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William James Dawson

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The Quest of the Simple Life Kindle Edition

by William J. Dawson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.9 450 ratings

Part of: Best Motivational Books for Personal Development (Design Your Life) (82 books)

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Part of series

Best Motivational Books for Personal Development (Design Your Life)
Print length

145 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

May 17, 2012
File size

228 KB
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0084AOTM8
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 17, 2012
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 228 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 145 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #14,856 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #333 in History (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
3.9 450 ratings

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5

450 global ratings

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Chris Chabeda

Refreshing

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2019

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I like the prose, the vivid imagery of the countryside, the freshness of his outlook.
I could identify with his weariness with the city life, his sarcasm and humane comparison of himself to others usually deeming himself sometimes superior sometimes not.
I would recommend this book for city dwellers and the “learned “ who believe there is nothing to learn from the humble countryside.
Also recommended for those who want to get away from it all albeit briefly.... and for those yearning for financial independence and freedom.
It would make interesting discourse for county and municipal planning authorities on how they can improve the cities.. which are here to stay.
It’s a short read,rich in vocabulary and soothing for the heart. It invites a lot of introspection.

4 people found this helpful

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Daisy S

Very entertaining and inspiring book!

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2014

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For the time it was written, I am amazed at how well written and helpful this book is. First of all, it is about a man who was a clerk in London but wanted a more quiet and simple life in the country. So he followed his dream and did just that. What I like about this book is that the author shows that living simply and enjoying nature can be very content and place one at peace.

I love how he described everything including his financial situation. Since I live in the country and am a nature lover, I could really enjoy reading this inspiring book.

One person found this helpful

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Arlen J. Payne

Read Carefully

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2015

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This book was an interesting read except for the communist/socialist slant...that one caught me off guard. So, if you can get through the garbage, it's an interesting read.

One person found this helpful

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Camille Michiko Gica

I am truly grateful for this book.

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2017

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Having stumbled upon "The Quest of the Simple Life", I would have gladly paid the price for it. I don't know what else to say, but for those who has somehow the desire to live simply in their hearts, I would recommend this book. And maybe for those who are somehow forced to live simply due to some circumstances, this might be insightful to them. I enjoyed this book. It serves me well and I am truly grateful for it. It is not a page-turner kind of book, but it has something wonderful to offer to the world. I hope some will take it. I long towards a life in this direction, although not entirely in the same way, but in a very similar kind.

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John S

good read and great for right reader

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2013

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If you have read about minimalism and simplicity this is a book that was worth a read, as it takes you back to the early 20th century and a 'middle class' guy from London deciding to leave the city for a simpler life. It has its dry spells, but thinking about London then, how things remain the same in life and hearing about someone making such a move is absorbing. The vocabulary he uses is a pleasure; words I haven't seen since the GREs, and makes you pine to see such writing more often.

2 people found this helpful

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J

"The Quest of the Simple Life" by William Dawson

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2011

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In the book "The Quest of the Simple Life" by William Dawson the author both attempts and succeeds in portraying a ideal, which at the time was polar opposite to what his contemporaries were thinking. In short Mr. Dawson was an early 20th century English clerk who worked in a London accounting office. Mr. Dawson's dislike of the position is explained at great Victorian length chapters throughout the first half of the book. The most pressing issue seemed to be that the accounting position while providing for his family offered no fulfillment, and could be accomplished by a "schoolboy with a days training".
Events come to a head when Mr. Dawson is let go from his position after 20 years of service. After much searching Mr. Dawson is able to find a perfect country cottage. The process of moving and remodeling the cottage soon teaches much needed lessons in practical live to the Dawson family. They soon find themselves both happier and busier than they ever where in the city.
In sum I found the books description of Mr. Dawson's lonely life in London to have striking similarities with current suburban life. And while complaints of lack of social interaction are one of the themes of the book, Mr. Dawson had much more interaction than modern workers. This book is a warning of things to come, showing the problems and providing solutions to society.

45 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

A quest that was driven by the wrong initiatives...

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2012

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While I did not complete the entire reading of this text, I feel that my reasons for not doing so are valid and are reflective on the author's initial and flawed reasoning abilities. Quality, life-changing life decisions should be made on the soundest logical process possible. While flawed decison making can occasionally lead to a stable conclusion, it occurs only by accident and not through a rational and well thought out process. I was unable to complete the text because of these reasons.

While this short essay's title and resounding reviews promise a tale that is both universally sound and quite poetic, such is not the case. The author, William Dawson, while he may have actually reached a state of peace within his country dwelling, his reasoning for this venture was not terribly sound.

Hidden beneath the poetical title lies not a man who has conquered the allurement of wealth, but, rather, a man who angrily is jealous of those who are monetarily above his station in life. There is no firm resolve nor peace when he discusses the wealth of the rich Londoners around him. Instead, he appears to be fixated on what he hopes to be their underlying unhappiness with these moneys. Mr. Dawson, in the process, makes the inevitable error of logic that states that the individual parts of a body do not necessarily equal the sentiments of the body in general by stating that ALL rich persons are unhappy and that ALL rich persons obtain their wealth through unscrupulous means. This is nothing more than the display of the author's emotional prejudice and is certainly not true to anyone else who does not allow his/her irrational feelings to influence his logical thought patterns.

The last page of the second chapter is most revealing, however. In it the author states that the best solution to the unhappiness of humanity (both his and the wealthy) is to maximize one's income to a 10,000 pound ceiling. And, because no one would be able to maintain a wealthy person's mansion on this salary level, the State should take over these estates and turn them into museums. And, by doing so, the wealthy would now be happier because they would more greatly appreciate the things which they can now meagerly purchase! At this point the author stepped from the cliff of his own individual anger and angst against wealth into the politically driven abyss of communism which entails the full lack of responsibilities towards one's quest for any degree of individual uniqueness or achievements.

16 people found this helpful

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