The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living: Cultivating Sustainable Simplicity Close to Home

by Mary E. Kingsley, Eileen M. Schaeffer (Illustrations)

A small guide for those seeking a life of beauty, simplicity, and sustainability.

In this simple and inspiring lifestyle handbook, Mary Kingsley - novelist, wife, mother, homesteader and co-founder of Lady Farmer - briefly discusses the history of humanity's relationship with the natural world, how that relationship has shifted, and how the concept of "slow living" can return health to ourselves and our planet. This guide not only includes an exploration of the damage done by our fast-food, fast-fashion, fast-everything culture, but offers simple ways each of us can help to heal that damage.

Though she lives and works on a small farm herself, the information Kingsley provides in this handy guide can be implemented in city and suburb, helping all of us feel more connected and less out of step with our environment. The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living includes stories, tips, recipes, resources, ideas, and questions to get you thinking about your own relationship to the planet, what you eat, what you wear, where you live, and how you live. It even contains three weeks of daily thought exercises to lead you in the process.

The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living is the perfect introduction for anyone looking to live a slower, more connected, and more harmonious life on Planet Earth.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Nature, Self Help, Lifestyle

158 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2020

About the author

Mary E. Kingsley was born and raised in northeastern Tennessee, surrounded by the hills of southern Appalachia. She now lives in Washington DC with her husband, two cats and a dog. When not writing she enjoys spending time with friends and family, yoga, gardening, occasional painting, paper making, and photography. Angel is her first novel.

Reviews

[Meridith Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good guide. Overall. But honestly, not super realistic as a lifestyle. I think pulling one or two ideas would work, but not all

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life because it really made me think about my habits in my space, kitchen, and closet and how to change them. I read this during the pandemic lockdown and it really helped me reflect on what facets of my life I am interested in changing for the better.

[Beatriz Gyuricza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really lovely and basic introduction to slow living. I personally would have liked more depth but I will be coming back to this for the resources section and I am currently going through the 21 day journal prompts. I really appreciate the reflections at the end of each chapter, that is what sets this apart from other slow living content I have read.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Start small. Do what you can. Avoid judgement of yourself and others.”

I don’t think this will win any awards but it’s a darling little intro for those interested in slowing down, and living more sustainably. Section 2 on slow fashion almost lost me though. It felt a little bit more geared towards educating the reader on what lady farmer is doing to produce sustainable fabrics.. I don’t know. Just felt gimmicky while the rest of the sections felt natural.

As a whole this gives nice starter points to think on, and how to move toward a more conscious and sustainable lifestyle. For such a short read it still provided enough for me to digest and reflect on for hours after, bringing up some points for healthy debating and conscious choice making in my home. A helpful 21 day “challenge” concludes, for those who like to check things off of lists.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an eye-opening read. It will wake up any reader to the dangers of not living sustainably, and suggests practices that we can accustom to our every day lives. Ultimately, by questioning the sources of items used in our daily routines, as well as offering ways to reduce stress on ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally, and our environment have all been dissected in this well-researched text.

Awareness to 3 particular areas of sustainability are discussed in this piece:
1) Food & Food Sources
2) Clothing
3) Spaces/Housing

I personally resonated deeply with the chapters on food, food sources, and food consumption. The addition of easy home-made recipes was a lovely touch and have been noted in my personal records to try at home (especially the fermenting of harvested backyard foods that I am excited to try).

I do with that it offered more ways to live sustainably (more recipes & daily practices), though I think the last portion with daily offerings of slow-living shifts was a nice touch.

My only critique of this book is that much of these discussions/suggestions towards moving to a more sustainably-lived life doesn't take into account the financial obligations associated with this movement. For example, not everyone can afford to spend money on ethically-sourced/humane food or clothing (which usually has a significant increase in price compared to other products). Not everyone can afford a home with land to grow their own food. There are smaller scaled steps one can take to achieving these ends, but the footprint of the overall picture would be tremendously small and most-likely, not sustainable in themselves.

Despite my critique, I would still recommend this book to others and I resonated with the material.

[Terri Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this, I really did, but it reads like a serious of items pinned on a "Homesteading" Pinterest board. If I were approaching the idea of slow/sustainable living as someone who had just heard of the concept, this would be a very good introduction, but as someone who wanted a little more substance, this book fell short. So maybe it's me, as the wrong audience, and not the book itself.

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this slim book for free with Indigo birthday discounts, and I’m glad I didn’t actually pay for it. It’s got some excellent points but because I’ve read so much in this realm it really just scratched the surface of so many things. I liked the section on different fabrics and their sustainability. I also found the way some points were worded to really hit home. But, if you’re not new to the slow living and sustainability world, this won’t provide many new insights.

[Jessica Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a sweet introduction to slow living and gives lots of room for reflection. While I enjoyed the first and last sections, the middle section on slow fashion fell flat for me. The focus was more on what Lady Farmer was doing and less on what I could do. But overall, the book gives a basic overview on how to cultivate a slow and gentle life 🌸

[Amelia Thorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the idea of slow living. I think when I read books like this I get a little down because so much of it is currently unattainable and it feels like why am I trying at all of the little things. But I like the idea of being a lady farmer and being as sustainable as I can be. So here I go.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

not a great deal of new substance (or it could be i've already read several of the authors referenced in the resources). we have reflected and incorporated many of these ideas into our thinking and daily lives.
this could be a helpful read for those folks just beginning to look for other options.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book if you are starting a journey to become more sustainable!

[Margaret Hovestadt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. Brought up interesting points.

[Emily Duchon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Covers the basics. Great homemade mayo recipe. Appreciate the “tips” and would have liked more of those.

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative but rather preachy and soap boxish.

[Kayley Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of thoughts on slow living.

[Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sensing a lot of xenophobic elements in this book particularly towards china

[Нора · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is basically an ad with some fluff. It reads like a basic intro to regular living for Americans.

[Smosanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to start slow loving? This is the book te start it with! It’s all about consciousness and how to start living clean in every aspect of life. Not to heavy, but it have me sparks of enthusiasm about a lot of subjects to practice slow living more.