In Praise of Slow [Hardcover]

Carl Henore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2004

Almost everyone complains about the hectic pace of their lives. These days, our culture teaches that faster is better. But in the race to keep up, everything suffers - our work, diet and health, our relationships and sex lives. Carl Honore uncovers a movement that challenges the cult of speed. In this entertaining and hands-on investigation, he takes us on a tour of the emerging Slow movement: from a Tantric sex workshop in London to a meditation room for Tokyo executives, from a SuperSlow exercise studio in New York, to Italy, home of the Slow Food, Slow Cities and Slow Sex movements.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'An excellent idea' THE SUNDAY TIMES 'Rush to your bookshop' MAIL ON SUNDAY, YOU MAGAZINE 'Incredible stuff' THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE 'A friendly and intelligent guide... with a light mix of well-researched historic trivia and contemporary statistics. [Honore's] anecdotes and self-deprecating humour convey the pleasure and reward that he experienced on his slow pilgrimage.' THE ECONOMIST 'The No Logo of its age... strangely enthralling, an epiphany for those of us who have forgotten how to look forward to things or to enjoy the moment when it arrives.' THE GLASGOW HERALD "A fascinating insight into slowness...a million times more inspiring than any of the mass of self-help books around on downshifting. This is a rare treat to be savoured." -- Viv Groskop THE SUNDAY EXPRESS "Well executed and persuasive... I found [In Praise of Slow] not only entertaining, but getting under my skin." -- Will Hutton THE GUARDIAN, 11/09/04

From the Inside Flap

In the tradition of such trailblazing books as No Logo and The Tipping Point, In Praise of Slow heralds a growing international movement of people dedicated to slowing down the pace of our contemporary times and enjoying a richer, fuller life as a result.

These days, almost everyone complains about the hectic pace of their lives. We live in a world where speed rules and everyone is under pressure to go faster. But when speed is king, anyone or anything that gets in our way, that slows us down, becomes an enemy. Thanks to speed, we are living in the age of rage.

Carl Honore has discovered a movement that is quickly working its way into the mainstream. Groups of people are developing a recipe for living better in a fast-paced, modern environment by striving for a new balance between fast and slow. In an entertaining and hands-on investigation of this new movement, Honore takes us from a Tantric sex workshop in a trendy neighbourhood in London, England to Bra, Italy, the home of the Slow Food, Slow Cities and Slow Sex movements. He examines how we can continue to live productive lives by embracing the tenets of the slow movement.

A challenging take on the cult of speed, as well as a corrective look at how we can approach our lives with new understanding, In Praise of Slow uncovers a movement whose time has come.

From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 310 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing (May 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752856251
• ISBN-13: 978-0752856254
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,436,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Introduces consideration of the speed in which we do things to most aspects of life, June 8, 2006

By 

Semioticghost "Semioticghost" (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Praise of Slow (Paperback)

Carl Honore's "In Praise of Slow: How a Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed" does pretty much what it says on the tin, discussing how to introduce consideration of the speed in which we do things to most aspects of life. It's an enjoyable read, and while I don't feel I need most of its message -I'm fairly well up on taking things as slowly as they deserve- I got some new ideas. I've played with some of the suggestions, and it's certainly been interesting - my urge to multi-task, for example, which asserts itself constantly irrespective of how inadequate I may be at it, can be quelled enough for me to enjoy just doing one thing. This requires much concentration, but it's nice to find out that I -can- do it if necessary. One of my favourite quotes from the book is Einstein's not Honore's: "Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid. Human beings are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant."

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My 100-word book review, March 19, 2007

By 

A. J. Cull (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In praise of slow: how a worldwide movement is challenging the cult of speed (Paperback)

In Praise of Slow is a book to be savoured and enjoyed at your leisure. If you, like me, tend to do everything much too fast, you will find a welcome antidote within these pages. Before reading it, I had no idea what the Slow Movement was, or what it stood for, and was pleasantly surprised to find an alternative to the modern culture of instant everything. Carl Honoré's style is relaxed and chatty. As a convert from the cult of speed, he builds a good case for taking the right amount of time to do the things that matter.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book club material, September 11, 2005

By 

Colin from Calgary (Calgary AB) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Praise of Slow: How a Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed (Paperback)

We chose this book for our book club and it proved to be a great choice. It's very well written, researched and argued. The author sums up the dominant problem of the modern world, that there is too much speed in everything we do, and gives lots of cool examples from around the world of how "slow" is helping people live, work, whatever better. I recognized myself in some of the examples of pointless hurry and laughed out loud a few times. It's just an awesome read and everyone in this insane too-fast culture of ours should pick up a copy. All the members of our group enjoyed the book and we had our best debate in a long time. I already know what some of my faster friends are getting for Christmas.