The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly: Life Wisdom from Someone Who Will (Probably) Die Before You
Margareta Magnusson
From New York Times bestselling author of The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning— now a TV series developed by Amy Poehler and Scout Productions—a book of humorous and charming advice for embracing life and aging joyfully . In her international bestseller The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning Margareta Magnusson introduced the world to the Swedish tradition of döstädning , or “death cleaning”—clearing out your unnecessary belongings so others don’t have to do it for you. Now, unburdened by (literal and emotional) baggage, Magnusson is able to focus on what makes each day worth living. more
160 pages, Hardcover
First published Scribner
3.57
Rating
4041
Ratings
564
Reviews
Margareta Magnusson
3 books 180 followers
Margareta Magnusson is, in her own words, aged between 80 and 100. Born in Sweden, she has lived all over the world. Margareta graduated from Beckman's College of Design and her art has been exhibited in galleries from Hong Kong to Singapore. She has five children and lives in Stockholm. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning is her first book.(from publisher's website at http://www.simonandschuster.com/autho...)
Community reviews
What a gentle story written by a lovely lady in her 80's. The author tells us so much about her life, the way she raised her children and her philosophy behind 'death cleaning' - downsizing in your later years to take the burden off those left behind. Your family may not appreciate your 'stuff', whereas if you can organise yourself, your belongings and your home while you can, you can enjoy the process of reconnecting with your goods before giving away, recycling, handing on to others. She gives advice to younger people with older parents, to suggest they themselves might like items, how to do do this sensitively if their parents are not ready. The author has embraced her walker after a fall (she previously judged friends who used one before realising the benefits), she had removed rugs (another item to clean) making it easier. more
(3. 5) Magnusson, who is Swedish, either wrote this in English or translated it herself for simultaneous 2022 publication in Sweden and the USA – where the title phrase is “Aging Exuberantly. ” There is some quirky phrasing that a native speaker would never use, more so than in her Döstädning: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, which I reviewed last year, but it’s perfectly understandable. The subtitle is “Life wisdom from someone who will (probably) die before you,” which gives a flavour of 89-year-old Magnusson’s self-deprecating sense of humour. The big 4-0 is coming up for me later this year, but I’ve been reading books about ageing and death since my twenties and find them valuable for gaining perspective and storing up wisdom. more
This book came up when I was doing a library online search for another book. There was something about its title and cover that attracted me. Afterall…Any of us getting on in years, certainly would want to find positive tips and charming advice on how to “age exuberantly,” right. So…I checked it out. And…Loved most of all that it was a short book. more
Delightful. It helps, no doubt, that I'm close in age with the author (although there's good advice here for readers of just about any age). But She tells it like it is - or should be - in a humorous, entertaining but matter-of-fact manner. Truth is, I decided to request this one simply because her other best-selling book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, sounded so right-on-the-money (I don't know about you, but my potential heirs are way less than thrilled at the thought of having to get rid of all the things my husband and I have collected over the years). To me, they're all precious memories; but to them, almost all of it is George Carlin "stuff. more
9/16/23 Currently listening with Simon as we go about our chores. It is both fascinating and soothing. 9/17/23 At 3 hours 40 minutes it's not a lengthy audiobook, however there was a lot of practical wisdom from a life well-lived, seasoned with humor. We thoroughly enjoyed listening while we worked. From my favorite passage, which is about Margareta's family adapting to life in America:"They use items we had never seen in Sweden, a plastic tomato holder from the supermarket became a toy bed. more
This was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a practical guide of sorts. Alas it is really 14 statements bolstered by a personal story (or two) to serve as an example. The idea "keep an open mind" doesn't require an explanation. Something about the writing style didn't work for me. more
I checked this audiobook out on BorrowBox without really reading the blurb so I’m not sure what I was expecting but I honestly loved this. The author is in her eighties and has a open, some might define as blunt way of speaking about life and death. She describes herself as typically Swedish - blunt, I wonder if maybe I have some Swedish in me somewhere. The book is a collection of wisdoms interwoven with stories and anecdotes from the author’s long life beautifully read by Natasha McElhone which was like listening to a friend chatting and sharing their life experiences. So calming and relaxing but also engaging. more
I picked up this book because I was a fan of “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning”. It was such a fun and quirky twist on the decluttering book trend and I loved the unique voice of the author. It had a pretty repetitive message (get rid of your junk so your loved ones don’t have to deal with it), mixed in with enough light humour and anecdotes about her life that you didn’t mind. This book has more of the same with each chapter providing a tip for aging and bunch of stories loosely related to that tip. It came off more like a memoir with anecdotes forced into (often odd) themes. more
ARC provided by NetGalley, thank you. Super charming mix of advice about living well and aging well. I laughed a ton and enjoyed it immensely. The author, Margareta Magnusson, recounts stories from her life and ties them back to larger pieces of wisdom relevant to living well as you get older. She covers the serious (death, xenophobia) and the light (eating chocolate, wearing stripes) and the ridiculous (pirates. more
The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly is an entertaining read for those new to the concept of hygge. It will not offer a lot that is new to those well versed in the subject. more
