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Title: Living a Beautiful Life by Alexandra Stoddard ISBN: 0-380-70511-7 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 April, 1988 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.08 (13 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Don't buy this unless you have cash to burn. Lots of it.
Comment: I got this book second hand from my sister during some extremely hard times for our family. I wanted a life filled with more grace, some beauty to inject into the tragedy of basically becoming homeless with a 6-month-old baby in tow. I did find a bit of inspiration in the pages, and I'm guessing that if I were to try and read it again today, now that our circumstances are much better, I could use some of the informaton and ideas. But at the time it all seemed so frivilous, expensive, and hopelessly out of step with Real Life.
It's obvious that Ms. Stoddard has never actually spent a day without money (or family money), no matter what her claims to the contrary. Her idea of beauty appears to be buying things to make your house more beautiful. I was looking for simple things I could do to uplift my hopelessly depressing surroundings, and got "ideas" like buying fountain pens and expensive European writing papers for jotting down notes because they feel nice to write with. Um... with WHAT money?
It's also obvious that she has no small children in the house, because many of her non-purchase ideas are things like "relax with a book," "relax with a cup of broth," "relax by writing a letter," and so on. As mother of a 6-year old boy, I have long since left "relaxation" in the dust.
Here are a selection of her ideas which, if you actually had some of these things already on hand, might work for you... or not:
Put on an attractive apron and unwind by freshening up the house. (Of course, she suggests Laura Ashley aprons)
Dust and clean your books regularly, changing their jackets to match the season. (I don't even know what this means)
Have a family picture taken once a year and have it framed. (Maybe I can get a cheap frame at Ross and just leave the beautiful people in it?)
Serve simple foods like fresh asparagus or creamy, perfect Brie with French bread hot from the oven. (Simply expensive)
Garnishes can be a part of the recipe -- arrange sliced veal on a bed of braised spinach with thin slices of lemon tucked between the overlapping slices. (Veal is gotten from tortured calves and expensive)
If you love beautiful bed pillows, as I do, stack them two or three deep against the headboard. (Even if you made them yourself this would be about $10-15 per pillow, x 11 pillows (how many she has) = $110 minimum just for BED PILLOWS.)
...even when discussing simple things like not letting the telephone bother you in the evening she manages to slip in the tidbit that "our favorite vacation spot is on a tropical island where the rooms have no phones". While discussing back pain she makes sure to give all the luxurious details about her custom-made Canadian maple four poster with Lattoflex supports. There is a paragraph in the bath chapter discussing how her father was vice president of Elizabeth Arden and how their cabinets were "filled with Blue Grass and all the Arden creams, lotions and powders." Is she trying to impress someone, or does she really think everyone has access to these things?
The kicker for me was this: I wrote her a letter explaining our unfortunate circumstances and my desire to bring more calm and beauty to our home. She was pleasant enough in her response, saying that she hoped things would be better for us soon and to just do what we could for the time being.... but then she said... "Perhaps you are just jealous of those who have more?"
I put the book away and have not looked at it since... well, until tonight in order to write this review. In opening it up and skimming through it again, I see that my memories of the book as being "The Rich Woman's Guide to Happiness" are indeed correct. I have never forgotten what Ms. Stoddard said to me, and I cannot forgive the disconnect it shows between her own life and the majority of the world.
So again, if you have cash to spend on Laura Ashley aprons and no children to be bothered with while having a bubble bath with imported French soaps, then this book is for you.
Rating: 4
Summary: Organzation for beauty freaks.
Comment: Alexandra Stoddard refers to a time when she was a starving student, but from her description, she has never gone hungry due to not being able to afford food. If you don't have some spare cash left over at the end of each month, or aren't willing to stretch things a bit, this book may not be for you.
However, considering that I once *did* go hungry for a brief period of time, earned pathetic paychecks and still cared enough about my surroundings to make tough (perhaps even stupid) decisions for the sake of my sanity, I simply roll my eyes at some of her claims and read between the lines.
Suggestions in this book include considering decorative hat boxes for day-to-day storage, investing in a fountain pen rather than another few packages of disposables, treating yourself to flowers when you can, going into sumptous stores to get ideas (which I tend to use in more pedestrian stores when I actually start buying stuff :). And that's just what I can remember.
"Living a Beautiful Life" gave me the foundation to really start thinking about my environment, what I wanted and what I didn't. Organization could lead not just to efficiency, but to beauty. I have friends who are slightly more destitute than I am. I have a friend who is a millionaire. I have friends who are inbetween and they all look at my home and marvel at the fact that they couldn't imagine me living anywhere else.
And I don't think that I would have been able to do it without Stoddard's repeated encouragement, which seemed to be telling me that whatever it was I could do for myself, I was more than worth it.
Rating: 1
Summary: Not what I thought it would be....
Comment: I thought this book was going to include style tips and more how to's than it did. It had some how to's but not for interior design. (Incidentally, there are no photographs in this book, just some simple drawings. How can you write a book on interior design without including any pictures?) The book was also chock full of Emily Post style tips on writing letters, making time for yourself without feeling guilty, what kind of foods to prepare when, and tons of other little feel-good snippets. If you want great tips on interior design, find a better book than this one.
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Title: Creating a Beautiful Home by Alexandra Stoddard ISBN: 0380716240 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 November, 1993 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Choosing Happiness: Keys to a Joyful Life by Alexandra Stoddard ISBN: 0060008040 Publisher: HarperResource Pub. Date: 02 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Daring to Be Yourself by Alexandra Stoddard ISBN: 0380715783 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 May, 1992 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Open Your Eyes : 1,000 Simple Ways To Bring Beauty Into Your Home And Life Each Day by Alexandra Stoddard ISBN: 0380731444 Publisher: HarperResource Pub. Date: 01 November, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Gracious Living in a New World: Finding Joy in Changing Times by Alexandra Stoddard ISBN: 0380726203 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 November, 1997 List Price(USD): $12.50 |
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