Letting Go of the Glitz

The true story of one woman's struggle to live the simple life in Chelsea

By: Julia Stephenson


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Products specifications
Attribute name Attribute value
Size: 198mm x 126mm
Pages : 240
ISBN : 9781845901424
Format: Paperback
Published: May 2009

“Help! I’m Married Alive!”

Julia Stephenson, struggling to cope with life as a Surrey housewife, grimly welded to her electric floor polisher and fed up with her golf-addicted, BMW-driving husband, bolts to the fleshpots of London.

Here she forges a new life as a single girl about town in her Chelsea eyrie, a short walk from Peter Jones. Bemused to find herself an ‘It-girl’, life soon becomes a ritzy blur of parties, popping corks and flashbulbs, while handsome aristocratic boyfriends come and go.

Realising she isn’t cut out for this she reinvents herself as a femme serieuse, representing the Green Party at the general election and begins to convert her flat into the first carbon-neutral dwelling in Sloane Square. Giving up her usual dating fodder of Old Etonians and bankers she embarks on a tempestuous love affair with her builder.

Who wants to be driven around in a Porsche when you can be ferried about in a spacious white van that runs on waste cooking oil?

Life is so much better in every way when you let go of the glitz.


Picture for author Julia Stephenson

Julia Stephenson

Julia Stephenson is a journalist and author. For many years she wrote the Green Goddess column in the Independent, which detailed her struggle to turn her Chelsea flat into the first carbon neutral dwelling in Sloane Square. She has since sold her flat and now lives the good life in a 27 acre wildlife sanctuary near Guildford from where she is running a dog sanctuary, primarily to rehabilitate and rehome abused Romanian dogs. She hasn't given up on the green dream and by 2015 anticipated that the sanctuary would be running mainly on renewable energy. She is particularly excited about her new methane digester which is able to transform the many tons of dog poo, currently carted off at great expense by Surrey County Council, into electricity. When life at the sanctuary becomes too much she likes to escape to her pied-a-terre in Parsons Green, leaving things in the capable hands of her boyfriend-on-a-short-fuse and her second in command, Bagdat, the Boudicca of the dog rescue world, who is currently camping in the annexe.

Julia is currently writing a book about the ups and downs of her life in dog rescue.


Reviews

  1. Hello Julia

    I have come to the conclusion that you were born under the name of Seacombe and three back the Seacombe family lineage used the name Dewhurst to promote their butchers' due to the inadequacies of non-entity on your family lineage which I have understood through my spiritual healing. I would be most grateful if you could STOP your bone transaction of my rights to my life with immediate effect as I have NEVER agreed to it as I do perceive it in your published book entitled 'Letting go of the GLITZ' which revolts me! I understand you have family cousins in Anne Cook, Maggie Turner, Prune Sampson, Ginni Heinz, Piers Morgan, PC David Eckington and PC Stephen Heinz who are all connected to the imbue process taking place in the Bath area without my authorisation, without my permission, without my knowledge whilst understand by my intuition only the matter at hand. I have given no adherence to it to date. Relinquish it forthwith! I am of a Royal French family lineage so RELINQUISH IT!
  2. Waw,.waw,waw,brilliant, inspirational, thought provoking and passionate. Julia Stephensons book Letting go of the Glitz is nothing short of brilliant.
    The book take us on a private journey of happiness and sadness, determination and conflict, where Julia takes her life as a glitzy, glamorous IT-GIRL and turns her life around to become more eco-friendly and green.
    She shares with us her passion to turn around what was an unhappy time for her, into a life where she has fulfilment and joy in her new lifestyle as an eco-warrior. Her passion, enthusiasm and determination to make a difference to her own life and the world around us by embracing an eco-friendly stance on life should be an example to us all.
    Remembering that this is a journey of self-discovery, experimentation and a battle with high-society lifestyle, it is by no means a directive or reference book telling everyone they must go green. The book is an honest, self-analysing journey which Julia has so kindly shared with us” even if some of her personal opinions have caused waves of disharmony amongst the so called IT-People of society” who ever they might think they are !
    Her candid and knowledgeable approach in searching for answers has left me laughing out loud, crying with joy (and sadness), and inspired to change my own life” because no one else can do it for me.
    Its a book you cant put down when you start reading it,..it will make you angry, happy, sad and overjoyed when Julia (so honestly) shares her battle with high-society, trying to change to a simple but happy life, with her wood burning stove, the prospect of wind turbines on the roof of her Chelsea flat and giving up and addiction with Black Cabs ! The detox period for changing from IT-GIRL to HAPPY GO LUCKY GIRL has begun and the book is the beginning of this life-long journey.
    From the Good-Life in the country that goes all wrong and spiritual shopping that drains the wallet, to being labelled as an It-Girl, Julia embarks on discovering who she really is (even though she might not have discovered who she really is yet,.she is well on the way!) Being tempted by Life Coaches to discovering Buddhism, dating all the wrong guys and trying to ditch the flying craze Julia, has made some amazing transformations which should be applauded and recognised.
    Finding happiness (and lots of heated arguments!) with the new man in her life, known as S, the book begins to have a calmer and happier feel towards to end,,where she is obviously more comfortable with her life and not battling with demons of Car Park Shops anymore.
    Without giving too much away,,EVERYONE should read this book,..it is so beautifully written and is a private relationship between you and the author where she makes you think, want to get up and scream, have men urinating in your compost bin and taking the train to Switzerland rather than flying off to Hawaii (even though you know you want to!). It is very humbling to know that one great lady has begun to make a difference to her own life, the lives of others (and mine!) by becoming Greener and Simpler” but not in the intellectual sense (pardon the pun).
    If anything, this review is a Thank you to Julia Stephenson who has made some of her readers step back and analyse their own lives,,why live a lie when you can live the dream,,and live the treasures of the heart.

    Cant wait for the next book,,From Black Cab Detox to Windmills in the Sky” (I know their turbines, but it sounds better!) and the wedding with S, get writing Julia,..the world needs Part 2 of The Green Goddess
    I'm now getting all my friends (and schoolchildren) to buy the book !
    Nina Jackson
    June 2009
  3. A Fascinating and hilarious insight into a party girl turned green goddess.
  4. A sparklingly honest, wonderfully posh and terribly funny read. Like Tatler with a conscience.

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