Amazon.com: The Abundance of Less: Lessons in Simple Living from Rural Japan (Audible Audio Edition): Andy Couturier, Adam Riley, North Atlantic Books: Books (original) (raw)
Customers say
Customers find this book inspiring, packed with wisdom, and well-written, with one review describing it as a fantastic example of writing with words that melt. They appreciate its elegant style and simplicity, and one customer notes it's not about trendy minimalism. Customers value the book's informative content, with one highlighting how it reveals valuable insights into simplifying one's life, while another appreciates the lively journey meeting exceptional characters.
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21 customers mention content, 21 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book's content inspiring and packed with wisdom, describing it as a compelling read.
...It's a positive, hopeful, inspiring book....Read more
This is why I read books. When you find that perfect combination of compelling and inspirational true stories with an almost mythical quality to them...Read more
This book is a little piece of calmness in a crazy world. It is a lovely read with stories of real people in Japan living simple yet very fulfilling...Read more
Great read for those who yearn for a simpler life.Read more
8 customers mention writing style, 7 positive, 1 negative
Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, describing it as well-written, with one customer noting its poetic and resonant prose.
...describes the landscapes and people in this book which such beautifully crafted language—you almost feel you’re there....Read more
...I found that, in addition to the excellent!! writing, the book reveals valuable insights into simplifying one’s only life to be in sync with your...Read more
...and to forge a different kind of future...." The writing is simultaneously lively and lovely, brimming with a deep respect for the subjects,...Read more
...Besides being a fantastic example of writing with words that melt and stories layered like a crescendo with the most compassionate ending, the...Read more
7 customers mention aesthetics, 7 positive, 0 negative
Customers appreciate the aesthetics of the book, describing it as elegant, with one customer noting it's not about trendy minimalism.
This is a beautiful book. I so enjoy reading about the people who have chosen the path of simplicity....Read more
...This new edition is beautiful and in an easier to read format.Read more
...that it was Gufu, coming down to guide us, not with a flashlight, but elegant, simple and pure, in the old style, walking down the road....Read more
...This book isn't about trendy minimalism (although these folks are naturally minimalistic). They have very rich lives living simple and basic.Read more
6 customers mention simplicity, 6 positive, 0 negative
Customers appreciate the simplicity of the book.
...was Gufu, coming down to guide us, not with a flashlight, but elegant, simple and pure, in the old style, walking down the road. To greet a friend.”...Read more
Great read for those who yearn for a simpler life.Read more
...and women in Japan that have crafted lives for themselves that exemplify simplicity, richness, fulfillment, and abundance, Couturier unearths the...Read more
5 customers mention character, 5 positive, 0 negative
Customers appreciate the characters in the book, with one review highlighting the lively journey meeting exceptional people and another noting the talented Japanese individuals featured.
...Each chapter is a shared relationship with interesting, creative, original people....Read more
...Mr. Couturier takes the reader into the homes of many wonderfully interesting people who have captured the true meaning of life in the simplicity...Read more
Couturier takes us through a lively journey meeting exceptional characters that have something to share: a meaningful life searching just for the...Read more
...a crescendo with the most compassionate ending, the details about talented Japanese people choosing an alternative lifestyle are recorded with...Read more
5 customers mention informative, 5 positive, 0 negative
Customers find the book informative, with one review highlighting how it reveals valuable insights into simplifying life, while another notes how it demonstrates all angles of the simplicity approach.
...There is a lot of timeless wisdom in these stories that goes way deeper than what you hear from the minimalist movement....Read more
...The stories they tell remind us to slow down and appreciate the simple things in life. A good book to settle into at the end of a busy day or...Read more
...intruding us to these wonderful people and for all the important topics discussed in the book. And especially thank you for including your own story....Read more
...He demonstrates all angles of the approaches for the simplicity and through his writing inspires one to address their life to attain more peace and...Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2017
This book has me thinking about my relationship (and my culture's relationship) with time, money, work, art, and the earth. It's a positive, hopeful, inspiring book. It is also a sweetly intimate glimpse into the lives of some fascinating people who have consciously chosen to do what the author says in the introduction he has always thought possible: "...to live well, to connect with each other, to do meaningful work, to make powerful art, and to forge a different kind of future...." The writing is simultaneously lively and lovely, brimming with a deep respect for the subjects, for nature, and for the fluid beauty of poetry. For some readers, it may be a blueprint for avoiding burnout, balancing a life of activism with self-care and creativity. After reading it, I'm primed to think and rethink my everyday choices, to see places where I might step a little aside from the everyday rush and hustle, breathe a little more deeply with gratitude and respect for the soil under my feet. I just finished reading it, and am about to dive right back in. I'm sure I'll keep coming back to this book.
12 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2019
The title is a little miss leading because it’s way more than just about ‘less is more.’ There is a lot of timeless wisdom in these stories that goes way deeper than what you hear from the minimalist movement. Stories are important and this book has something for everybody. Especially those of us with an affinity towards the Japanese culture. It’s not a book you just read, it’s a book you find yourself writing not reading. (This will make sense later.) Savor it, take it at a slow pace and devour it.
