Customer Reviews

Romancing the Ordinary: A Year of Simple Splendor 2004 Engagement Calendar

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm a long-time fan of Ms. Ban Breathnach's work. However, I'm not an easy sell just because an author comes out with something else. From the moment I picked up this beautiful book, I could tell that she had ventured into new territory. Laid out as a journey through the twelve months of the year, each chapter gently guides you through the delights to be found in every day and the simple graces you can bring into your life. You'll also find all of the SBB trademarks: rare quotes, thought provoking questions, recipes for body and soul, and of course the lyrical prose that only comes from the goddess of gratitude.

This book remains on my nightstand, but its proximity to me still is not enticement enough to open it more. Breathnach's first book (S.A.) is hard to beat.

At least, I don't feel as if I am.

I originally picked up Simple Abundance off of a coworker's desk while rebooting my computer for the nth time in a morning. Someone then gave me their mostly unused copy and on a lark, wrote out my response to the daily entries in my online journal, which garnered positive feedback, including someone giving me this sequel of sorts. I'm not sure I would've stuck with either without the feedback. This made both well-worth my time.

(And yes, my readers gave me a 3rd daily essay book "Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much", which is already quite different. And, since I'm able to keep up with daily journal entries, possibly inappropriate.)

I recommend reading this either near a computer search engine (or a classic library) and researching some of the people she mentions. Searching for some of the artists, painters, explorers and otherwise interesting historical figures mentioned in the book made it a stepping stone to a richer experience, which seems to be the goal.

I also recommend a fourm that gets feedback, be it blog (I'm no celebrity, and yet I have an interested audience), discussion list or a group that periodically meets in person.

Romancing the Ordinary is, as mentioned, less cute-fuzzy optimistic (I was fascinated by how she faced life changes, whether or not I agreed with her choices) and more earthy/pagan/wiccan/(women-positive). I regard this as a step forward.

Nonetheless, it is a sequel. The original is still a better place to begin.

I've been a fan of Sarah's work for several years now. In the mid-90's, when Simple Abundance hit the bookstores, I was first in line to get my copy and still love the book to this day. I've been a member of an online Simple Abundance group list for the last 4 years and we've worked through SA twice as well as Sarah's second offering, Something More. We were eagerly anticipating Romancing The Ordinary and couldn't wait to get started on working through it last January. However, as the months of this past year wore on, everyone on our list grew increasingly disappointed with this book to the point that list participation dropped off and some people even left the group out of sheer disinterest or exasperation. Being diligent fans, many of us persevered, hoping that we might see glimmers of Sarah's former brilliance and confidence in her subject matter... or, when that wasn't forthcoming, just something new that she hadn't decided to rehash and repackage in this beautiful to look at but disappointing read.

We had so many problems with her concepts: her melancholy that clouds her musings with a dark cast due to our speculation that she was down in the dumps from her divorce when she wrote this book, the doubt and misgivings she seems to cast on concepts she wrote about with such confidence in Simple Abundance and her desperation for love and assurances of future happiness that clearly weren't present when she wrote this as she writes about pie in the sky concepts like luck, hope, and all kinds of silly ways to divine the future and control what seems was out of her control at the time. We wondered who she was more trying to convince with the romance theme - us or herself? We didn't feel a sense that she was convinced, so we weren't convinced. We found ourselves shaking our heads in disagreement with her ideas - often totally contradictory to what she wrote with assurance in SA - and we all experienced and expressed such a lack of resonance with her down in the dumps frame of mind that we began to use the book as a prompt for exploring why we totally disagreed with her and what we actually believed instead. That proved to be very enlightening - but I don't think Sarah wrote the book to be used in this way. I've heard it said that we teach what we most need to learn. Maybe Sarah was trying to find Romance again in her ordinary life and that's how this book evolved into being. Unfortunately, her bumbling to find that romance wasn't conveyed to us through the pages. There was nothing in this volume that was said that wasn't said better, more convincingly and with more depth and insight in Simple Abundance. But if you like weird recipes and truly ridiculous notions of things to try or do because you have no life and are looking for the absurd to fill up your time because you've nothing better to do... maybe this is the book for you.

Personally, the most disappointing thing for me about this book was that it cast doubt in my mind on Sarah's work in general. I still love and highly recommend Simple Abundance. I really liked Something More, too. But in my eyes, Romancing the Ordinary was a total flop and not up to par with what I've come to expect of her. After muddling through this work over the course of a year with others who have come to love and respect Sarah's work just as much as myself, I will now have a shadow of a doubt about purchasing future books by her for fear that she'll be producing yet another volume that is unenlightening, disappointing and contradictory of her former wisdom as this bound volume of fluff was. And I was left wondering - did she write this due to publisher pressure to ride the wave of her success? If so, it was a sad effort that, unfortunately, I and others bought but found that it only scantly clung by a thread to the coattails of her previous and exceptional former efforts. How many ways can I say this book was such a disappointment???

