Celebrating Time Alone: Stories of Splendid Solitude (Paperback)

by Lionel Fisher (Author) "In the spring of 1996, Sarah Holbrook moved to a place as basic as the life she wants to live..." (more)
Key Phrases: new hermits, more regrets, Celebrating Time Alone, New York, Dead Cow Gulch (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
For six years, Lionel Fisher lived by himself on a remote Pacific Northwest beach, where he had ample time to reflect on how to use solitude to become a happier, more fulfilled person. In a writing style at once eloquent and down to earth, Fisher interweaves his own experiences with other people’s real-life stories to affirm the life-changing benefits of being alone.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books/Beyond Words (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582700494
• ISBN-13: 978-1582700496
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #516,600 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Celebrating Time Alone: Stories of Splendid Solitude, February 8, 2002

By	Bonnie Resnick (Las Vegas, Nevada United States) - See all my reviews

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.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Alone In My Solitude, May 3, 2002

By	Suzan Wilson "wordsmith" (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Food for Thought, August 7, 2001

By	Jimmie Moglia (Portland, OR, USA) - See all my reviews

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.