Customer Reviews

Celebrating Time Alone: Stories Of Splendid Solitude

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I have just finished reading this remarkably human and compassionate book by Lionel L. Fisher. I read it in two days, and I heard myself saying out loud. "My God this is so true." This is an extremely valuable book that should be read by many people who question their own self-worth. It should be read by the young adults who are rushing around, and who never take the time to realize what is truly important. Everyone is just doing, doing and doing. No one seems to know how to just be, and to take the time to really value what is so important in life. Please do not wait until you're old to realize this, do it now and enjoy your life to the fullest, by being in the now. I applaud the author who had the courage to be by himself, walking that long stretch of beach and facing all the demons of his past. I applaud all the brave and intriguing characters that he interviewed for this book. But, most of all, I am so grateful for this book, because it has been so remarkably helpful to me in my own personal life. I have just ordered five more copies. Why? I wish to give a truly wonderful gift to the people that I hold most dear in my life. I know that they will benefit both spiritually and emotionally by reading this book. Thank you Lionel L. Fisher for giving us the opportunity to read such a wonderful down to earth book that is both witty and poignant at the same time.

Just when I was beginning to think that maybe something was wrong with me mentally for loving my privacy and solitude so much, here comes a book that shows me I'm not alone in my need for the solitary life! The joys that I glean from simple things around me, things I wouldn't even begin to notice because of outside pressures and people needing me and using my time, are all part of what makes up "me". The people I met in Lionel Fisher's book all seem like relatives. We all share the same familial trait, like the shape of some aunt's lips, or grandma Freida's cowlick....we all crave our independance and are successful in living our lives alone. How happy I am to know that rather than having something wrong with me because I'd rather pass on a party or work in a crowded office, I can find solace and worth in living by myself and accomplishing things that others might never attempt! And it's thanks to Lionel Fisher...who, rather than preach to me about how "right" my lifestyle is for me, shows me by introducing me to the people he has met and telling me their stories. For those of you who live alone and love the life you've chosen, read this book. If for nothing else, then to see that we're really not so alone afterall!

We use words to express thought and when we have no time for thought we let the words do the thinking - or rather we take the thought expressed by a word for granted. Consider `loneliness' - no need for explanations. Loneliness equals sadness, pain, tears, crying, despair, anti-social, or odd character, lack of companionship, lovelessness etc. Check the song lyrics for verification, `Are you lonesome tonight?', `Have you ever been lonely, have you ever been blue?', `Oh lonesome me', `I am so lonesome I could cry' etc.

For long I have being puzzled by an inner conflict. I don't consider myself anti-social and yet I do not take to company easily. When I do and as the subject inevitably turns to rumor, money, sports, who bought what, how much does it cost, who went out with whom and other gossip, my mind begins to pain. I smile the most neutral smile I can produce to signal I accept in advance whatever the company says and embrace the first occasion to depart. At that point, being alone, yes, loneliness is my freedom.

Attempting to find out if I am odd and if so, how much, I bought and read `Celebrating Time Alone'. It is good reading and, thank God, it is not a `how to' book. It did not promise nor has given me the mental triceps needed to knock out loneliness in the first round. Celebrating Time Alone instructs without teaching, which I always found the best way to learn. The author, a survivor of the corporate world, took up residence - alone but for a dog and a lizard - in a secluded corner of the Longview Peninsula in Washington State. He has traveled throughout the country talking to people with radically different characters but with one thing in common, their choice to live alone. Their answers, their experiences, their way to cope with life are intriguing. At times while reading I found myself saying, `I did not think about it that way' - for me, usually, a sign that I learned something. The author blends the thoughts and experience of the `lone subjects' with his own experience and thoughts as one who chose to live alone. The results are often surprising and constructive. After finishing the book I decided I am not as odd as I thought. At one time or another being alone is inevitable. Celebrating Time Alone shows paths towards making the experience positive. Quoting again a well known song lyric, I found in this book some aces I could keep. Five Thumbs.

I am happily married and hope to be together with my significant other into eternity. Still, I connected with many of the truths and personal stories that Lionel Fisher has woven through this book. I had some initial misgivings about the central theme ("Is this guy trying to talk us all out of pairing up?"). But I found that what Fisher and his subjects say about the importance of learning to live with and love oneself first (and best) rings equally true in marriage as in aloneness. Most of all, this book delivers a reassuring message: that being alone -- whether by choice or by circumstance -- isn't something to be feared. It's what we choose to make of our solitude that matters.

Reading this book earlier in my life sure would have saved me alot of agony about being alone. In this book there were so many stories about how people being alone have made their alonenees into a monument of who they are. To read their stories was so incredibly inspiring and because of the stories in this book I realize whole different perspectives on my own aloneness. Lionel Fisher has such a way of grabbing ahold of a reader! I just couldn't put down that book! His humor and sensitivity are captivating. I found myself chuckling several times throughout the book. Several times I felt like crying for the person in a story. I think I ran the gamut of emotions. His book was like watching a fantastic movie you never want to end. Mostly his book inspired me to make the most of my aloneness. Whenever I question it I'll re-read one of the real life stories in his book.

Fisher provides inspiration and encouragement for anyone meeting life's challenges alone. The wisdom and maturity he has gained on his own journey shines throughout the book, and he offers practical attitudes and behaviors to the reader. One of the ways he gives the reader pearls from his experience is in fascinating stories from his own life. In addition to this, he interviewed many other solitaires and includes their stories: their resourceful and creative responses to the questions in their own lives. Inevitably, whether living alone or with others, the reader will find stories in this book with which he or she will identify. Fisher writes with such sensitivity and confidence that his words will inspire courage in the most disheartened, frightened or simply curious reader. Considering the many choices about lifestyle which are available to people now, this is a timely book.

The best quality of this book is that it passes the ultimate book test: it is such a great read, I could hardly put it down.

Yesterday, I had the good fortune to stop into a local bookstore, and pick up this mans book, had it signed by the kindest,sincere looking man I have seen in a long time. Had him sign the book for a loner friend of mine so that I could send as a gift. Well, let me tell you, I started reading it, stayed up til 11pm, very hard to put the book down and go to bed! I finished this morning. Being a loner type, relishing solitude, but made to feel odd by family and acquaintances, this book has helped me renew my self worth, realizing I am not alone in my solitary ways, and not a freak of nature. I laughed, cried, felt much compassion and comradeship with many of the people who shared thier lives with the author of this book.

Being alone doesn't necessarily mean being a hermit: it can also be about escaping life's pressures and re-discovering one's self and strengths. The author spent six years living by himself on a remote beach: his experience, this personal experience, plus that of others who have lived alone, makes Celebrating Time Alone an intriguing book filled with insights.

The stories contained in the pages of this book are a true gift -- many thanks to the author and the courageous people he interviewed for their hard won insights into the joys and challenges of solitude. When reading passage after passage I found myself saying, "Yes. Exactly!" In our harried times, where solitude and reflection sometimes seem to be avoided at all costs, it's comforting to hear the voices of people whose thoughts resonate so deeply with my own and who've struggled with the same issues.

This is a book for everyone who has stuggled with the ambivalence of solitude. Many of us fear it, some embrace it. These are compelling stories from people who have discovered the growth and insight that can spring from being alone. And one of the most interesting of these journeys is that of the author himself. I found his wit and wisdom most wonderful and was sorry to finish it.