What do you think?
Rate this book
Vi prego, cercate di capire
“Non sono pazza, solo vecchia… e sono in un campo di concentramento per vecchi.”
Anni ’50. Rinchiusa in una casa per anziani a seguito di un infarto che non le consente più di vivere da sola, Caroline Spencer, 76 anni, ex insegnante di matematica, scrive un diario per tenere attiva la mente. Ha vissuto come ha voluto, grandi viaggi estivi in Europa, in Inghilterra in particolare, dove ha incontrato un uomo sposato con cui ha intrattenuto una relazione trentennale, conclusasi solo a causa della Guerra, amici, discussioni. L’infarto le ha rubato l’indipendenza: dopo l’ospedale si era trasferita dal fratello John, sposato con una donna molto più giovane di lui e che Caroline non ha mai trattato bene – “A Ginny non sono mai piaciuta. La faccio sentire inferiore e non posso farci niente. John è ed è sempre stato un lettore. Come me. John si interessa di politica. Come me. Gli unici interessi di Ginny sembrano essere i pettegolezzi, possibilmente maliziosi, il bridge e provare nuove ricette. Purtroppo non è una cuoca nata.” Non stupisce se dopo poco le trovano una casa di riposo e ce la portano. Questa è gestita dalla signora Hatfield e da sua figlia, che mescolano indifferenza e cattiveria nei confronti dei loro pazienti. Inizia così per Caro una vera discesa agli inferi, da cui cerca di sottrarsi scrivendo, ricordando fatti della vita e proprie caratteristiche personali, osservando ciò che capita attorno a lei, riflettendo sulla natura del potere dell’uomo sull’uomo. Ed è così che riusciamo a capire la natura di Caro, una donna, appunto, indomita, che pur di non sottostare alle continue umiliazioni e vessazioni da parte di Hatfield e figlia, decide di lottare fino alle estreme conseguenze.
Anni ’50. Rinchiusa in una casa per anziani a seguito di un infarto che non le consente più di vivere da sola, Caroline Spencer, 76 anni, ex insegnante di matematica, scrive un diario per tenere attiva la mente. Ha vissuto come ha voluto, grandi viaggi estivi in Europa, in Inghilterra in particolare, dove ha incontrato un uomo sposato con cui ha intrattenuto una relazione trentennale, conclusasi solo a causa della Guerra, amici, discussioni. L’infarto le ha rubato l’indipendenza: dopo l’ospedale si era trasferita dal fratello John, sposato con una donna molto più giovane di lui e che Caroline non ha mai trattato bene – “A Ginny non sono mai piaciuta. La faccio sentire inferiore e non posso farci niente. John è ed è sempre stato un lettore. Come me. John si interessa di politica. Come me. Gli unici interessi di Ginny sembrano essere i pettegolezzi, possibilmente maliziosi, il bridge e provare nuove ricette. Purtroppo non è una cuoca nata.” Non stupisce se dopo poco le trovano una casa di riposo e ce la portano. Questa è gestita dalla signora Hatfield e da sua figlia, che mescolano indifferenza e cattiveria nei confronti dei loro pazienti. Inizia così per Caro una vera discesa agli inferi, da cui cerca di sottrarsi scrivendo, ricordando fatti della vita e proprie caratteristiche personali, osservando ciò che capita attorno a lei, riflettendo sulla natura del potere dell’uomo sull’uomo. Ed è così che riusciamo a capire la natura di Caro, una donna, appunto, indomita, che pur di non sottostare alle continue umiliazioni e vessazioni da parte di Hatfield e figlia, decide di lottare fino alle estreme conseguenze.
131 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1973
241 people are currently reading
1890 people want to read
About the author
May Sarton
153 books593 followersMay Sarton was born on May 3, 1912, in Wondelgem, Belgium, and grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her first volume of poetry, Encounters in April, was published in 1937 and her first novel, The Single Hound, in 1938. An accomplished memoirist, Sarton boldly came out as a lesbian in her 1965 book Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing. Her later memoir, Journal of a Solitude, was an account of her experiences as a female artist. Sarton died in York, Maine, on July 16, 1995.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 242 reviews
February 20, 2023
می سارتون نویسنده آمریکایی در کتاب مثل حالای ما روایت گر داستان تلخ سالمندانی درگیر با بیماری های جدی و غالبا کشنده در سالهای آخر عمر آنان شده . بر خلاف کتاب خانم پالفری در کلرمانت ، در مثل حالای ما خبری از هتل لوکس و سالمندانی به نسبت جوانتر و سالمتر نیست . آسایشگاه آنان بیشتر به یک بیمارستان مخروبه شباهت دارد تا هتلی آبرومندانه . سالمندان این آسایشگاه هم دیگر چندان چشم به راه ملاقات آشنایی نیستند ، آنان بیشتر یا حافظه خود را از دست داده اند و کسی را به خاطر نمی آورند و یا زندگی آنان در خوابیدن ، زل زدن به دیوار و نفس کشیدن خلاصه شده .
کارو اسپنسر راوی داستان یکی از آنان است . او که همسر و فرزندی ندارد پس از یک حمله قلبی به این آسایشگاه فرستاده شده . خانم اسپنسر با وجود مشکل قلبی و بدنی ذهنی سالم و هوشیار دارد بنابراین وجود او و ذهن سالمش خطری برای پرستار هرییت ( که شاید تقلیدی از پرستاررچد در کتاب پرواز بر فراز آشیانه فاخته باشد ) و حکومت اوست . کتاب هم بیشتر چالشی میان این دو یعنی بیمار و پرستار است .
