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Expiration Date
In a dream, a vision--or, perhaps, reality--Flora finds herself in the Heavenly Court, where her expiration date is She is to die in twenty-five years. Her parents and in-laws watch from behind a low wooden balustrade, the line dividing here, life, from there, eternity where they all will no doubt be, by the time her expiration date arrives. And now it is twenty-four years later, the last year of Flora's life, or so she believes. Her father has just died; all those behind the balustrade are, indeed, dead except for Flora's mother, Muriel. However, the Angel of Death seems to be after her, too; she has several brushes with disaster yet miraculously survives. Flora begins to wonder if her mother isn' t valiantly protecting her refusing to cross over to the other side of the balustrade so that the dream/vision won't be true. Muriel is unaware of all this, however; she is more concerned with what life might hold for her as a newly minted widow in her eighties. She goes off to a bridge tournament where she meets a man who invites her to travel with him on the bridge circuit, and they take off across the Southwest. Are old age and death what Flora has always thought they were? What are they, really? Is the day of her death really predetermined? Is there anything she can do to appeal the sentence? Can a mother muster supernatural forces to protect her child? If Flora lives to be old, will she be the same person she was when she was young or something new, entirely? Is it common to be in love, to live under the spell of Eros, even into great old age? Every certainty Flora has had about all this is being swept away. And then a stranger comes to her mother's door, changing everything...
- GenresFiction
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 15, 2016
Rating: 3* of five
The Publisher Says: In a dream, a vision— or, perhaps, reality— Flora finds herself in the Heavenly Court, where her expiration date is proclaimed: She is to die in twenty-five years. Her parents and in-laws watch from behind a low wooden balustrade, the line dividing "here," life, from "there," eternity—, where they all will no doubt be by the time her expiration date arrives.
And now it is twenty-four years later, the last year of Flora's life, or so she believes. Her father has just died; all those behind the balustrade are, indeed, dead—except for Flora's mother, Muriel. However, the Angel of Death seems to be after her, too; she has several brushes with disaster yet miraculously survives. Flora begins to wonder if her mother isn't valiantly protecting her—, refusing to cross over to the other side of the balustrade so that the dream/vision won't be true.
Muriel is unaware of all this, however; she is more concerned with what life might hold for her as a newly minted widow in her eighties. She goes off to a bridge tournament where she meets a man who invites her to travel with him on the bridge circuit, and they take off across the Southwest.
Are old age and death what Flora has always thought they were? What are they, really? Is the day of her death predetermined? Is there anything she can do to appeal the sentence? Can a mother muster supernatural forces to protect her child? Is it common to be in love, to live under the spell of Eros, even into great old age? Every certainty Flora has had about all this is being swept away. And then a stranger comes to her mother's door, changing everything...
My Review: Flora, daughter of Muriel and wife of Jonah and mother of Lulu, has a dream...she stands in the prisoners' dock in the Cosmic Courtroom hearing her life's ending announced for twenty-five years hence, when her oldest daughter (still in utero at the time of the trial) will be twenty-five, she herself will turn sixty, and her mother will be dead (or else how would her mother be standing there in the Cosmic Courtroom?). She pleads for her life, reminding the Cosmic Court that her child will need her, all to no avail. She will die on her sixtieth birthday. Fast forward to Flora's fifty-ninth yer, most of which we spend with her as she obsesses and frets and generally acts like an ass about her upcoming expiration date. She still has her mom, now an 87-year-old widow; her children are grown and gone, now twenty-four and twenty-two; her rabbi husband still desires her, still fascinates her, still makes her toes curl with the joy of their intimacy and vigorous sex life. (Are you hatin' on her yet? I sure am, whiny broad needs a board upside the head, look at all the stuff she's got! Sheez.) Her mother, a selfish woman in Flora's eyes, is boldly starting life anew; her own work as a professor is satisfying but undemanding (loathsome! this woman's LOATHSOME!); her world, in short, is enviably settled into positive grooves. She, however, sees only the onrushing expiration date. She and sexy rabbi Jonah spend the day before her birthday at a meditation retreat in the mountains. She drifts to sleep after a late-night bout of ecstasy-inducing sex (bitch!) and has another dream...the sequel to her first one...and....
That's it. And.
The book could have been called "Grumpy Old Women." Flora and Muriel have an evolving mother/daughter dynamic, one that makes them feel simultaneously and by turns comforted and angered and annoyed and misunderstood and cherished. They are both lucky and blessed in their men, and they both see themselves as put-upon by the other as well as by their failings as human beings. In short, they're about what you'd expect well-off women at the last stops on the train to be. It's this universality that makes the story fun to read, and the life details that Jaffe endows each woman with are well-chosen to illustrate the more universal and general attitudes and needs that the women have.
