Rating: 
Summary: A Simple Book ...
Review: This book, a gift from a friend, was a simple read - I am surprised by some of the reviews that confuse the thoughts in here with Marxism, since I didn't find much of that. In fact, Elgin's book is filled with quotes from world religions, citing the reasons we truly need to live a simpler life. I sat reading this book, surrounded with my stacks of books and clothing - "things" I do not need but want - and can afford to get. Halfway through reading, I felt supported in my firm desire (and so far feeble efforts) to continue unloading my home of excesses while downsizing my "wants." Elgin offers this support in a gentle and convincing way - he offers no directions, for he says "Because simplicity has as much to do with each person's purpose in living as it does with his or her standard of living, it follows that there is no single, "right and true" way to live more ecologically and compassionately." His goal is to move his readers to live more simply because it makes more sense, not because we are told we 'should' do so, or because it is a trend. He hopes to move us from within. He offers compassionate, thoughtful reasons to live with less "things." He also gives a history of simplicity's roots - using thoughts from a diversity of views: Christian, Eastern, early Greek, Puritan, Transcendental, and (one of my favorites, of course!) Quakers. He recalls an experience he had with Elise Boulding, a well known Quaker, which helped move him more toward voluntary simplicity (worth reading the book just to experience this with him.) It makes more sense, according to Elgin, for the good of the planet, of other human beings, of our children's future, of our own quality of life, now. And the reasons are many - not economical OR spiritual OR environmental OR community - but any and all of those (a reader can focus on one that moves the individual) He offers information on ways of thinking and acting that lead to a simpler life, and though I fall way short in my own actions and behaviors, I never felt judged. I did feel moved. In his final section on revitalization, he offers ideas for how we might make simplicity happen. Most of what he says I liked, though I'm not fond of his idea that "voluntary" changes in consumption would be made if a higher tax was applied to "luxury goods, gasoline, alcohol and cigarettes." While that might make changes, they would certainly not be "voluntary." However, that is one small suggestion, not a fixed line. I especially liked his People Living the Simple Life chapter, with bits from people who found easy ways to simplify their lives. This book goes on my gift list for friends who need encouragement, not specific 'how-to directions', in living the simpler life.
Rating:
Summary: A Calm, Patient Style Befitting the Subject Matter
Review: This is one of the landmark works of the simplicity movement. In contrast to the Dominguez' Your Money or Your Life, Mr. Elgin places his focus on describing the reasons for his advocacy for a voluntary alteration to a less consumptive lifestyle. The book's style is easy and accessible. The author uses a number of quotations and very brief anecdotes from survey respondents to make the argument that people should scale back into less material obsession and consumption as a way of attaining a more "conscious" life. The reader is left convinced of the author's sincerity, and of the virtue of stepping away from rampant materialism, but the casual assumptions embedded in the book (the inherent error in modern corporate life, the somewhat leery viewpoint toward some forms of technology) seem a bit unexamined for a work considering the social implications of a more examined life. Still, although I was not swept away with all the ideas herein, this is a well-written book with some real ideas, and deserves the cult status popularity it has achieved.
Rating: 
Summary: Soulful and Important
Review: This revised edition reads as fresh as a morning flower, and its subject matter is even more timely and relevant today. Author Duane Elgin provides a wonderful exploration of the practical and philosophical meaning of simplicity, as well as a very comprehensive overview of our ecological predicament. He does not suggest we live like Thoreau or throw out notions of progress. In place of thoughtless grow or "no growth" Elgin prefers a path of "new growth," where inner and outer, spiritual and material, technological and ecological demands are harmonized and balanced. From beginning to end, I could not put this book down. After reading it, I feel like a changed person. To quote Elgin, "In an era dominated by hideously complex problems of global dimension, the ability to see the world more clearly is essential to the survival and well-being of the human family." And indeed, helping us see better is exactly what Elgin accomplishes. If this book moves you, you might also want to check out RADICAL SIMPLICITY, by Jim Merkel.
A VERY IMPORTANT BOOK
Rating:
Summary: For Inspiration
Review: Voluntary Simplicity is more of a mood piece than an instruction manual. It's not designed to turn crass materialists into simple-living Ghandites. Rather it's to inspire those already on that path. In that task it suceeds admiringly. The book has a warmth and integrity to it that is appropriate to it's philosophy. In a culture where living simply and with principles is treated like an anachronism, that inspiration is important. Read it and be fortified.
Rating: 
Summary: Lame and superficial.
Review: When simple ideas and concepts are clear, they stand before the complex world in which we life and have an evident aesthetic and beauty. However the "simple" ideas of this book are just a collage of those discourses used by a 15ht year old when he/she wants to show off how clever they are and for that purpose they mix a few lines that they have heard from a Greenpeace activist in the television newscast, and a few books about new age topics. Maybe the book would appeal for those who love to embark in guilt trips, since it is very difficult to deny that the excess of consumerism is not very good for your budget, and that we must take care for the environment. You do not need this book to understand such very basic advice. Besides we all know that sharing is good and being respectful to others is desirable. In other words you might have more fun and less consumption opening a fortune cookie and reading the little paper inside.
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