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[(Seasons of Her Life)] [by: Michaels]
Bestselling author Fern Michaels touches the hearts of her readers by exploring the breadth of one woman’s deepest experiences as the Seasons of Her Life unfold. Ruby is determined to have a better life when she leaves her bitter childhood behind for post–World War II Washington, D.C. Working for the navy as a secretary, she is young, pretty, and happy for the first time . . . and she falls in love. The harsh reality of life as a military wife—and the loneliness that comes with it—destroys her illusions but fuels a fire of strength and independence that will burn throughout her life. She raises two children mostly by herself, creates a home out of dreary quarters, and begins baking cookies in the hopes of building a business. After years of struggle, Mrs. Sugar’s Cookies succeeds beyond her wildest dreams. But closest to her heart is the memory of the man she longs for in her soul. Beautifully written and deeply romantic, Seasons of Her Life is a novel that will be savored long after the last page is turned.
Paperback
First published March 15, 1994
1145 people are currently reading
837 people want to read
About the author
Fern Michaels
427 books6,541 followersFern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir. Growing up in Hastings, Pennsylvania, I was called Ruth. I became Mary when I entered the business world where first names were the order of the day. To this day, family and friends call me Dink, a name my father gave me when I was born because according to him I was ‘a dinky little thing’ weighing in at four and a half pounds. However, I answer to Fern since people are more comfortable with a name they can pronounce.
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
September 26, 2015
Absolute drivel. Delicious, entertaining, melodramatic drivel. Unintentially hilarious. Heartfelt at times.
Mostly just a soap opera in book form. Far from intelligent literature, but thorougly enjoyable.
Mostly just a soap opera in book form. Far from intelligent literature, but thorougly enjoyable.
October 8, 2014
how can someone who can write come up with such a stupid story? Ruby marries a guy she does not love, while thinking she is in love with another one. Then, she manages to go through life like a tornado, getting everything she wants, but the man she loves. She has only dated this man for a few weeks and does not really know him, she is in love with love...
The book is full of lack of research. You learn that the Mayo clinic is in Minnesota, that a hip replacement in the late seventies was gong to last about 12 hours, that a successful cookie business can make it to Fortune 500, and other stupidities it would be too long to list.
Sad.
The book is full of lack of research. You learn that the Mayo clinic is in Minnesota, that a hip replacement in the late seventies was gong to last about 12 hours, that a successful cookie business can make it to Fortune 500, and other stupidities it would be too long to list.
Sad.
August 11, 2014
I was right when I thought I should stop reading at 50 pages. Unfortunately I decided to keep going. Not a single character I liked/respected in the whole book.
March 31, 2021
I liked the concept of this book, however I felt that so much of it was wrong.
Ruby is tough, but it seems she is surrounded by weak relatives, friends and love interests. Most tough people I know gravitate toward other strong people.
The story would dive down into minute details in some points and be vague and aloof with other parts of the story. You would get attached to a character and then never hear about them again until our heroine finds out they are dead.
And most importantly, a woman is not in the winter of her life when she turns 50. Please!!! That is Autumn. She’s just hitting her stride at that point. Finding out who she is without kids, with money in her pocket and time for herself.
The idea of the seasons of a woman’s life is good, however this story didn’t hit the mark for me.
Ruby is tough, but it seems she is surrounded by weak relatives, friends and love interests. Most tough people I know gravitate toward other strong people.
The story would dive down into minute details in some points and be vague and aloof with other parts of the story. You would get attached to a character and then never hear about them again until our heroine finds out they are dead.
And most importantly, a woman is not in the winter of her life when she turns 50. Please!!! That is Autumn. She’s just hitting her stride at that point. Finding out who she is without kids, with money in her pocket and time for herself.
The idea of the seasons of a woman’s life is good, however this story didn’t hit the mark for me.
February 21, 2024
Oh! Dear, I kept putting this down, as it wasn’t that great. I was determined to find out what happened though, so finally got to the end. Some of it was annoying and just silly, it is the worst book I have read by Fern Michaels.
December 7, 2019
A well told story, kept you interested until the last page, recommend it for reading at any time you need a break from HF
December 19, 2021
Good book but, I found I got a little depressed reading it and was a couple hundred pages longer than it needed to be.
December 28, 2009
Springtime of her life: How a young girl survived a dysfunctional family when she was growing up.
Summer of her life: The marriage for convenience and the military life that followed.
Fall of her life: Discovered that she could make it on her own. Started new business. Helped long time friend. Made much money. Still not a complete person.
Winter: Realized that he biggest downfall and part of the reason for her unhappiness was her lack of acceptance of other people for who and what they are. Always second guessing everyone she always felt that seh knew best for EVERYONE around her.
