Rick P. (rickt) reviewed Simple Gifts : Lessons in Living from a Shaker Village on + 20 more book reviews
Although a little slow, I enjoyed Simple Gifts as a great way to step back from our hectic pace and relive the simpler times enjoyed by the author. The history of the Shakers was sort of hit and miss in that what she wrote was from the standpoint of those she lived with there - sort of a close-up view which was at odds often with the interesting history of the early leaders. But it did help fan the spark of interest in the Shaker story that made me order the book in the first place. I sometimes felt as if the author was given an assignment to write in a literature class and enlarged it for publication. Still I'd recommend it.
