Reviews
"I realize that Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is all the rage, but I far prefer the charming, empathetic technique of Margareta Magnusson, whose book is a game-changer. I highly recommend it for anyone wrestling with a lifetime of wonderful -- and not so wonderful -- stuff." -- Amy Dickinson, "Ask Amy", "A fond and wise little book... I jettison advice books after I've flipped through them. This one I will keep." -- Dwight Garner, The New York Times, "One of the most charming, funny, and motivating books I've read in some time... Magnusson is an absolute delight. This book is so much more than lifestyle tips. It's full of life. Magnusson's candid humor and unassailable spirit comes through on each page... The best way to prepare for death is to live a good life, which Magnusson has done. We're lucky that she shares so much of it -- in stories of gratitude, family, work, and love." - Buzzfeed, "One of the most charming, funny, and motivating books I've read in some time... Magnusson is an absolute delight. This book is so much more than lifestyle tips. It's full of life. Magnusson's candid humor and unassailable spirit comes through on each page... The best way to prepare for death is to live a good life, which Magnusson has done. We're lucky that she shares so much of it -- in stories of gratitude, family, work, and love." -- Buzzfeed, "Anyone who is aging or has aging parents has a dog in this fight . . . The nice thing about Magnusson's instructions is that her book is also about taking charge of your life for yourself, while you're living . . . a peaceful, organized way to settle your affairs." -- Lifehacker, "Move over, Marie Kondo: Swedish Death Cleaning is the latest extreme home organization trend to try." --PEOPLE Magazine, "If you love Marie Kondo, Swedish Death Cleaning may be for you . . . feels especially relevant these days... The idea of death cleaning is to simply organize your everyday life to make it run more smoothly. People of any age can benefit from that!" -- The Kitchn, "You know you're old if the title grabs you, but even millennials will enjoy this non-militant approach to decluttering." --PEOPLE Magazine, "A really smart way to get organized, while simultaneously helping your kids out in a major way." -- Hellogiggles.com, "A slim yet sage volume... While Japanese item-control diva Marie Kondo gave us strict instructions to only keep things that spark joy, Magnusson's book is straightforward and unsentimental (with a bit of humor). The main message from this mother of five is: Take responsibility for your items and don't leave them as a burden for family and friends." -- The Washington Post, "It's a very short book and when I first picked it up, I thought it could easily have been edited down to a magazine article, or even a tweet...But her writing grew on me. If it were boiled down, I would miss her voice...Reading her book is much like having a sensible, cheerful aunt sit you down to tell you hard truths that your mother is too nice to say." -- Laurie Hertzel, Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Proustian... A primer on how to winnow your belongings before you die, so you don't burden your family... Ms. Magnusson is the anti-Kondo, who takes us on a charming and discursive tour of her own stuff." -- Penelope Green, The New York Times, "Pragmatic... the idea in this system is that we should leave behind as little as possible, or at least, not the many thousands of items of junk that Americans often accumulate." -- W Magazine, "'Death Cleaning' is the answer to clutter you've been looking for...Magnusson instructs readers on how to gently and joyously put your affairs in order while you're still alive, rather than leaving it for others to do." -- Reader's Digest, "Don't let the macabre name fool you - death-cleaning is intended to be an uplifting experience... if you're not sure you can cross Sweden off your bucket-list in your lifetime, at least you can take on the concept of death-cleaning." -- Lonely Planet, "[With] humorous common sense, she rightly reminds readers that it takes time to downsize and that putting it off won't make it go away." -- Booklist, "Has benefits you can enjoy while you're still very much alive... could be a good way for families to discuss sensitive issues that might otherwise be hard to bring up." -- TIME, "Magnusson uses a dry, unsentimental and sometimes dark Scandinavian sense of humor, and writes with an older set (and their younger relatives) in mind... like a conversation over tea with a friend." -- Associated Press, "Magnusson uses a dry, unsentimental and sometimes dark Scandinavian sense of humor, and writes with an older set (and their younger relatives) in mind." -- Associated Press, "Sure, it sounds morbid, but it's actually a pretty smart idea. Death cleaning isn't about getting rid of all your stuff, but rather streamlining your life so you're only holding onto what makes you happy . . . it's about so much more than dusting and sorting." -- Elle Decor, "A mindful way to sort through your belongings throughout your life, so that your loved ones aren't burdened by a plethora of personal items after you die... Magnusson advises that the earlier we start the process of 'death cleaning', the better, so we're not overwhelmed with a lifetime of objects by the time we're elderly people." -- Better Homes and Gardens, "Keep only what you love and what makes you happy in the moment. It's like Marie Kondo, but with an added sense of the transience and futility of this mortal existence." -- The New York Post, "A slim yet sage volume... Magnusson's book is straightforward and unsentimental (with a bit of humor). The main message from this mother of five is: Take responsibility for your items and don't leave them as a burden for family and friends." -- The Washington Post, "Magnusson shares solid guiding principles for organizing your home, no matter your age or life circumstance." -- Business Insider