For anyone Jewish and female and over 50, this will probably bang you like a gong. I'm only one of those things, and it still managed to bong me a good clip on the family-love spot. But its primary charm, its main selling point, is that the people in it are well and truly family. You the reader are taken into the family. You overhear the phone calls, you peer into the thoughts of these women and see yourself, your mother, your sister. This is a very, very good thing.
What's NOT so good is the book's very close resemblance to a short story that got fat. Dialogue? Little. Plot? Rudimentary, or if we're being polite and positive, spare. It's not *quite* enough for four stars. It's good, and I'd never say *don't* read it, but I will not make a case for spending $28 (!!) for a hardcover of it. How much is the Kindle version? Under $14? Go for it.
The Publisher Says: In a dream, a vision— or, perhaps, reality— Flora finds herself in the Heavenly Court, where her expiration date is proclaimed: She is to die in twenty-five years. Her parents and in-laws watch from behind a low wooden balustrade, the line dividing "here," life, from "there," eternity—, where they all will no doubt be by the time her expiration date arrives.
And now it is twenty-four years later, the last year of Flora's life, or so she believes. Her father has just died; all those behind the balustrade are, indeed, dead—except for Flora's mother, Muriel. However, the Angel of Death seems to be after her, too; she has several brushes with disaster yet miraculously survives. Flora begins to wonder if her mother isn't valiantly protecting her—, refusing to cross over to the other side of the balustrade so that the dream/vision won't be true.
Muriel is unaware of all this, however; she is more concerned with what life might hold for her as a newly minted widow in her eighties. She goes off to a bridge tournament where she meets a man who invites her to travel with him on the bridge circuit, and they take off across the Southwest.
Are old age and death what Flora has always thought they were? What are they, really? Is the day of her death predetermined? Is there anything she can do to appeal the sentence? Can a mother muster supernatural forces to protect her child? Is it common to be in love, to live under the spell of Eros, even into great old age? Every certainty Flora has had about all this is being swept away. And then a stranger comes to her mother's door, changing everything...
My Review: Flora, daughter of Muriel and wife of Jonah and mother of Lulu, has a dream...she stands in the prisoners' dock in the Cosmic Courtroom hearing her life's ending announced for twenty-five years hence, when her oldest daughter (still in utero at the time of the trial) will be twenty-five, she herself will turn sixty, and her mother will be dead (or else how would her mother be standing there in the Cosmic Courtroom?). She pleads for her life, reminding the Cosmic Court that her child will need her, all to no avail. She will die on her sixtieth birthday. Fast forward to Flora's fifty-ninth yer, most of which we spend with her as she obsesses and frets and generally acts like an ass about her upcoming expiration date. She still has her mom, now an 87-year-old widow; her children are grown and gone, now twenty-four and twenty-two; her rabbi husband still desires her, still fascinates her, still makes her toes curl with the joy of their intimacy and vigorous sex life. (Are you hatin' on her yet? I sure am, whiny broad needs a board upside the head, look at all the stuff she's got! Sheez.) Her mother, a selfish woman in Flora's eyes, is boldly starting life anew; her own work as a professor is satisfying but undemanding (loathsome! this woman's LOATHSOME!); her world, in short, is enviably settled into positive grooves. She, however, sees only the onrushing expiration date. She and sexy rabbi Jonah spend the day before her birthday at a meditation retreat in the mountains. She drifts to sleep after a late-night bout of ecstasy-inducing sex (bitch!) and has another dream...the sequel to her first one...and....
That's it. And.
The book could have been called "Grumpy Old Women." Flora and Muriel have an evolving mother/daughter dynamic, one that makes them feel simultaneously and by turns comforted and angered and annoyed and misunderstood and cherished. They are both lucky and blessed in their men, and they both see themselves as put-upon by the other as well as by their failings as human beings. In short, they're about what you'd expect well-off women at the last stops on the train to be. It's this universality that makes the story fun to read, and the life details that Jaffe endows each woman with are well-chosen to illustrate the more universal and general attitudes and needs that the women have.
For anyone Jewish and female and over 50, this will probably bang you like a gong. I'm only one of those things, and it still managed to bong me a good clip on the family-love spot. But its primary charm, its main selling point, is that the people in it are well and truly family. You the reader are taken into the family. You overhear the phone calls, you peer into the thoughts of these women and see yourself, your mother, your sister. This is a very, very good thing.
