A Simple Life: Living off grid in a wooden cabin in France (In Search of a Simple Life Book 2)

Price: $12.14 - $4.98
(as of Sep 27, 2026 00:46:25 UTC – Details)


In September 2020, Mary-Jane and Michael Houlton moved into an off-grid wooden cabin in rural France. They were already used to a simple life, having spent the last three years living on their boat in France for the summer seasons, and returning to the UK and their caravan for the winters. This tiny cabin would now be their new home for the winter months, taking them a step further along the road to self-sufficiency. They had no electricity, no kitchen, no bathroom or bedroom and the loo was a bucket in a shed, but the property came with five acres of field and woodland. From now on their lives would be simple, pared back to the basics, but they found that an off-grid lifestyle was by no means an uncomfortable experience. Responsibilities didn’t disappear but they changed, becoming less onerous. There was more time to think, and to appreciate the natural world around them. Living in such rural isolation, each day brought something new to marvel at: deer browsing in the field at dusk, salamanders on the doorstep, owls calling by night. If their own world felt increasingly magical, the outside world was far from it. They had moved to a foreign country at an historic time, living through a pandemic and adapting to the day-to-day implications of Brexit. A Simple Life doesn’t just follow Mary-Jane and Michael as they settle into their new lives, it also raises questions about what really matters to people. What makes us happy? How does it feel to have few possessions? Will life become unbearable without a flushing toilet? Thought-provoking and amusing, this book opens a window onto a different way of living. Mary-Jane shares a wealth of information and, if you have ever found yourself longing for a simpler life, this might tempt you to take those first tentative steps on the journey.
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B094VMBX9J
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 12, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3.6 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 247 pages
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Book 2 of 5 ‏ : ‎ In Search of a Simple Life
Best Sellers Rank: #1,093,871 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #1,601 in Travel Writing #3,286 in Outdoors & Nature Sports #3,903 in Travelogues & Travel Essays
Customer Reviews: 4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,293) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers find this book an interesting and compelling read with excellent writing style. They appreciate its informative content, with one customer noting it provides helpful advice about off-grid living, while another mentions it offers a new perspective on life. The book’s content receives positive feedback, with one customer describing it as a bedtime meditation that helps unwind from daily stresses.