Enjoying a simple life
This Way of Life, by Sumner Burstyn, photography by Thomas Burstyn and Norbert Guenther, HarperCollins, 190 pages, $34.99. Reviewed by Judith Paviell. In the midst of being bombarded by consumerism, this modern day tale is like a refreshing dip in the ocean on a hot, dusty day.
The story updates the domestic life of the Ottley-Karena family, parents Colleen and Peter and seven children, following the release of an award-winning documentary about them produced in 2009, also by Sumner and Thomas Burstyn.
There is much to like about this handsomely produced book with its heart-warming immersion among a close-knit family doing its best to live a different kind of simple, wholesome life.
Especially impressive are the opportunities Peter and Colleen give their children to be selfreliant, independent, take personal responsibility and learn to take calculated risks. They have fun without all the gadgets, doing what kids all used to do. They also learn about respect and care for animals, notably horses, and for each other. Everyone has to do their bit.
The family lives, often precariously, in Hawke’s Bay, in various forms of town and country abode, after their old home burns down. Somehow Colleen always seems to manage, a calming influence in sometimes fraught circumstances. Peter works at various jobs, mainly involving horses, which are central to the family’s life. I’m not a ‘‘horsey’’ person, but was enchanted by the stories about the OttleyKarena’s individual steeds and the whole family’s obvious love for their herd.
While it’s a great story, the finished article could have been better still. The text is let down by aspects that needed a better editing eye.
Is it for adults or children? Perhaps both. Sentence structure and language often seem childlike and the tone is almost childlike, too, although after a while that simplicity seems to fit with the simplicity of the story.
The narrator uses the same present tense when recounting past events, with nothing to indicate a change, which can be confusing and disruptive.
At times the narrative is dis- jointed and would benefit from more background detail and fewer qualifiers. Captions on at least some of the many stunning full colour plates would help as well.
That said, it remains an engaging, interesting and often moving account of another approach to daily life on the edge of town.