What's NOT so good is the book's very close resemblance to a short story that got fat. Dialogue? Little. Plot? Rudimentary, or if we're being polite and positive, spare. It's not *quite* enough for four stars. It's good, and I'd never say *don't* read it, but I will not make a case for spending $28 (!!) for a hardcover of it. How much is the Kindle version? Under $14? Go for it.
March 28, 2011
"Sixty was the begining of the end" This is a line taken directly from the book, but it sums up what Flora believed to be true. Due to a dream? - or a vision? - Flora determined that she knew her exact date of death - on her sixtieth birthday. Finally that time had come. The story moves between Flora and her elderly Mother, who Flora believes needs to be dead, prior to her own death. But...Muriel, Flora's mother, is a very lively and spry 86 year old, who really enjoys life and has recently taken a new boyfriend. Where does that leave Flora?
This book keeps you in suspense, asking when and if Muriel will die, when and if Flora will die, and is the dream/vision of an expiration date really true?
I am so happy that I received this book prior to its April 2011 publication date through Goodreads. I fully enjoyed this book and the great imagination of the its author, Sherril Jaffe.
This book keeps you in suspense, asking when and if Muriel will die, when and if Flora will die, and is the dream/vision of an expiration date really true?
I am so happy that I received this book prior to its April 2011 publication date through Goodreads. I fully enjoyed this book and the great imagination of the its author, Sherril Jaffe.
October 5, 2025
I got this book because R. Alan Lew attributes so much to his wife, Sherril Jaffe, that I thought I should read a book that she had written.
I found the premise a bit weird, that a dream could tell the dreamer exactly when they would die. And of course, the central character has this dream and the book is the runup to the day when she is supposed to die. Lots of the story felt repetitive; maybe a better editor was needed. Not a lot of suspense and poor resolution of the "mystery". Feh.
I found the premise a bit weird, that a dream could tell the dreamer exactly when they would die. And of course, the central character has this dream and the book is the runup to the day when she is supposed to die. Lots of the story felt repetitive; maybe a better editor was needed. Not a lot of suspense and poor resolution of the "mystery". Feh.
October 4, 2025
“The other myth about seniors was that they were supposed to be repositories of wisdom, but in Muriel's estimation, they had no more wisdom than any other age group. She was just as wise now as she had ever been, which was fairly wise. People were themselves their whole lives. They didn't become something else just because they had entered old age.”
September 1, 2023
2/5 stars
I read the premise of book and was excited. Turns out it’s a waste of time. Two women obsessing over death.
I read the premise of book and was excited. Turns out it’s a waste of time. Two women obsessing over death.
April 6, 2011
What if you knew when you were going to die? For a while it didn’t matter but now… Now the time’s drawing near and there’s so much more still to live for. And what if your mother’s ever more full of enthusiastic life as you approach your expiration date?
Sherril Jaffe’s novel Expiration Date tells of that all-important year in the lives of Flora (almost 60) and her mother Muriel (84). Muriel’s life is delightfully ordered and organized. There’s bridge, with all its attendant rules. There’s dinner, preferably not alone, since that would remind her too much of the absence of Jack after his long illness. And there are trips to San Francisco to spend time with Flora. Just at the time when her life should be winding down, Muriel starts to step out; and however many times the Angel of Death approaches her, she seems to escape unscathed. Meanwhile Flora’s expecting the angel’s visit before her next birthday; but according to her vision, Mother dies first, so maybe Muriel’s staying alive just to cheat the prediction and save her daughter’s life.
Flora’s husband Jonah is a rabbi. His flock includes several elderly people and relatives. They’re familiar with death in its many guises, and Jonah is familiar with the literature, continuing a conversation with rabbis through centuries who’ve left their stories written down to continue the tale. Yes, a time is decreed for each. And no, that doesn’t mean we can’t change the outcome.
Bridge sticks to the rules. Faith bends them. And love fits in between. Approaching ends make the present day more poignant, more needing to be filled. And these characters fill their present quite delightfully, while musing on the past and keeping a constant eye out for the future. Expiration Date tells their story beautifully—a masterpiece perhaps of tell-don’t-show, emotions revealed in thought and story carried forward by contemplation. The game of bridge defines a rigid code where truth lies in well-defined conventions somewhere between speaker and word. Family ties have a code of their own, born of tradition and memory. And love’s simple rule, to touch and be touched, by the world and the people in it, fills Sherril Jaffe’s novel with beauty, humor and hope well-told then delightfully, wonderfully shown once the code becomes known.
Disclosure: I was given a bound galley of this book by the publishers, The Permanent Press, in exchange for an honest review.
