[.ca] Simple Living: One Couple's Search for a Better Life (ISBN 0895872897)

Simply Find a Better Book!:
The best thing I can say about this book is that at least I checked it out from the library, rather than buying it. The book is mostly personal anecdote (the authors' and stories of others whom they've met), which would be just fine if the authors weren't so self-absorbed that they couldn't draw conclusions, parallels, and sage advice from their experiences--as one would hope from authors who felt the need to communicate their wisdom to others. Consequently, the book reads more like a memoir without self-reflection. In one instance, the authors relate a several page biography about a doctor from Mississippi, then drop the story without even discussing what could be learned from him. Maybe it is a good thing the authors offer no advice, since I also take issue with what they call "simplicity." I won't critique that here, since simplicity means different things to different folks, but I will say that one of the dominant tenets of simplicity is living one's life in accordance to internal, rather than external, values. There are several examples in the book which indicate that simplicity means no more to the authors than "doing what 'simple' farm-folk do on an orchard" and being self-congratulatory about it. Moreover, I find their descriptive language loose and the prose uninviting in a way that is common of "professional" writers who use flowery language in an effort to seem erudite. Structurally, the book doesn't hang together very well and is often hard to follow. Most readers would find books by Elaine St. James, and "Your Money or Your Life" and its sequel "Getting a Life" much more interesting as primers in this topic area. These books contain both the wisdom AND the personal anecdotes to be beneficial to everyone.

Intelligently Simple:
This is undoubtedly one of the best books I have ever read, and yes, I have read many. Having grown up in a small town, moved away to several metropolitan areas, and then returned, I am well aware of the challenges which face those of us who do so. Levering & Urbanska do a marvelous job of eruditely characterizing those challenges, as well as providing insight into the paradigm shifts required to resolve them. Their detailed, yet lively, description of small town and rural life is masterful, honest yet not critical. While their circumstances are unique to themselves, they are/will be reflected in the experiences of anyone making a similar choice. Additionally, the work is more than just one dimensional. It provides insight into both simple living as well as small town living. The writing style was eloquently simple, yet above a third-grade reading level. It was entertaining as well as enjoyable. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in small town living, simple living, or both.

I enjoyed this book very much!:
There are many different versions of simple living and this is the story of one particular couple's. Their journey from a hectic city lifestyle to a country one is not an account of "the way it should be done", but rather Frank & Wanda's interesting life path and how it led them to their version of true happiness.

An inspirational guide to taking charge of one's life:
Simple Living is the true story of Frank Levering and Wanda Urbanska, a couple whose constant craving for more of the trappings of materialism while living life in the fast lane encroached upon their sanity and well-being -- until they chose to revert to a simpler life running a family orchard on the Blue Ridge mountains. An inspirational guide to taking charge of one's life and prioritizing what truly matters, Simple Living is thoughtful and occasionally inspiring reading which is heartily commended to the attention of anyone feeling that there contemporary lifestyle is disadvantageous to their truly livingk and are looking for something better -- something simpler.

A Better Life:
i don't know if i'm more thankful to wanda and frank for writing this book or to my friend kurt for passing it along to me. either way, it helped change my life. the book tells the story of how wanda and frank transformed their LA lives. mixed in with their narrative are vignettes of other peoples' searches for simplicity in their lives. maybe the word "simplicity" has become overused and its definition washed out. for me, the book showed how different folks found peace of mind on a daily basis. how they realigned their goals and actions with their values. how they stopped competing and started living. after i read it, i took a trip to Levering Orchard with my friend kurt. we wanted to meet the authors, to let them know that their book had touched us. so we took some time off from work, drove to virginia and found the orchard. when we arrived, frank was working at the pack house. we bought some apples and told him why we were there. frank called wanda, who was up at the house, and told her that some "fans" had arrived at the pack house and wanted to meet her. and over time, kurt and i became friends with frank and wanda. we visited them on several occasions and kurt even helped them pick apples during the last week of the season that year. i saw how they lived ten years after the move from california. i understood what they were writing about in Simple Living, and i began changing my own life. i wouldn't say that life has become "simple", but it sure is more peaceful than it used to be. my daily actions reflect my personal values and i have learned to live well with less stuff. i even moved from california to north carolina, in the blue ridge mountains, not too far from Levering Orchard. so thanks, wanda and frank, for writing this book. and thanks, kurt, for letting me know about it.