In the frenetic pace of modern society, many of us forget the simple pleasure of taking life just a tiny bit slower, having what Jessica Jenkins describes in All the Time in the World as "an agenda turned upside down in favor of the impractical and the ephemeral: drinking hot cocoa, taking a nap, waltzing until dawn." Revolving around the seasons and the clock, these tidbits of historical sketches come from all parts of the world. Food, love, writing, music and travel are among the many topics Jenkins touches upon as she meanders through history.
Japanese kabuki dances, cherry blossom festivals and an excerpt on the joys of making fruit jam mingle with essays on American circuses, Roman baths and how Madame de Pompadour applied her make-up, not once but twice each morning, for the entertainment of the likes of Voltaire and Diderot. The articles explore the minutiae and leisure activities of daily life; needlework was considered a virtuous pastime for young women, but reading a novel might "affect the nervous system, leading [the women] to the verge of hysteria, or worse."
Entertaining and informative, All the Time in the World gives readers a chance to breathe deeply and to savor moments in ways that were likely easier to experience before computers and cell phones took control and the rushed, stressful speed of today became the norm. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer