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The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter

Audiobook
0 of 3 copies available
Wait time: About 14 weeks
0 of 3 copies available
Wait time: About 14 weeks
*The basis for the wonderfully funny and moving TV series developed by Amy Poehler and Scout Productions*

A charming, practical, and unsentimental approach to putting a home in order while reflecting on the tiny joys that make up a long life.
In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, meaning "death" and städning meaning "cleaning." This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner than later, before others have to do it for you. In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, artist Margareta Magnusson, with Scandinavian humor and wisdom, instructs readers to embrace minimalism. Her radical and joyous method for putting things in order helps families broach sensitive conversations, and makes the process uplifting rather than overwhelming.

Margareta suggests which possessions you can easily get rid of (unworn clothes, unwanted presents, more plates than you'd ever use) and which you might want to keep (photographs, love letters, a few of your children's art projects). Digging into her late husband's tool shed, and her own secret drawer of vices, Margareta introduces an element of fun to a potentially daunting task. Along the way readers get a glimpse into her life in Sweden, and also become more comfortable with the idea of letting go.
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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Swedes who declutter thinking of the future have a word for it: death cleaning. This practical book, narrated persuasively and gently by the golden-voiced Juliet Stevenson, takes the sting from the title and replaces it with a pragmatic truth: We are all leaving the planet, and if we don't deal with our clutter, sooner or later someone else will have to. Making a powerful case for tackling the task sooner (better for us and for loved ones), the audiobook somehow makes the prospect of such cleaning more uplifting and less overwhelming. Recounting the author's tips and anecdotes from her own death cleanings (for departed loved ones and herself), Stevenson sounds like she's reading a charming story and captures all the poignant humor and wisdom of this book. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

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  • English

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