This book is just a joy to read! Notice I say IS and not WAS. That is because it is not a novel in which you read and then you are finished. This is something you can read in an unorderly fashion and pick up again and again simply to uplift your spirits and put you in a good mood.
What aroused my attention to "Romancing the Ordinary" was, pardon my faux pas, the cover in and of itself. The beautiful picture and the title - "Romancing the Ordinary." I had definitely had my not-so-romantic times in the recent past and thought this book would be of some help. Other reviews have said that this book is solely for single women and I would somewhat agree, althought not wholeheartedly. I am a single woman at the present time, however I can maybe see a happily unsingle woman reading it also, yet not as much.
Anyway, as every single woman knows, there are wonderful times to being single as there are also very lonely ones. This book really cheers me up and makes me really make the most ordinary of moments truly romantic! Especially the February chapter - there is much talk on making a romantic dinner for yourself and lighting candles (which I constantly have done even before this book!) and also simply reflecting on the past when you had been in love. Thinking about a past time when you were in love puts a smile on your face. Remember the phrase, "it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all."
Anyway, even if you aren't single, this book will uplift your spirits and help you enjoy even the simplest of moments. Even enjoying a rainy day and making the most out of it instead of reflecting on how awful it is.
Read it and you will be moved and will look at life in a different way - a more positive one!!!!!!!!!!!

Like so many women my age, I spent way too much time looking for a mate. Sarah reminded me that my lover just might be life itself! How intriguing! As I'm reading this book, my eyes and ears and nose..every sense is being reborn. Sometimes we have to be reminded to appreciate all that surrounds us. Life is hard but it doesn't have to be negative. Thank you Sarah

An inspiring and enlightening work that is very appropriate considering all the depression, anxiety, uncertainty and pessimisim we see all around us. This book is clearly written for women and truthfully I bought it for my wife. But, while she was reading it, I started scanning it and was drawn in. The author suffered a head injury that deprived her of sensory input. One by one, she regained her senses, but gained a new appreciation for life as she rediscovered the abundant joy to be found in simple everyday pleasures. It may sound trite, but I assure you, it's not. You can't help but become more aware of life's blessings when you read this book!

I was surprised and delighted with Romancing the Ordinary for as a 53 year old woman, feeling my passion and sensuality emerge from this "sleeper" work by Sarah tickles me. I expected beautiful prose, for which we are well rewarded. I anticipated the wisdom of other eras, SBB's trademark quotes, and was delighted and comforted. I hoped for new insights and reminders of practices that work (take time for myself, baths and candles) and was grateful that SBB took the time and risk to remind me about things that work to ground me as a woman. The thrill came when I realized my passion, for life, love, sex and living my life full out, with me first, happy and joyful. Contrary to one reviewer, this is a book for all women, married and single. My husband and I are quite thrilled with my love of this book," which I read first, like a novel! Try the food of love, page 84 or read "Lead Her into Temptation", pg 408. No one but Sarah and maybe God, would know the trouble and fun a baked apple can cause. For every woman, who knows and cares about another woman, share this treasure with them and savor the "es"sensual delights that life holds for us.

Romancing the Ordinary is a continuation of Sarah's (and our) quest for happiness and joy in this short time that we have on planet Earth. Although I have read, and re-read, all of her books, I am never tired of what she has to say. I don't care if she says "toots," talks about her divorce or daughter, or reiterates a point that she made in a previous book. To me, the bottom line is, Sarah touches my heart. I think that most women who are on the "simple abundance" path will find great pleasure in Romancing the Ordinary. It is truly an "essensual" book from cover to cover.

After reading the other reviews, I just have to write my own--because I actually bought this book. I have read and re-read Simple Abundance and Something More, so I am a fan of SBB. This book is not as evil as has been reviewed. However, I must say, if you are a Christian who does not allow her children to read Harry Potter because it is "evil," then this book is not for you. SBB does discuss magic and witches in the sense of Glenda the good witch from the Wizard of Oz.

What I do appreciate about the book is the encouragement to view my everyday activities in a different light. Enjoy my pillows, enjoy selecting my books for vacation, enjoy having a comfortable nightgown to sleep in. Think about what would give me pleasure, not just please everyone else. Let go of perfectinism.

I look forward to reading the book over the next year. I look forward to apprectiating my senses more--which is the whole premise of the book.