Sherril Jaffe’s novel Expiration Date tells of that all-important year in the lives of Flora (almost 60) and her mother Muriel (84). Muriel’s life is delightfully ordered and organized. There’s bridge, with all its attendant rules. There’s dinner, preferably not alone, since that would remind her too much of the absence of Jack after his long illness. And there are trips to San Francisco to spend time with Flora. Just at the time when her life should be winding down, Muriel starts to step out; and however many times the Angel of Death approaches her, she seems to escape unscathed. Meanwhile Flora’s expecting the angel’s visit before her next birthday; but according to her vision, Mother dies first, so maybe Muriel’s staying alive just to cheat the prediction and save her daughter’s life.
Flora’s husband Jonah is a rabbi. His flock includes several elderly people and relatives. They’re familiar with death in its many guises, and Jonah is familiar with the literature, continuing a conversation with rabbis through centuries who’ve left their stories written down to continue the tale. Yes, a time is decreed for each. And no, that doesn’t mean we can’t change the outcome.
Bridge sticks to the rules. Faith bends them. And love fits in between. Approaching ends make the present day more poignant, more needing to be filled. And these characters fill their present quite delightfully, while musing on the past and keeping a constant eye out for the future. Expiration Date tells their story beautifully—a masterpiece perhaps of tell-don’t-show, emotions revealed in thought and story carried forward by contemplation. The game of bridge defines a rigid code where truth lies in well-defined conventions somewhere between speaker and word. Family ties have a code of their own, born of tradition and memory. And love’s simple rule, to touch and be touched, by the world and the people in it, fills Sherril Jaffe’s novel with beauty, humor and hope well-told then delightfully, wonderfully shown once the code becomes known.
Disclosure: I was given a bound galley of this book by the publishers, The Permanent Press, in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2011
This novel claims to explore the mother-daughter bond, the question of predestined date of death and if a person has the power to change fate. Unfortunately, it fell short for me on all levels. Jaffe never fully develops the characters and most certainly does not develop to any degree any lesser characters at all. We never learn anything of the other family members or anything substantial about Flora and Muriel’s relationship prior to the months before Flora’s supposed “expiration date”. It reads more like someone brainstorming a novel with sentences that never go anywhere. Jaffe also tended to head into activism territory in a few chapters, commenting on the death penalty in one whole chapter, or making comments here and there disparaging the veterans of the Viet Nam war. I am not opposed to including political points of view in an otherwise unpolitical novel if it serves the story line, however, I didn't feel that was the case here. The end of the novel, which while I would say did not come soon enough for me, still seemed too abrubt and I was confused as to what actually happened. There was so much potential for a great novel here- I loved the idea, it just didn’t give me enough of the story.
April 4, 2015
Flora thinks she’s going to die on her 60th birthday. A professor and wife of a Rabbi, the San Franciscan had a dream or vision many years ago in which she was told when but not how she’d die. So she’s rather obsessing on this and in doing so fails to see the world about her and to truly enjoy herself. Simultaneously her widowed 86-year-old mother Muriel embarks on extensive traveling and love affairs. Expiration Date is that rare find in a novel these days. It contemplates aging—not glossing over the negatives or puffing out the positives—but with flair and honesty. It also vividly captures the intricacies and challenges in most mother-daughter relationships. Expiration Date proves both humorous and solipsistic. Turns out that maybe expiration dates are only in our minds. Life doesn’t begin or end at a particular time. Those are just the silly notions that our society deems necessary or sensible.
March 29, 2011
"In a dream, a vision--or, perhaps, reality--Flora finds herself in the Heavenly Court, where her expiration date is proclaimed: She is to die in twenty-five years. Her parents and in-laws watch from behind a low wooden balustrade, the line dividing here, life, from there, eternity where they all will no doubt be, by the time her expiration date arrives."
This book by SHerril Jaffe was listed as a "highly amusing and original comedy". I did not enjoy the humor in this story. The characters were hard for me to identify with, and the random spouting of religious insights from all faiths was confusing. I am a home health nurse, very familiar with the geriatric population, and these older characters seemed rather superficial. Overall it was disapointing because I anticipated a "fluffier" read, with more fun.
This book by SHerril Jaffe was listed as a "highly amusing and original comedy". I did not enjoy the humor in this story. The characters were hard for me to identify with, and the random spouting of religious insights from all faiths was confusing. I am a home health nurse, very familiar with the geriatric population, and these older characters seemed rather superficial. Overall it was disapointing because I anticipated a "fluffier" read, with more fun.