Summer of her life: The marriage for convenience and the military life that followed.
Fall of her life: Discovered that she could make it on her own. Started new business. Helped long time friend. Made much money. Still not a complete person.
Winter: Realized that he biggest downfall and part of the reason for her unhappiness was her lack of acceptance of other people for who and what they are. Always second guessing everyone she always felt that seh knew best for EVERYONE around her.
March 11, 2015
Ugh,a waste of money
Normally fern Michel s write a decent story,this is not one of them,constantly portraying woman as victims and not getting them out of these situations is ridiculous. The main character is such a glutton for punishment, and let's people continue to walk over her, had to force myself to skim through to the end. Think before you buy. Beginning is only good part
Normally fern Michel s write a decent story,this is not one of them,constantly portraying woman as victims and not getting them out of these situations is ridiculous. The main character is such a glutton for punishment, and let's people continue to walk over her, had to force myself to skim through to the end. Think before you buy. Beginning is only good part
February 24, 2016
"A man no cookie can replace"... When that's in the description, put the book down. Laugh. Back away. Go get yourself a cookie. You will be more comfortable sleeping in bed with cookie crumbs than with this shoddy, dreary little book.
Seriously. I can't even properly review this book. I had to chuck it, because somehow it made me want to slit my wrists. Its depressing drivel and dull, mediocre writing have a lingering effect that I want to wash off with bleach.
Don't do it.
Seriously. I can't even properly review this book. I had to chuck it, because somehow it made me want to slit my wrists. Its depressing drivel and dull, mediocre writing have a lingering effect that I want to wash off with bleach.
Don't do it.
May 21, 2018
It was the worst book by Fern Michaels I have read. I chose it because i've always enjoyed her writing in the past. I should have put it down after the first few chapters, but it's saving grace was that I enjoyed the character and had to finish it to find out what happened to her. The story jumped around and at times wasn't factual. The way her relationships with her husband, her lover, her children etc, played out, made little sense. I was sorely disappointed.
January 29, 2021
Pennsylvania girl goes to DC, meets a future clothes designer, hates her family, invests in real estate, becomes a world wide cookie franchise owner, hates her husband. opens a pet and nature reserve, hates her lover, hates her best friend, makes up with her best friend, makes up with her husband then moves to Alaska with the clothes designer to work for Greenpeace. For some unknown reason I finished this book. Dysfunctional. Bizarre. 13 hours of my life I’ll never get back.
May 14, 2017
Don't waste your time
I so wanted to love this book, but each time Ruby, Andrew, the sisters, etc did something stupid I wondered why I was still reading this book. I usually enjoy Fern Michael's and the premise of the seasons of life is interesting but she missed the mark with this book. Don't waste your time
I so wanted to love this book, but each time Ruby, Andrew, the sisters, etc did something stupid I wondered why I was still reading this book. I usually enjoy Fern Michael's and the premise of the seasons of life is interesting but she missed the mark with this book. Don't waste your time
April 22, 2015
Just didn't care much for the writing in this book. The beginning was good but went downhill after the first 50 pages or so. It was long and parts just didn't seem to make sense as far as the characters went. None of the characters were truly like able including Ruby. Hated the abrupt ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2015
I started out liking this book but then it just lost my interest. Seasons of her life really dragged in the book, you could tell towards the end of the book the chapters got real short. The characters were just really boring and didn't seem to mesh well. Glad I am done to move on to another book.
May 18, 2015
Not sure why I finished this book. I lived through a pretty similar life growing up and still cannot understand why some women put up with being treated so badly.
November 28, 2015
Blech. Shallow,rambling,long and boring.
October 3, 2020
I did not finish the book. The characters and plot were so unbelievable. Also the writing did not flow and seemed really immature.
December 8, 2018
I rated this book a three, only marginally a three. The only thing I liked about the book was the flow of the season. I liked the continuity. As far as the main character, she was a total ditz. There were times I wanted to throw the book down in disgust, but alas, my OCD will not allow that. I have often been frustrated with the authors style. Some of the commentary is not well explained so I have trouble figuring out what is really going on. Subjects change with no warning. This was a book that I am very happy to be finished with.
April 29, 2018
Friends and Family are what matter.
Excellent book! Really enjoyed reading about a woman's life struggles from beginning to the summation. Characters are real, down to earth. Easy to relate to. Lots of twists and turns in the lives of the people that matter to her.....going from one experience to the next to the next making all the characters lives intertwine with one another in heart-wrenching ways. Rea!ly held my interest; hard to put it down.
