Experience the Simplicity of Off-Grid Living in a Wooden Cabin in France

Aunt P: At my age its not gonna happen . However I am.going to start clearing out.What an inspiration..
I will get organized by winter.

United States on Oct 04, 2023

Kindle Customer: Beautifully written, loved it, great book. 😀

United Kingdom on Aug 31, 2023

Amazon Customer: In late 2020 Mary Jane and her husband Michael are forced to make major life decisions in a short period of time due to the global pandemic, quarantines and the UK Brexit. The decision is made to relocate to a small, primitive cabin on a lush with wildlife 5 acre plot in rural France. The telling of these events are beautifully written and inspiring to others to follow their own path and enjoy the journey.

United States on Jul 24, 2023

bala: The easy style and down to earth matter and zig zag going from to back, the book is a very good read and enjoyed. Many of
the authors own approaches are also recommendations from Hindu scriptures...for spiritual progress. Good, god has blessed them both with mental and physical fitness to pursue what they wanted.,👍

India on Jun 23, 2023

Jake Thackray: I really liked this book, nicely paced and not at all preachy with its message. Don't many of us wish for that simpler life ?, maybe we can't all go the way of the author, but perhaps we can all find a way to incorporate at least some of the message.

United Kingdom on May 24, 2023

mandy freake: Gives us all hope of an
alternative life. Easy bedtime reading to sooth the brain and stimulate the imagination. Bit jealous really.

United Kingdom on Feb 12, 2023

Amazon Customer: The book was very interesting broken down into easy read chapters. I kept wanting to see photos of Le Shack and the author and her husband as well as the land etc. which she fully explained in the book but which did not come fully to my mind without pictures. She mentioned a camera SO why not pictures in place of diagrams and pencil drawings?

United Kingdom on Jan 29, 2023

krs: My husband and I have been talking about living in France for a few years but on a boat. I have read both her books and they are so helpful in forming our own dreams for what the future could be… well written and I loved your divergence into the wildlife that surrounds you at Le Shack.

United States on Sep 04, 2022

Amazon Customer: You don't have to be a British couple moving to an off-grid old cabin in France during the chaos of Brexit to love this book. True, the diagram of the remodeled cabin and the detailed appendices (including web sites and prices) covering everything from the solar panels to the tiny refrigerator would be invaluable for anyone thinking about moving off-grid. However, the meat of the book is Mary-Jane Houlton's thoughts and experiences as she, her husband Michael, and their dog Maddie navigate this brave new world. Her conversational style allows her to articulate her often bemused response to the challenges (voluminous French paperwork, spiders in "the loo") and joys against the backdrop of her gratitude for being able to live in concert with the natural world. It speaks volumes that Mary-Jane uses her laptop mostly to learn about the crickets, moles, and oak trees on their five acres of rural France. By the time you finish this book, you too will yearn to walk across their fields with Mary-Jane, Michael, and Maddie.

United States on Jul 17, 2022

Serena: The Houltons, an older (but not real old) couple from the UK changed their plans when Covid-19 hit. They did not know how long it would be until they could go back to their boat traveling during the summer and living in their caravan over the winter. They bought a small off-grid shack on five acres in France. They had enjoyed their rambling lives, but rambling was not an option once the Corona Virus hit.

Despite all the red tape and puzzling information necessary for residing in France their lives were simple. And it seems to me that the French are very generous in allowing foreigners to easily benefit from their health system. If I wanted to have a home in Canada it would be years before I could use their health system without paying for everything.

Our family has had an off-grid cabin for many years so this book is not particularly enlightening or interesting. The part that could be interesting, but is mostly left out are the interactions with the French people. Instead, we hear about repairs and brush clearing and their method for making their outhouse output into compost. Inventive for sure.

We also hear about the loveliness of the local wildlife like...

United States on May 14, 2022