The Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life [Hardcover]

Cecile Andrews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 1997

Simplicity is in; according to the Trends Research Institute, 15% of America's 77 million baby boomers will have joined the movement by the end of the decade. Inwardly rich and outwardly simple, voluntary simplicity is both a reaction and an antidote to the spiritually void, harried and materialistic lifestyle that pervades our culture.

In Seattle, the mecca of the movement, Cecile Andrews is renowned for her workshops on voluntary simplicity and her seminars on creating simplicity circles (groups dedicated to pursuing simplicity in their own lives). In The Circle of Simplicity she explains how, instead of working to exhaustion, we should focus on our creativity, participate in community life, and be more concerned about the planet. In the end, simplicity means different things to different people. For some it means changing careers; for others it's deciding to walk to work. Regardless of how we adopt the principles of simplicity, Andrews asserts, we will be able to live a more satisfying, rewarding existence.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Circle of Simplicity speaks to readers seeking to find greater peace and happiness by eliminating some of the clutter and distraction in their lives. Andrews offers detailed instructions on how to form and run a simplicity circle, a support group for the terminally harried. Her book emphasizes the value of slowing down as a way to find time to reconnect with a community. But Andrews's idea of simplicity is vague, the remedy for a wide variety of discontents. For her it means, for one thing, eating out often, because cooking makes her "crabby." Instead of embracing the frugality advocated in other books, The Circle of Simplicity mostly echoes the weightless profundities of what used to be called the human potential movement. Andrews does not actually urge us to do our own thing, but she comes close.

From Library Journal

The desire to "return" to a simpler way of living that is currently experiencing a revival has a long history. Yet this movement is often presented as an innovation. One of its recent practitioners and advocates, Andrews has become prominent in the Seattle area, where she writes for the Seattle Times and runs "simplicity circles." Here she begins with a discussion of the ills of our materialistic society, then details how to simplify our lives and feel better about ourselves in seven steps. Although the book does not say anything new on this recurring topic, Andrews's advice and style are both appealing and easy to follow. Not a necessary purchase, this is recommended wherever the simplicity movement is popular.?January Adams, Franklin Twp. P.L., Somerset,
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harper; 1st edition (February 20, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060178140
• ISBN-13: 978-0060178147
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,579,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Simplicity Discussion Groups, December 23, 2004

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life (Paperback)

This book provides a broad overview of some of the issues behind the Simplicity movement. The author, Cecile Andrews set up a number of Simplicity study circles near her home in the Northwest. This book reveals some of the factors that led her to become interested in Simplicity as well as her ideas of how Simplicity study circles might work. Much of the beginning of the book provides justification for adopting Simplicity. Andrews enumerates problems such as hyper-consumption, environmental degradation, and personal isolation. She also explores possible actions we could take to solve these problems, such as consciously building community with other people and the earth, finding ways to express our spirituality, and restructuring our economic system to make it more environmentally and socially friendly. In the last part of the book, she describes the idea of Simplicity study circles, the benefits that might be gained from participating in one, and how a study circle should operate. She also provides a 10-week study plan based on the earlier material in the book.

Although I agree with the ideas in this book, I found the book rather disappointing in content. Much of the discussion is either so personal as to be hard to generalize, or else a superficial summary of other more substantial texts. For example, Andrews frequently refers to findings of Juliet Schor; readers would have more material for discussion by reading Schor's works directly. Some of Andrews' suggestions for addressing problems are rather inappropriate. To draw attention to hyper-consumerism, she suggests surreptitiously clothes-pinning tags with messages like "You don't really need this, do you?" inside articles of clothing in shops. While I'm all for trying to get people to become more aware of their needless purchases, I don't think messing with the property of individual store owners is an acceptable way to go about the mission. Her suggestions for reforming our economic system would be great in an ideal state, but until we are run by a benevolent socialist dictator, I don't think they can realistically be put into action. It would be better to focus our efforts on goals that are conceivably achievable. Overall, while I found the topic of this book interesting, I think there are numerous other books on the topic of Simplicity that are better implemented, starting with Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin's "Your Money or Your Life". It's hard to tell from this book if Andrews can take credit for originating Simplicity study groups such as those run by the Northwest Earth Institute. If so, she certainly deserves credit for her efforts in that area, but I don't think there's enough substantial material in this volume to use as background reading for an effective study group by itself.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars nice philosophy, poor supportive arguments, November 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life (Hardcover)

Really disappointing book. This book would never persuade me to try voluntary simplicity (luckily I already came to it from other sources). Even though I wholeheartedly agree with many of Andrews' points, the book offers little support for her sweeping generalizations. Does she really believe that the clinically depressed could snap out of it by shopping at locally owned boutiques instead of the faceless mall? The entire book seems unfinished, full of author's notes and opinions but with few facts or well-constructed arguments. Where was her editor?

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring, personal journey, October 9, 2003

By 

J. Meegan "Voracious Reader" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life (Paperback)

I found this book to be a fast read. The author is very good at giving a lot of information bites about a variety of issues, just enough to whet the appetite but not so much that the reader feels dragged down. While I did enjoy a lot of Cecile's thoughts about consumerism and the many ills of our modern society, I have to agree with some of the previous reviewers who pointed out that she makes a lot of random and unsupported statements throughout the book. But then I look at this book as less of a "how to" and more of a "here's how I did it, maybe you can too." In any case, I think she's on the right track and I applaud her for daring to be different -- she's obviously a lot happier because of her choices. Read this book for inspiration...and keep in mind that it's only one person's opinion.