This book is absolutely gorgeous. 10 stars.

Full of captivating stories, stunning photographs and inspirational quotes (from innumerable A-listers), this book will leave you to longing to live off the land, cultivate a tiny footprint and celebrate local artisans.

All at a costly price.

I will always choose a local farmer / artisan over a big box store, but the price of supplied goods have to be within a respectable margin.

The Flamingo Estate had a pop-up in East Hampton two years in a row and it is a place that is so curated and colorful, you go back again and again to see what you missed the first time or to imagine you could have the lifestyle on offer. This book is a sun-drenched curation of a life well-lived and just the same, you'll go back again and again, getting something different out of it each time.

Flamingo Estate: The Guide to Becoming Alive is like stepping into a world where nature reigns supreme, and every corner brims with beauty, indulgence, and inspiration. This book, created by Richard Christiansen, takes you on a vibrant journey through his Los Angeles sanctuary, Flamingo Estate, where the mantra is simple yet transformative: Mother Earth is the ultimate luxury, and pleasure is a human right.

With fifteen whimsical “pleasure principles” rooted in nature, this guide is a call to reconnect with the natural world in ways that are both poetic and practical. You’ll learn to flirt like an orchid, work like wisteria, and embrace life’s seasons with the wisdom of a plum tree. Packed with stunning photography, luxurious rituals, and thought-provoking anecdotes, it’s an invitation to live fully, joyfully, and consciously.

The book also features conversations with an incredible lineup of thinkers and creatives like Jane Fonda, John Legend, and Jane Goodall, offering diverse perspectives on how to infuse pleasure and purpose into your daily life. Whether you’re into wellness, design, activism, or just want to daydream about living your best lush life, this book delivers.

It’s a visual feast and a soulful wake-up call to live more vibrantly, making it perfect for anyone craving a deeper connection with nature—and themselves. If you’ve ever wished your life felt more like an artful garden retreat, this book is your map to get there.

Before picking up this title, I had never heard of Flamingo Estate. Now I wish that I could visit in person as well as through the pages of this book.

There is an ethos to this estate that has offered wisdom to the many who have spent time there. Just a few of the conversations that are included here are with Alice Waters, Martha Stewart, Jane Fonda, and Chrissy Teigen & John Legend.

Flamingo Estate is a generous read at over 500 pages. Dip in and out and enjoy. Given our world, this book's belief in pleasure, the earth, observation and caring for ourselves resonates.

Just a few things that are offered her include learning to grow a tomato, how to quite your job, how to benefit from Mother Nature. Spend time in these pages, both reading and looking at the gorgeous photos. Feel better!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

I loved and took away so many things from FLAMINGO ESTATE: THE GUIDE TO BECOMING ALIVE. There is so much beauty and wisdom in this book, that there were several moments I had to pause after while reading in order to fully take in the beauty I just read. And often, there were emotional. As a lover of gardening, I still learned things and enjoyed everything this book has to offer... especially the photos and the messages from nature such as how nature wishes to be different... it's just is as it is. A book for avid and pro gardeners and even for people who aren't! It felt sensual and like a luxury reading this book. It's such an experience that you feel alive while reading it! I greatly enjoyed the conversations and the inspiring people he has them with. I can't wait to get a hard copy... the perfect coffee table book!

Much gratitude to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I like how Flamingo Estate gives a new environment for us to becoming more alive in our life, with special conversations with luminaries from food, activism, wellness, and the arts. This is really good to read.

I'm not sure how to rate this book. Full disclosure, I had never heard of Flamingo Estate before I read this. I googled it after I finished reading. $50 bottles of olive oil, $98 for a jar of honey, a $60 tomato scented candle. This is a high end lifestyle brand out of LA. I'm definitely not the target audience for this magnum opus of a book. At 530 pages its a comprehensive look at the origins, history, and ethos of the brand including interviews with authors, celebrities, thought leaders, and Jane Goodall! I did appreciate the obvious dedication to natural, pleasurable, sustainable living. The before and after photos of the estate were really neat to see. I'm sure anyone familiar with this brand will enjoy hearing the author's point of view. 3 stars for me personally but rounded up to 4 for the breadth, depth, and sincerity of the work.

This is quite an odd book. I had a hard time reading much of it because of the font and background colors. It is also extraordinarily long, and seems to go all over the place. I think it might be better suited to a series of books broken into topics. The stills of porn movies caught me off guard too.