April 30, 2011
I received this book as a Goodreads Sweepstakes Giveaway. I had a hard time getting started on this book. It may be more suited to an older group of readers. I am currently 39 y/o and I just don't think I got what this book was trying to convey. An interesting story of a middle aged woman who has a dream about her expiration date - she was to die before her 60th birthday. The book explores the possibility of her mother cheating death so that her daughter would not meet her untimely death. The great part about this book is actually the mother of the almost 60 y/o. She is 84, if I remember correctly and has recently lost her husband of many years. An entertaining story ensues of a woman who refuses to let death cheat her of her last precious years. I did send this book on to my mother - I wanted to know what she thinks of the book.
March 13, 2011
I won this book through Goodreads First Reads. I was extremely intrigued by the idea of a human having an "expiration date" of sorts and couldn't wait to see what kind of struggles and development the characters faced. The characters in this novel have an interesting perspective on growing old and you find yourself rooting for all the characters. After reading this book, getting old doesn't seem all that bad. It is very thought provoking and beautifully written. While not the type of book I normally read, it is one I am very glad I had the opportunity to get my hands on. It will appeal to readers both young and old.
December 21, 2012
Loved the idea of this book and had never read this author before. Since I'm always looking for new authors, I thought I'd give it a shot. Let me just say, it was painfully boring. I wished several times that I was one of those people that could put a book back without finishing it, but alas, I am not. So, I finished this book, but it took me much longer than most do.
The characters are not developed, there is no back history, and even the end leaves you wondering what actually happened. The writing is sub par; I could do better myself.
Unless you just love this writer, skip this and move on to something that has potential.
The characters are not developed, there is no back history, and even the end leaves you wondering what actually happened. The writing is sub par; I could do better myself.
Unless you just love this writer, skip this and move on to something that has potential.
May 27, 2011
Expiration date is a charming fairy tale of a book. A kind of hope for what might be possible as a woman ages. Jaffe's idea of an expiration date- an end to a life- is the central idea that guides a mother and daughter, one in in her 80's, the other nearing 60. In a kind of reverse, the more elder refuses to see an end, the younger checks her life calendar daily. Jaffe raises many ideas familiar to all women as they age: body issues, sex, family obligations and obligation to self.
Her characters are able to reolve them all or accept them and live on, with no discernible recriminations.
Her characters are able to reolve them all or accept them and live on, with no discernible recriminations.
Read
June 21, 2012I blew through this book, and while I was intrigued by the blurb on the ER list, I found the storyline a bit all over the place. [return][return]What I did love about the book was well defined Muriel and Flora were. At times I felt as if I was reading about my best friend and her 84 year old mother, and the issues that they have in their relationships. [return][return]Both of these women were very well written and the book was worth reading just to get to know them.
June 8, 2011
I dont know if I should mark this read or not. I started it, didnt finish it. I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. I just couldnt get into it. I found it really boring and odd. Just not my cup of tea I guess. I should probably try to keep reading it to see if it gets better but I cant get myself to pick it back up. Maybe I'll be in the mood for this book some day, but I dont see that happening anytime soon.
April 4, 2011
"If you like simple yet poignant, gentle yet hard-hitting funnies, this is the book for you. The relationships explored, along with the idea of an Angel of Death and ways of cheating this Angel are very well actualised and I would like to explore Jaffe’s back catalogue after reading this, her seventh novel."
(Excerpt from full review of Expiration Date at For Books' Sake)
(Excerpt from full review of Expiration Date at For Books' Sake)
June 23, 2011
While I did find the idea of an expiration date interesting I just couldn't really get into the story. It might have been because of my age (I'm not even in my late 20's yet). I did find the book to be a little entertaining. The whole time I was reading this book I was surprised how similar the characters behavior was just like my grandmother's and mother's behavior except about bingo. I think I'll get this book for my mother and see what she thinks.
December 27, 2012
I won this story from Good Reads giveaway. It took me a while to get into the book, mostly due to my mother passing away. Overall, I enjoyed the book though I wish some of the characters were more developed.
Want to read
April 23, 2011I got a free copy of this book through the Goodreads first-reads program. Will read this book soon. Thank you.
June 25, 2011
This is just not my kind of reading. I read 3 chapters and was so bored with it. I skipped forward and read some more and still it was not going to catch my attention.
October 27, 2011
An interesting look at aging and enjoying life. I found it interesting that Flora's and Muriel's differing approaches to life reflected their personalities.
February 29, 2012
The cover photo is a baby with its little behind stamped with an expiration date...with humor and pizazz, this book explores aging, death, and love.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews