The New York Times Book Review - Andrew McCarthy
In lesser hands this tiny volume might be a throwaway of glib, "new age" comfort-speak, but like Henry David Thoreau's equally brief classic on another seemingly mundane exercise—walking—Iyer's thoughtful nature leads him to peel back layer upon layer, nodding toward the infinite…Plunging effortlessly beneath platitudes, this wafer-thin volume reminds us of what might just be the greatest paradox of travel—after all our road running, after all our flights of fancy to the farthest corners of the globe, after all our touring, our seeking and questing, perhaps, just perhaps, fellow travelers, there really is no place like home.
Associated Press
A heartfelt manifesto to the benefits of ditching the cellphone and snipping up the frequent flier card, The Art of Stillness is anything but a self-help book or how-to guide for achieving inner peace.
Boston Globe
"A bustling paean to the stationary life . . . Iyer’s argument is an engaging amalgam of memoir, reportage, and literary essay . . . Iyer uses a fluid blend of argument and anecdote to make a persuasive and eloquent case that contemplating internal landscapes can be just as rich an experience as traveling through external ones. The fact that he has traveled to some of the world’s most obscure corners only strengthens his credibility as a defender of stillness.
Los Angeles Review of Books
[A] beautiful little book. . . fills an important niche. . . Iyer wants to make the conscious practice of stillness palatable to everyone.
Brain Pickings
[A] wonderful read in its entirety.
People
[A] cool drink of water, in book form
New York Times Book Review
In lesser hands this tiny volume might be a throwaway of glib, “new age” comfort-speak, but like Henry David Thoreau’s equally brief classic on another seemingly mundane exercise — walking — Iyer’s thoughtful nature leads him to peel back layer upon layer, nodding toward the infinite…. Plunging effortlessly beneath platitudes, this wafer-thin volume reminds us of what might just be the greatest paradox of travel — after all our road running, after all our flights of fancy to the farthest corners of the globe, after all our touring, our seeking and questing, perhaps, just perhaps, fellow travelers, there really is no place like home.
Associated Press Staff
A heartfelt manifesto to the benefits of ditching the cellphone and snipping up the frequent flier card, The Art of Stillness is anything but a self-help book or how-to guide for achieving inner peace.
JANUARY 2015 - AudioFile
Offering stillness as a way to find clarity, sanity, and the joys that endure, an essayist reads his thoughtful book with spellbinding emotional presence. His cadence and vocal tone sound so connected to the core of his message that it’s hard to imagine any listener not being touched by the experience of hearing him. With soft and spare writing, he makes the point that our schedules and electronic devices allow us no time off, no relief from the external and ephemeral joys of modern life. These are ideas that seem broader than those promoting any religious or psychological approach to living fully. And as a two-hour listening experience, the author’s commitment and immersion in these ideas will move many listeners to consider the stillness he describes. T.W. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2014-09-28
A brief, spiritually minded book that offers practical wisdom on reducing stress through stillness. The latest from Iyer (The Man Within My Head, 2012, etc.) can fit in a pocket and be read in one sitting. As a prolific journalist for Time magazine and a travel writer, the author experienced frequent exhilaration but also discovered that he "was racing around so much that I never had the chance to see where I was going, or to check whether I was truly happy. Indeed, hurrying around in search of contentment seemed a perfect way of ensuring I'd never be settled or content." This book isn't a meditation guide or a New-Age tract but rather a celebration of the age-old practice of sitting with no goal in mind and no destination in sight. He frames this collection of interrelated essays with the example of songwriter/poet Leonard Cohen, "my hero since boyhood," who retreated into a monk's remove and has returned to peak popularity and extensive, exhaustive touring, through his 70s, in three-hour concerts that "felt as if the whole spellbound crowd was witnessing something of the monastery, the art that stillness deepens." Iyer offers plenty of suggestions for those inspired to go deeper into the practice, but the book and the act of reading it offer a prescriptive that is tough to deny: "In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent than sitting still." Rather than reading it quickly and filing it, readers will likely slow down to meet its pace and might continue carrying it around as a reminder.
