Customer Reviews

Bohemian Manifesto: A Field Guide to Living on the Edge

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is one of those books that you can read over and over again. It's not only humorous in its descriptions of Bohemian living, but it's a wonderful escape from the rampant materialism that drives our everyday world. The Bohemian doesn't worry about cleaning or working or any of those things that we think about constantly. Instead, Bohemian life centers on sensual and intellectual pleasures. Instead of "playing the game", they do what they really want to do, whatever that may be, despite the consequences. It's an incredibly seductive image to those like me who are scared of being trapped in the corporate box, which seems to lie in wait for everyone at some point in their lives.

Laren Stover obviously has knowledge of her subject, unlike some other writers who treat Bohemianism academically. Instead of presenting us with a romanticized image of care-free Bohemians, she presents us with the human side of the Bohemians. Although she does not dwell on the downside to to Bohemianism, the picture she paints is no less real. This book does not inspire me with the urge to abandon my home, family, and friends and hit the road with some traveling band of street performers. But it does inspire me to look at my life in a new way, and to adopt ways to live more naturally, outside the confines of the narrowly-defined norms that dictate our behavior, and sometimes even out thoughts. Bohemian Manifesto indeed provides us with a way out. I recommend that everyone read and take from this book something that will rescue them from the trappings of modern society.

This book is my favorite book. I have read it several times and have taken the little personal quiz at the end at least five times... It's not a book meant to taken seriously...it's not a dictionary or a self-help book or even a true 'field guide' for that matter. Just entertainment. I have never come acorss another book where the author describes things in such delicious ways. I can actullay see, quite vividly, in my head everything that she is describing; colors, shapes, smells, sounds... and the illustrations are simply amazing. A great read for all bohemians, bohemian wannabes or someone who is just simply curious...

I got this book from a friend for my birthday. She said that I reminded her of the "Dandy" bohemian. I can't believe how perfect and handsome the book is. Being a true bohemian I don't need help in learning what to do but this book is so funny and true. And is very well researched-the author even knew that the Romantic poet Coleridge wrote with his gout medicine when he ran out of ink! I recognize several of my friends in these pages and will be getting them their own copies for Christmas. It makes being an outsider seem normal.

Great artwork, too!

I have for a long time considered myself a Bohemian. This book summarized every aspect of the lifestyle beautifully. Yes, there are some cliché's among its pages, and the book is written with a touch of humor, but I find that it doesn't mar the beauty or quality of Ms. Stover's book. It is filled with references to famous Bohemians in history, and lists dozens of unique books, movies, and music that are essential to the culture. The word 'Bohemian' has been commercialized over the years, and mutilated into such phrases as `boho-chic' and whatever else fashion magazines want to advertise, or 20 something's want to buy into. Bohemia was a culture that was the opposite of trends, conformity, or mainstream culture. It was sometimes blissful, sometimes agonizing, but always rich with art and a unique beauty that lingered long after it passed. I believe it's still possible to live a life dedicated to the lifestyle and culture, and this book is a little relic to lend you a helping hand and show you how it's possible.

This book instills in me a sense of freedom and wonder. Loosen up! Put your feet up! Relax. "Bohemian Manifesto" is half antropological study and half whimsy. Enjoy the poetic language, the detailed, researched anthropology and go for the joyous ride! I sure did, and I'm inspired.

I think the fundamental problem with this book is the subject which is attempts to tackle. The nature of a Bohemian is something, by definition, that cannot be catalogued and neatly packaged, as this book tries to do. With that said, I belive it is a very amusing work for those on the outside wishing to get a look in. It is amusing, written with a sense of humor and light heartedness, and set up in an easily accessible way.

It is not a book to be taken too seriously, though. It, of course, simplifies things in a way that makes it almost formulaic. Cute new French name + A few books read + Dirty living quarters = Bohemian. For any Bohemian who takes this book too seriously, it is borderline offensive. But it's not written for Bohemians to complete a trial of self examination.

That having been said, it does have some redeeming qualities. The art is lovely, as many people have noted. The book is peppered with beautiful water colors, which are a great addition to the book. The reading list is fairly comprehensive, and solely on that I would recommend the book. The chapters on names and quotes were little more than interesting side bars, but they were interesting none the less. (Who knew that Cat Stevens real name was Steven Demetre Georgiou?)

All in all, for the right person who would not take this book terribly seriously, it's a fun read. But all in all, if you are seeking some kind of bohemian revolution, this is simply too mass marketted for a starting point.

Terrific! If this book had come out when I was 18 (drinking green chartreuse while reading Anais Nin in my dorm room ) I could have spared myself an identity crisis and found a reassuring and wonderful roadmap of lifestyle possibilities.

Instead I had to do it the intuitive way, calling myself a "medieval hippy" when I was, in fact,an emerging part of the Great and Venerable Bohemian Tribe! Give this book to your young artistic friends so they don't just give up and become Goths! Read it with joy if you want to celebrate the magical and often hilarious ways (without means) of the true Bohemians, eternal rebels and stardust children.

Now, as a practicing "BoBomb" (Bohemian Bombshell of course) I bought this book and loved every charming and wry page, especially those with illustrations.(The best books are illustrated, n'est ce pas?) It's refreshing to find a book which puts its values in the right place- measuring one's life by the next trip,creative meal,painting,performance,costume made or poetry read rather than the witless bottom line.

For if you ARE a true Bohemian there is no cure. "Abandon all hope Ye who enter here!" You might never come back, but in the Bohemian Manifesto we have Ms. Stover, Bohemian Scribe, to charmingly navigate the scene of the "divinely seductive" and the "deviant".

I can't help imagining her living in her Greenwich Village walk-up, surrounded by taxidermy, alabaster busts, and maybe a weasel or two. What does she drink? Chartreuse? Absinthe? Or perhaps Champagne....

The Bohemian Manifesto is about living large in a palace of your mind. After reading it you might even be surprised to find yourself, as I did, singing "Vissi D'Arte, Vissi D'Amore" !

I loved The Bombshell Manual of Style (my copy is threadbare) and the Bohemian Manifesto is a perfect follow-up. Like the author says, some people are Bombshell Bohemians (my favorite people, actually). It's sharp, funny and makes you feel glamorous reading it--like you're sitting in a Parisian cafe in the 30's arguing with Picasso or Henry Miller. Great for any aspiring artist with a glam streak...

As a bohemian, I think this book is more like a bohemian style book because it focuses very much on things bohemians own, as if it is the things that represent bohemian lives and ideas, and we can't talk about artists without talking about their belongings.

And, I don't think a serious artist or writer prefer cluttered environment. Dust on a piece of paper or brush is annoying when you paint, and it also gets stuck on the tip of a fountain pen, freezes a computer, make musical instruments dirty. It's frustrating when you can't find a pen or a pencil when you want to draw.

I really liked this book. It's a fun read. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because I think the Bombshell Manual of Style is better. However, it is a fun book, and one should read it with a sense of humor, and not take themselves, or the book, too seriously.