Excellent book! Really enjoyed reading about a woman's life struggles from beginning to the summation. Characters are real, down to earth. Easy to relate to. Lots of twists and turns in the lives of the people that matter to her.....going from one experience to the next to the next making all the characters lives intertwine with one another in heart-wrenching ways. Rea!ly held my interest; hard to put it down.
May 30, 2023
Well, I finished this book but I can't say I really enjoyed it. I typically love Fern Michaels' books but for me this one was a real "stinker". At first I really liked Ruby, but then she started doing some really dumb things -- and never stopped. I really got frustrated with her and put the book down for a couple days because I needed a break from her, but i finally managed to finish it. I will not be reading this book again.
July 24, 2017
Appropriate Title
Taking our main character through all the seasons of her life, is exactly what Fern Michaels does. But she does it very skillfully, weaving in the tales of others as she travels her path in life. Each character has a tale of it's own, but together this is a marvelous book which I enjoyed reading.
Taking our main character through all the seasons of her life, is exactly what Fern Michaels does. But she does it very skillfully, weaving in the tales of others as she travels her path in life. Each character has a tale of it's own, but together this is a marvelous book which I enjoyed reading.
April 16, 2018
A Stubborn Woman's Rags To Riches Story
This story of Ruby reminds me of my dad's sisters who grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee. I can picture one of them as Ruby going anything it took to survive and raise her children. My dad was a serviceman so I could feel what Ruby and Andrew went through in military housing. This book touches my heart.
This story of Ruby reminds me of my dad's sisters who grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee. I can picture one of them as Ruby going anything it took to survive and raise her children. My dad was a serviceman so I could feel what Ruby and Andrew went through in military housing. This book touches my heart.
October 9, 2018
Sometimes baffling
I will say this was a good, long read, but it seemed to meander at times so it was a little confusing what was going on. Half the time I couldn't follow the histrionics or the drama.
Parts of it were good enough that I did finish it, but I was glad when it was finished
I will say this was a good, long read, but it seemed to meander at times so it was a little confusing what was going on. Half the time I couldn't follow the histrionics or the drama.
Parts of it were good enough that I did finish it, but I was glad when it was finished
March 18, 2022
Unpredictable Story
This is one of the best books I have read in years. I laughed and cried. I could relate to every season of life with Ruby. I enjoyed all the familiar settings in the Washington, D.C. Area. I could have done without all the curse words, they don't add any thing but could make the book rated R. Still loved it!!!
This is one of the best books I have read in years. I laughed and cried. I could relate to every season of life with Ruby. I enjoyed all the familiar settings in the Washington, D.C. Area. I could have done without all the curse words, they don't add any thing but could make the book rated R. Still loved it!!!
April 2, 2022
another great book to read.
When I start to read a book by my favorite author, I’m not able to stop until I finish the book. It was awesome to read. It was a hardship to let some feeling go. Your emotions for some family members and friends. None of us are perfect but we can be lovable.
When I start to read a book by my favorite author, I’m not able to stop until I finish the book. It was awesome to read. It was a hardship to let some feeling go. Your emotions for some family members and friends. None of us are perfect but we can be lovable.
September 26, 2025
Seasons of her life - a tear jerker, wonderful book
This wonderful book that carried you along one woman's life that was full of of love, hate, disappointment, sorrow, pain, happiness and then bring you to an ending with peace. Many characters who you'll love and hate but it's apart of life that must be there for you to grow and learn.
Great writer.
This wonderful book that carried you along one woman's life that was full of of love, hate, disappointment, sorrow, pain, happiness and then bring you to an ending with peace. Many characters who you'll love and hate but it's apart of life that must be there for you to grow and learn.
Great writer.
May 25, 2017
Seasons
This book took me a little bit to get into. Once I did, it was hard to put down . The end was abrupt, the turmoil nearly constant but Ruby had guts and determination as well as a soft heart for her friends and family.
This book took me a little bit to get into. Once I did, it was hard to put down . The end was abrupt, the turmoil nearly constant but Ruby had guts and determination as well as a soft heart for her friends and family.
October 13, 2017
What is the season of your life?
I would give this book a lot more than 5 stars. It seems Ruby figured out her seasons. I truly enjoyed reading the book. I hope I can figure out the seasons of mine. Thank you Fern Michael's.
I would give this book a lot more than 5 stars. It seems Ruby figured out her seasons. I truly enjoyed reading the book. I hope I can figure out the seasons of mine. Thank you Fern Michael's.
April 16, 2018
A truly wonderful read! Don't miss this compelling story
A great book with wonderful characters. The story is masterfully told. I couldn't put it down! A woman's life, all four seasons of it, and her challenges, successes and heartbreak.
A great book with wonderful characters. The story is masterfully told. I couldn't put it down! A woman's life, all four seasons of it, and her challenges, successes and heartbreak.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews