A review by aprilconnolly
L'art de la Simplicité: How to Live More With Less by Dominique Loreau

reflective medium-paced

2.0

Oh boy. Where to start? 
There are so many problems I have with this book so let's get them out of the way. 
The beginning section was a struggle for me, because as someone who lives a rather transitory life, building a space for myself that I'm investing into is just not in the cards for me. I'm not buying high quality linen and crockery, because in a year I'm going to have to figure out how to move that to another country-and pay for it as well. Clutter and useless junk is obviously a problem, but we all have things that we choose to invest our money into or things we collect that serves little purpose. I love choosing what fun and silly earrings I will wear every day. I like to match my perfume to my mood, the seasons, or the vibe of my outfit. 
The Body section was perhaps the worst, and honestly most triggering. This woman suffers from disordered eating. The way she looks as food is so problematic, most of all because she thinks the way that she views food is extremely healthy. She claims to be focused on health but a lot of that health is clearly centred around being slim. How do I know? Because she says it over and over and over again. 
She views so many things that should be enjoyed in moderation as evils to be wary of. 
She says that fasting shouldn't be centred around weight loss but later when she lists the benefits of fasting, guess what she lists as number 1? That's right, weight loss. 
She is constantly contradicting herself. She says not to let your stomach feel hungry for too long, but had previously listed all the things to do when you start feeling hungry, besides eating a meal of course.
Similarly she is fighting tooth and nail against ageing but claims to be embracing it? Just because she doesn't spend a lot of money on beauty doesn't mean she isn't obsessed with it. She says there's no shame in looking one's age and then goes on to describe all the intense ways you should be combating looking your age. 
I also feel like this lifestyle is for the very privileged. Not necessarily in terms of money, but in terms of TIME. I keep imaging how a working mother would be able to accomplish even a fraction of these things. 

The things I liked about this book were fewer to collect and were often tainted by these issues of hypocrisy. 
I enjoyed the idea of creating rituals. I have since started playing soothing music in the morning while I enjoy my breakfast before work. If I were to fast, I like the idea of dedicating it to something, the way she suggests. I feel like this makes sense as a lot of people fast for religious reasons. 
She makes some good, although not original points about attracting the energy you put out into the universe. 
She talks about the importance of being able to sit in silence with your own thoughts. This is becoming increasingly difficult in our modern world of constant distraction and stimulation. 
Aaaaaaaand that's about it. 

Self improvement books are, in general, not for me. They are often too long and therefore end up clouding their message. And require readers to change too much of their lives. 
A self help pamphlet sounds better to me.