The Good Enough Guide to Better Living - Alison Throckmorton - ★★★.½

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AUTHOR: Alison Throckmorton
GENRE: Humour
PUBLICATION DATE: March 26, 2024
RATING: 3.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A humorous compilation of tips and strategies designed to make you tackle housework without stressing out. An entertaining read not to be taken seriously, as is clear from the title.


One of my favourite quotes comes from Claire Oshetsky’s ‘Chouette’: “Housekeeping is nothing more than a losing encounter with entropy.” In a world where every home on social media looks spic and span, seeing the endless chores lying ignored in our own homes can lead to dismay and depression. After all, all of us want a clean house, but none of us wants to work tirelessly for it, right?

The root of the problem is perfectionism. But have you ever tried following the concept of ‘good-enoughism’? It works so much better for you and for people around you.

The ‘good enough’ part of this title immediately made me grab it. (Not to forget that the tagline also had a strong appeal! 😁)

This is the most practically impractical book on housekeeping. Alison Throckmorton reveals her expert strategies of how you can make your home *appear* perfectly clean without breaking a sweat.

This book is divided into sections based on the rooms of the house. Each section comes with plenty of suggestions on how to maintain the façade of cleanliness in that zone. The information includes funny quotes, how to guides, text boxes with helpful (?) tips, simple DIY ideas. The book even tackles the dreaded question of how to entertain guests without losing your mind.

My favourites were the ‘How to’ and the ‘Cleaning Tips, and the quotes introducing each section – these were hilarious!

Some of the jokes got repetitive after a while, but in general, the content generated many smiles and grins. I also enjoyed the presentation. None of the pages looked cluttered, which is quite ironic for a book that aims to normalise clutter.

All in all, this is a good pastime read with tongue-in-cheek humour and jabs at stereotypes. It will make a good housewarming gift, but only to those with a sense of humour and also with enough common sense to know which tips to follow and which to ignore. 😉

My thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Good Enough Guide to Better Living”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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