The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter

I enjoy reading takes on minimalism from different countries. This Swedish take is one of the closest to my own personal style than any that I've seen (even more than Konmari). It's not as catchy, but the concept is clear: life a life with an amount of stuff that you won't burden those who come after you with the weight of your stuff.

Having gone through my moms things when she passed (and she went through her moms things when she passed), this concept is quite prominent for me. For those who have never had the misfortunate of sorting through a loved ones life, it's a heavy burden to bear. Finding time to slim down pays dividends now for the living, and later for those still alive.

A remarkable, inspiring, and useful little book - especially for people over a certain age, myself included. I finished it in one afternoon. Unabashed frankness about the subject of death is so refreshing. The Swedish author makes such a great point, while reminding us a few times throughout the book that she is between 80 and 100 years old! Great sense of humor too! Her suggestions on "death cleaning" (no need to be shocked at the phrase at all...) are so reasonable and completely up my alley. I agree with everything she says. Has to be done (for everybody's sake) - and better earlier than later. It's simply rude to leave a mess for somebody to take care of when we are gone - when we can easily do it the decluttering ourselves while we show more still can. show less

This book is hilarious and fascinating. It's not just a book on getting rid of stuff you don't need so your relatives won't be saddled with doing it for you. It's about Swedish culture, raising a family around the world in the 20th century, and the Magnusson family. I read it in what my brain thinks is a Swedish Grandma Accent and it made sentences like this, from the "If It Was Your Secret, Then Keep It That Way" chapter, the best thing ever: "Save your favorite dildo - but throw away the other fifteen!"

If you're looking for a how-to manual on decluttering your house in preparation of your own eventual demise, this is not that book.

If you want a book that has a strong impression of being a cozy chat with a grandmother who offers you tea and says semi-scandalous things while you chortle over a biscuit, this is that book.

With a wry, sometimes delightfully passive-aggressive tone, Margareta shares her life wisdom with a gentle and often funny meandering book. The whole book was like wrapping yourself in a warm quilt and spending time with a loved one.

This is a charming little book about a Swedish tradition of minimizing and organizing ones possessions before death. The author has lots of little helpful tips usually drawn from her own life experiences. It's a thoughtful book about the way times changes, lives change, and the calm way one should prepare for the inevitable.

Five stars because everyone should read it. Whether or not you've already started downsizing, whether or not you've taken [a:Marie Kondō|5589647|Marie Kondō|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1451520607p2/5589647.jpg]'s advice to heart, even if you're just starting out and could use some of the stuff that the old folks don't need anymore, Magnusson's advice applies.

More than that, her voice is enchanting, her drawings charming, and her anecdotes delightful. A very quick read; I advise rationing yourself to a few pages at a time as I did.

My mother is also "between 80 and 100 years old" and, though she has already done almost all of the work and has moved to an apartment, I'm going to recommend she read this. Maybe because it's show more possible she'll see the author as a "kindred spirit" or maybe just because it's a joy to read. show less

I enjoyed this little book. I ordered myself a copy after I lost my father a few months ago. I suppose my father was a death cleaner! I don't know what he would have thought of that label, but he taught me a lot about not accumulating and holding onto "stuff" and about handing things down while you're still living so you can see your loved ones enjoy those things! My own home is too cluttered and I feel I have far too much stuff! Time to be inspired by my father's lessons and by Margareta Magnusson's wise words and do the hard work and find joy in a more minimalist lifestyle!