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Hovel in the Hills: An Account of the Simple Life
Paperback
Published
November 24th 1978
by Corgi
(first published January 1st 1977)
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Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
60)
Dec 30, 2013
Jules
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
self-sufficiency,
nature
TW
I really enjoyed this book about how a pair of intelligent, resourceful people, one of whom can really write, managed to live self-sufficiently in the Black Mountains. Elizabeth West doesn't romaticise the lifestyle at all - there's a lot of hard work, discomfort, mould on the walls and smoke in the house - but there's also a lot of genuine pleasure in the simple things in life and joy in the birds, plants, landscapes and wildlife around her. I'm always interested to see which sacrifices peopl ...more
I really enjoyed this book about how a pair of intelligent, resourceful people, one of whom can really write, managed to live self-sufficiently in the Black Mountains. Elizabeth West doesn't romaticise the lifestyle at all - there's a lot of hard work, discomfort, mould on the walls and smoke in the house - but there's also a lot of genuine pleasure in the simple things in life and joy in the birds, plants, landscapes and wildlife around her. I'm always interested to see which sacrifices peopl ...more
"The Good Life?
"She was a typist. He was a mechanic. One day Elizabeth and Alan West did what many people spend a lifetime dreaming of doing -- they took to the hills. Hovel in the Hills is the story of the first nine years of their new life in a semi-derelict farmhouse overlooking Snowdonia. It is a heart-warming and salutry tale that abounds with the joys, and the dilemmas, of opting out of the race race."
~~back cover
From the title, I thought I would love this book! It's one of my favorite rea ...more
"She was a typist. He was a mechanic. One day Elizabeth and Alan West did what many people spend a lifetime dreaming of doing -- they took to the hills. Hovel in the Hills is the story of the first nine years of their new life in a semi-derelict farmhouse overlooking Snowdonia. It is a heart-warming and salutry tale that abounds with the joys, and the dilemmas, of opting out of the race race."
~~back cover
From the title, I thought I would love this book! It's one of my favorite rea ...more
This book did not lead to me sell the house and down-shift to a remote place, infact it had quite the opposite effect as I was unable to weight up just how green and eco-friendly this couple really were. They were quite opposed to owning a car or vehicle yet happy to burn coal as a main fuel to heat the house.
I adored Elizabeth West's writing. She made me laugh, she made me cry, she made me want to escape to North Wales and live the life of the Self-sufficient....well, for a few weeks, anyway.
I remember after finishing this novel of the hovel, I drove my husband crazy trying to find Hafod....we eventually did find it, after scouring the North Welsh country terrain for hours and hours.
This is a cracking good read for everyone!
I remember after finishing this novel of the hovel, I drove my husband crazy trying to find Hafod....we eventually did find it, after scouring the North Welsh country terrain for hours and hours.
This is a cracking good read for everyone!
view all 7 comments
Gentle, beautiful and reflectively written account of a couple leaving the rat race in London & moving to a pretty much derelict cottage in the north welsh hills.
An absolute inspiration.....
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