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roswell_publishing's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Eating disorder
bethghoul's review against another edition
5.0
Love this book! So beautifully written and described. We give away so much of our lives trying to make enough money just so we can live somewhere! Kind of horrible but comforting to reread this when our landlord is trying to put up our rent.
curlypip's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting read, shedding light on the housing situation in the UK (spot the pun!). There’s plenty of stats and references to back up what she’s saying.
I broadly agree with most of her points - if you would rather do without material items in order not to be part of the capitalist rat race, why not? I couldn’t go without some creature comforts though - living in a leaky shed with rats and outdoor cold showers would be a step too far for me.
The author sometimes comes close to sounding whiny and self pitying about the unfairness of it all, but manages and justifies her choices - she has turned down paid work which could have improved her housing situation because she didn’t want to be beholden to her job, and she’s open about that.
I liked the use of quotes from Walden
I broadly agree with most of her points - if you would rather do without material items in order not to be part of the capitalist rat race, why not? I couldn’t go without some creature comforts though - living in a leaky shed with rats and outdoor cold showers would be a step too far for me.
The author sometimes comes close to sounding whiny and self pitying about the unfairness of it all, but manages and justifies her choices - she has turned down paid work which could have improved her housing situation because she didn’t want to be beholden to her job, and she’s open about that.
I liked the use of quotes from Walden
kazza27's review against another edition
5.0
I have just read this extraordinary book for @creditoncommunitybookshop bookgroup and I absolutely loved it !
Catrina who was born in Snowdonia moved to Cornwall as a child with her parents. Life does not go as planned and her parents lose everything. Catrina makes her own way in life but in her thirties she is fed up with living in shared houses and has a radical plan.
This plan takes her back to a shed that her father used as an office many years ago and has been left since.
The writing in this book is so soothing and mindful, it really made me slow down and appreciate the little things in life. I live in Devon so I know some of the challenges of the rural housing crisis but it is no where near as bad as Cornwall. I was in awe of Catrina who lives with no toilet, shower, heating or electricity. The descriptions of rural Cornwall took me there and I was there in the field listening to the birds. The night of the storm gave me real anxiety as I hate Thunder and it felt so real.
This book was just what I needed at the moment and if you want to read about nature, challenges and community this is the book for you.
5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Catrina who was born in Snowdonia moved to Cornwall as a child with her parents. Life does not go as planned and her parents lose everything. Catrina makes her own way in life but in her thirties she is fed up with living in shared houses and has a radical plan.
This plan takes her back to a shed that her father used as an office many years ago and has been left since.
The writing in this book is so soothing and mindful, it really made me slow down and appreciate the little things in life. I live in Devon so I know some of the challenges of the rural housing crisis but it is no where near as bad as Cornwall. I was in awe of Catrina who lives with no toilet, shower, heating or electricity. The descriptions of rural Cornwall took me there and I was there in the field listening to the birds. The night of the storm gave me real anxiety as I hate Thunder and it felt so real.
This book was just what I needed at the moment and if you want to read about nature, challenges and community this is the book for you.
5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
pandagopanda's review against another edition
This book went straight on my to-read list when I heard about it around it's release, but I skirted around it, unsure what it might reflect back to me of my life.
Davies tells a deeply personal story of a vulnerable period in her life, with an easy combination of amusing anecdotes, uncensored practicalities, and philosophy about how our economic systems fail us. I have been recommending it to anyone who, especially this year, is struggling to imagine their individual futures.
At the start of each chapter, Davies includes a quote from Thoreau's Walden, a text which I have yet to read myself but already have some half-formed opinions about (I do want to read it for myself, but haven't quite persuaded myself to prioritise it). I wouldn't say Davies goes as far as to venerate Thoreau (as I read it, anyway), but she harnesses some of his well-known maxims to lead her own storytelling. She may even be offering a cautionary, comparative and critical take on his ideals, by laying her own lived experiences and hardships (and privileges) down alongside these quotations.
Davies tells a deeply personal story of a vulnerable period in her life, with an easy combination of amusing anecdotes, uncensored practicalities, and philosophy about how our economic systems fail us. I have been recommending it to anyone who, especially this year, is struggling to imagine their individual futures.
At the start of each chapter, Davies includes a quote from Thoreau's Walden, a text which I have yet to read myself but already have some half-formed opinions about (I do want to read it for myself, but haven't quite persuaded myself to prioritise it). I wouldn't say Davies goes as far as to venerate Thoreau (as I read it, anyway), but she harnesses some of his well-known maxims to lead her own storytelling. She may even be offering a cautionary, comparative and critical take on his ideals, by laying her own lived experiences and hardships (and privileges) down alongside these quotations.