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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Boring at times, but utterly engrossing at others. Full of meaningless tropes in one place but full of genuine wisdom at the next.
A real mixture of a book but one that teaches you to slow down, embrace the natural and realise that the only perfection is imperfection.
A real mixture of a book but one that teaches you to slow down, embrace the natural and realise that the only perfection is imperfection.
Wonderfully articulated book about a concept that is innate to the Japanese, but much of the world struggles with.
Such a great read! I want to re-read the lessons and do the journaling portions every year-it’s so insightful and inspiring.
I LOVE the concept of wabi sabi a lot. Learning about it makes such total beautiful sense to me. But I struggled with this book. I want to seek out a book about it written by a Japanese person.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Very gentle inspiring book
Follow this beautiful writer as she travels through the season of Japan, into tea rooms and craftsmen workshops with monks and local tourists, as she finds symbolism and meaning on simple traditions that Japan has kept alive for centuries for deep reasons. There’s something deeper to wabi sabi than just the interior design aesthetic.
I wholeheartedly agree with Henk's (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/76202320-henk) review of the book (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2799412576), though I guess my standards are lower as for me that amounts to four stars :)
Copy of Henk's review that I wish I wrote myself ;)
"A book less about a Japanese design or art style than on a way of living.
The four concepts of Japanese style, from gaudy flashy to subdued earth colour palette like (where I am somewhere between Hade and Iki, so quite far from the Wabi Sabi subduedness) was interesting.
But this book is more something to experience, not much into content itself, inviting the reader to contemplate while speaking kind of soothingly to him or her. Normally I find self help books slightly annoying and shallow. Kempton however has a style and a clear sense of formulation, that led me to enjoy the book, all though I found the book rather a slow read that didn’t really urge me onwards to finish it."
While the book was, indeed, a slow read for me too, I actually enjoyed this aspect and I think it suited the subject matter.
Copy of Henk's review that I wish I wrote myself ;)
"A book less about a Japanese design or art style than on a way of living.
The four concepts of Japanese style, from gaudy flashy to subdued earth colour palette like (where I am somewhere between Hade and Iki, so quite far from the Wabi Sabi subduedness) was interesting.
But this book is more something to experience, not much into content itself, inviting the reader to contemplate while speaking kind of soothingly to him or her. Normally I find self help books slightly annoying and shallow. Kempton however has a style and a clear sense of formulation, that led me to enjoy the book, all though I found the book rather a slow read that didn’t really urge me onwards to finish it."
While the book was, indeed, a slow read for me too, I actually enjoyed this aspect and I think it suited the subject matter.
informative
inspiring
reflective
Very informative book about the history and current use and Different meanings and applications of Wabi Sabi