There are a few typo errors but not a big deal. The author could’ve asked some better, more thorough questions with certain individuals but the jest of it is their. I feel he got to the right people, but he had to go a long ways to find them, but that’s how it usually goes. The most beautiful people don’t seek attention and many remain aloof...hidden. This one am taking home with me, it’s a keeper. I’ve learned some important things and been reminded of many more.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2019
I'm over halfway in reading. It's about mountain folk who are unconventional - artists, writers, farmers, potters, anti-nuclear, etc. My kind of people. The author stays with each of them and their family, delving into their life philosophy and the course of events which brought them to where they're at now. The author also revisits about a decade later giving an update. Pretty interesting. It's about culture and lifestyle of these people holding their traditional beliefs that are quite contrary to mainstream Japan. This book isn't about trendy minimalism (although these folks are naturally minimalistic). They have very rich lives living simple and basic.
14 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2017
“As we drew closer, we could make out a white hanging lantern, Japanese style—white paper with black calligraphy on it, lit by a candle inside. And then we saw that it was Gufu, coming down to guide us, not with a flashlight, but elegant, simple and pure, in the old style, walking down the road. To greet a friend.” from The Abundance of Less
The author describes the landscapes and people in this book which such beautifully crafted language—you almost feel you’re there. Everything is slow and appreciative. The glimpses into the lives of these ten Japanese men and women living in the countryside are truly a gift of their simple wisdoms. They spend a great deal of time growing and tending their rice fields and gardens, gathering wood and cooking with it. Firing their kilns with it. They take the time and by doing so have more of it to share. An amazing feat of living more with less. A wonderful book.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2020
I haven’t relished a book like this one in a very long time. It was my slowest, most enjoyable, thought-provoking, heart-warming read. Besides being a fantastic example of writing with words that melt and stories layered like a crescendo with the most compassionate ending, the details about talented Japanese people choosing an alternative lifestyle are recorded with amazing observation. I simply can’t do justice to how much this book nourished my soul. Thank you Andy, for the work, for intruding us to these wonderful people and for all the important topics discussed in the book. And especially thank you for including your own story. It was the cherry on top!
13 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2019
The book wasn't what I expected. It was an interesting treatise on Japanese culture through the eyes of the writer but not a book on getting rid of clutter and being a minimalist.
5 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2018
An incredible book that everyone should read. Mr. Couturier takes the reader into the homes of many wonderfully interesting people who have captured the true meaning of life in the simplicity they have attained. He demonstrates all angles of the approaches for the simplicity and through his writing inspires one to address their life to attain more peace and purpose. It is a rich gift that Mr. Couturier has given us and I feel it should be a required read for all university students and government officials especially those to elected offices. The release is timely because we all need to do more to be kinder to the planet that gives us so much. Buy one for yourself and another for a friend.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2018
In that the author has revisited his sources after the Fukushima disaster his earlier efforts takes on an added poignancy and urgency but the questions remain if there is the political and personal will to truly make necessary changes so we can live more fully and with considerably less. If anything the book lacks a sense of poetry to elevate it.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries
5.0 out of 5 stars Ikigai con esteroides
Reviewed in Mexico on October 9, 2018
De esto se trata leer! Que verdadera joya de lectura. No lo he leído todo porque no he tenido el valor de terminar esta obra de arte. NADA pretencioso, bien escrito por un observador externo de la cultura japonesa: pero que conoce la cultura y el idioma, y que sabe estrevistar y escribir. En pocas palabras: un filosofo y periodista occidental que escribe para un periódico de Kyoto entrevista a una serie de personajes de carne y hueso que hablan a través de sus actos.
One person found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely
Reviewed in Canada on February 6, 2021
This was a lovely book. I picked it up by chance at the library before the pandemic, and ended up with it for months during lockdown and library closures. I ended up buying a copy to give to a friend. The theme of simple and thoughtful living went very well with this time. It's not a page turner; I just read it in little bits here and there, but was always happy to return to it. The gift recipient said he liked it too.
5.0 out of 5 stars A unique work talking to unique individuals
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 12, 2019
This is a real treasure of a book and one of the rare ones where EVERY WORD COUNTS. The stories are inspiring without being sentimental. indeed it is the honesty that rings through this collection, that makes it such a spiritually worthwhile read.
I recommend it to anyone asking themselves just what they think they are doing with their lives.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in Japan on November 25, 2020
One of the best books I’ve read.
5.0 out of 5 stars lifestyle advice from the Japan countryside
Reviewed in Japan on April 12, 2018
"The Abundance Of Less" is a great read. Japanese people who live alternative lifestyles are interviewed by Andy Couturier. HIs interviews show great empathy and respect for their chosen lifestyles, their life decisions and their lifestyle habits. Readers may not wish to live the same lifestyle as these people, but their stories, philosophies and thoughts provide advice to evaluate personal lifestyle choices and modern lifestyles in general. Terrific read. Thanks Mr. Couturier.