you open to it.” This was the experience I had when reading Brooke’s lovely book. Sometimes it’s all the thinking and talking that clutters the simplicity we all crave. Slow offers moments of reflection, a return to what is truly important, and a renewed love affair with our home and the environment. A perfect book to walk us out of the pandemic and into a calmer, centered life. Highly recommended! R. Williams, coauthor of The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction and The Gift of Recovery.

This book was off to a promising start when the author shared how an assignment to write a short eulogy for herself awakened her to how she really wants to live and the type of person she wants to be. Unfortunately it turned out to be less thoughtful and more about how to get rid of your belongings and use your phone less.About a third of the book is focused on owning fewer things. And while most Westerners would surely benefit from down sizing, that alone will not lead you to a slower paced life. While the author calls out fallacy of the American/Western idea that stuff equals status or success or fulfillment, she falls into a similar trap thinking that less stuff will equal contentment or peace. I was disappointed that this theme of "ebay is great - here's how to decide which items in your life are worth keeping" was so prominent and one of the very first things touched on (Declutter is Chapter 2). Meanwhile, gratitude and contentment don't get brought up until page 195, for a combined less than three pages.I appreciated the letter to Mr. and Mrs. Jones about no longer keeping up with them, and wish the book had felt more consistent with that. Instead it was suggestions to use apps to force yourself to stay off your phone and things you can rent or borrow to save money. Not bad advice, but not what I was hoping for from a book of slow living. I expected more on peace, identity, gratitude; this reads more like frugality suggestions. There are repetitive mentions of Stephen King novels and yoga, mixed with tired metaphors (how to eat an elephant, your life/person is like a house).The author shares that she used to be constantly glued to social media, obsessed with checking her email, and spent much time on minutia such as ironing baby clothes. This book might be helpful if that is how you live your life, but if you're familiar with slow living this won't bring much new to the table.

What do I mean? Well written and relatable story with a good sense of humor, but the projects and details seemed stale to me. I look for ways to slow down, get more organized and do things efficiently so could be from my perspective. Made a good gift for my niece.

I am really into minimalism and slow living. Life is far too stressful and complicated and I needed something to remind me to take a step back and breath. It was this book. I have already read it three times in one year because the lessons are worth being reminded so that you can practice this lifestyle.

Enjoyed this read about ways to slow down in a fast paced world.

Gift so I never looked at it.

This was a pleasant read. It was not a preachy self-help book but an inspiring and gentle nod to finding what works for you and what doesn’t as you aim to live a life slowly, healthy and with intention.

Nothing much to say, a lot of obvious bookfilling comments

Highly recommended

Brooke’s book should be on everyone’s to read list

I received a used and old and falling apart book.

Das Buch handelt von Brooks Reise in ein „slower“ Leben. Auf deutsch gibt es nicht wirklich ein Wort, dass die Bedeutung von „Slow“ einfängt. Brooke macht Vorschläge, wie man seinem Leben mehr Sinn geben kann und nicht in einem nicht nachhaltigen Tempo, das heute so viele Menschen haben, durch das Leben rast. Wir müssen nicht nach „mein Haus, mein Auto, mein Boot“ streben, nur weil die Nachbarn, Freunde oder Bekannte das haben. Wir können unser „genug“ entdecken, indem wir uns Gedanken darüber machen, was für uns persönlich wichtig ist im Leben.Besonders gut gefällt mir, dass Brooke deutlich macht, dass das, was für sie funktioniert, nicht für alle anderen auch funktionieren muss. Wir müssen alle unser persönliches „Slow“ entdecken.