Title: The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly: Life Wisdom from Someone Who Will (Probably) Due Before You Author: Margareta Magnusson Genre: Self-help Rating: 2. 00 Pub Date: December 27, 2022T H R E E • W O R D SLaidback • Biographical • Insignificant📖 S Y N O P S I SMargareta Magnusson reveals her discoveries about aging—some difficult to accept, many rather wondrous. She reflects on her idyllic childhood on the west coast of Sweden, the fullness of her life with her husband and five children, and learning how to live alone. The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly explore the process of growing older and the joys and sorrows it can bring. It is a reminder of embracing life and the time we have. more
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC in exchange for a honest review. One of the funniest most charming books I’ve read in a long time. This book is more of a memoir rather than a self help type of book. The 86 year old author does however offer tips and wisdom on how to age gracefully, such as: wear stripes, eat chocolate and don’t leave empty-handed. Her advice isn’t really even Swedish, but the manner in which she tells her story is. more
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published January 23, 2023. Not at all what I was expecting. The 86-year-old Swedish author tries to share some tips for aging well but this book is more memoir than self-help and more humorous than practical. Her advice isn’t even really Swedish. more
This was easily the best self-help book I have read thus far. I didn't find myself bored or falling asleep or anything in fact I was really engaged. . more
You don't need to have read Magnusson's first book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, to enjoy The Swedish Art of Aging Well--you'd simply enjoy it even more. Magnusson is a storyteller, and this second book is less a how-to book, than a series of anecdotes and conclusions about her own full life. She writes with witty candor about dozens of subjects: from trying not to fall down (an obvious concern for anyone elderly), to maintaining friendships despite lockdowns, keeping an open mind, the positive effects of eating chocolate, to the utter pleasure she finds in wearing stripes. Many of her best stories are about the joys and vagaries of having children, spending time interacting with and being kind to younger people (as she points out, being 80-something means nearly everyone is younger), and staying young by honoring the youthful spirit inside you. The memories she shares are deep and sharp, and often laugh out loud silly, One moment she's extolling the virtues of her shag-covered, 1970s sunken living room, and the next, she's touting the incredible improvements in feminine hygiene, or trying to convince her free-spirited five-year-old daughter to keep her bathing suit on. more
I have to say I was disappointed with this book, a nice ramble through her life with a few key points but nothing that hasn’t been said before. . more
Reading this book I really felt like I was talking with my Grandmother who passed on many years ago. I was laughing so many times through out the book at Margareta's stories all while learning important life lessons. I feel if you miss your grandparents stories, this book is for you. The crazy amazing stories within the book brought me so many happy memoires of my grandmother telling me about her life. The life lessons talked about throughout the book are important and I highlighted so many different passages within the book that I will be going back to again and again. more
“Memory helps us retrieve events and people we want to remember, but my closest ones are always within and next to me. I don’t need to think about things we did or said. Some people just become a part of you that feels comforting. ”“Extreme horrors and the simple joys of the world can exist simultaneously…”Just a couple of quotes I loved in this book. What an adorable, insightful cozy read. more
Sweetly written by a woman who ages herself as “between eighty and one hundred” and reminisces childhood to present, sometimes with a gin & tonic, but often with tongue in cheek. Travels and travails, family and solitude. A rich life in written philanthropy. . more
Quick little read - and very sweet. My favorite quote - and I want to remember it, is; "I have to admit, I have not been open minded all the time. I just wish I had been. ". more
I “read” 2/3 of this. It came to me on CDs from the library, and even though it was a brand new release, the 2nd disc was damaged and unreadable. That said, I was not horribly upset to miss 1/3 of the content. The whole thing was “ok. ” I think they purposefully titled it misleadingly, so it wasn’t really what I had hoped for, anyway. more
I enjoyed this book, it felt more like a stream of consciousness from an 86-year-old Swedish woman who has had an interesting life and lived I feel like everywhere. I enjoyed hearing about her life and her reflections on it, not in a regretful way but in a way of this is how I lived my life and things that I believe gave it meaning, and recommend this to you. A relaxing and insightful audiobook. . more
Quick read and it felt like I was having storytime over a cup of tea with my grandmother. Some great nuggets of wisdom . more
This is the book I read in the mornings on the treadmill. It's great company, food for thought, and often made me laugh out loud. I just love Margareta Magnusson's view on life. I am so glad she wrote another book. more
Rather than true life advice, this book seems more like random musings on life and her past with a few moral lessons sprinkled in. It’s more of a short autobiography with stories told out of order, and it feels like she sometimes goes off on tangents. While a few stories made me laugh, I more often than not found myself wondering where it was going and even forgetting what the chapter was about to begin with. The morals didn’t feel particularly Swedish or foreign at all for that matter, a lot of this advice already given to me by my own elders. At one point she even admits that none of these activities are extraordinary and she knows everyone is expecting Swedish secrets. more
#NetGalley #TheSwedishArtOfAgingWell The experience of reading this book is like sitting to tea with your 80-year old grandmother and listening to her life stories with threads of humor and wisdom woven in. If you read and enjoyed Magnusson’s first book “The Art of Swedish Death Cleaning” you will enjoy this book as well and recognize her unique voice. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. more
Even though the author’s advice is simple and this is a little bit of a an advice giving memoir, I could definitely see how this would be beneficial for those who are looking for a short story that is slightly different from other nonfiction. more
I don’t know what this says about me, but I prefer her book about Swedish death cleaning. . more
My favourite quote ‘it is never too late to do anything, unless it really is too late and you are dead’ 👍. more