اسپنسر اسیر زندانی شده که دیگر فرصت رهایی و آزادی از آن را ندارد ، تنها مرگ است که او را از این زندان می رهاند . حال که زمان برای او از بین رفته او فرصتی طولانی برای اندیشیدن دارد ، تفکر در پیری ، در زندگی و مرگ . تفکر در مسیر پیموده شده .
اسپنسر پیری را در حکم لباس مبدلی می داند که به جز خود فرد سالخورده کسی دیگر نمی تواند آنرا ببیند . گویی او همان حس و شور جوانی را دارد اما پوسته بیرونی با همه آن چین و چروک ها شور جوانی او را مستور کرده است . او از نوشتن به عنوان مرهمی برای بیان احساسات استفاده کرده و خود را تسکین می دهد . اسپنسر بیان احساسات را گویی راز جوانی و پرشوری می داند . به همین ترتیب اسپنسر ازدواج را مانند هزینه پذیرش یک انسان غریبه در زندگی می داند . او که ازدواج نکرده حال خود را انسانی شکست خورده می داند که چون می ترسیده خود را از دست بدهد از رشد و همبستگی با انسانی دیگر محروم مانده . او به این نتیجه می رسد که فقدان عشق است که او را دارد به تحلیل می برد .
داستان تلخ می ساترن با طعم تلخ مرگ و نابودی هم به پایان می رسد . نویسنده با بی رحمی تمام دنیای آرام و آهسته پیری و سالمندی را با کلماتی روشن و واضح به تصویر کشیده . ساترن با سنگدلی و با بیانی خالی از هر گونه همدردی و دلسوزی به خواننده یاد آور شده که افزون بر تمام سختیهایی که در درازای زندگی کشیده رنج و درد جانکاه پیری هم چنان شاید ترسناک ترین و البته آخرین تشویش او در زندگی باشد . اما نویسنده انسان را به تسلیم در برابر سرنوشت فرانخوانده ، به او امید واهی هم نداده . او تنها دوران تلخ و پر درد سالمندی انسان را به تصویر کشیده است .
کارو اسپنسر راوی داستان یکی از آنان است . او که همسر و فرزندی ندارد پس از یک حمله قلبی به این آسایشگاه فرستاده شده . خانم اسپنسر با وجود مشکل قلبی و بدنی ذهنی سالم و هوشیار دارد بنابراین وجود او و ذهن سالمش خطری برای پرستار هرییت ( که شاید تقلیدی از پرستاررچد در کتاب پرواز بر فراز آشیانه فاخته باشد ) و حکومت اوست . کتاب هم بیشتر چالشی میان این دو یعنی بیمار و پرستار است .
اسپنسر اسیر زندانی شده که دیگر فرصت رهایی و آزادی از آن را ندارد ، تنها مرگ است که او را از این زندان می رهاند . حال که زمان برای او از بین رفته او فرصتی طولانی برای اندیشیدن دارد ، تفکر در پیری ، در زندگی و مرگ . تفکر در مسیر پیموده شده .
اسپنسر پیری را در حکم لباس مبدلی می داند که به جز خود فرد سالخورده کسی دیگر نمی تواند آنرا ببیند . گویی او همان حس و شور جوانی را دارد اما پوسته بیرونی با همه آن چین و چروک ها شور جوانی او را مستور کرده است . او از نوشتن به عنوان مرهمی برای بیان احساسات استفاده کرده و خود را تسکین می دهد . اسپنسر بیان احساسات را گویی راز جوانی و پرشوری می داند . به همین ترتیب اسپنسر ازدواج را مانند هزینه پذیرش یک انسان غریبه در زندگی می داند . او که ازدواج نکرده حال خود را انسانی شکست خورده می داند که چون می ترسیده خود را از دست بدهد از رشد و همبستگی با انسانی دیگر محروم مانده . او به این نتیجه می رسد که فقدان عشق است که او را دارد به تحلیل می برد .
داستان تلخ می ساترن با طعم تلخ مرگ و نابودی هم به پایان می رسد . نویسنده با بی رحمی تمام دنیای آرام و آهسته پیری و سالمندی را با کلماتی روشن و واضح به تصویر کشیده . ساترن با سنگدلی و با بیانی خالی از هر گونه همدردی و دلسوزی به خواننده یاد آور شده که افزون بر تمام سختیهایی که در درازای زندگی کشیده رنج و درد جانکاه پیری هم چنان شاید ترسناک ترین و البته آخرین تشویش او در زندگی باشد . اما نویسنده انسان را به تسلیم در برابر سرنوشت فرانخوانده ، به او امید واهی هم نداده . او تنها دوران تلخ و پر درد سالمندی انسان را به تصویر کشیده است .
November 7, 2024
***NO SPOILERS***
So many literary- and realistic fictions are on the same themes (e.g., domestic strife; coming-of-age), so I appreciate that author May Sarton did something so different: told a simple story from the point of view of a nursing-home resident. The only other book I've read written from this viewpoint is the fantastic Water for Elephants, and it's one of the many things that makes that book easy to like.
As We Are Now, however, doesn't have the sweep of Water for Elephants. Seventy-six-year-old Caro Spencer relates her experience after her eighty-year-old brother, John, dumps her in a nursing home. As is to be expected, it's a depressing existence, not helped by the fact that Caro will never be released so is just waiting to die. Obviously the book will depress many readers, but many others may feel as I did: that As We Are Now is a kind of meditation on aging and eventual death.
This story could easily be boring, but Sarton filled the pages with several eventful happenings. A dramatic twist at the end doesn't quite square with all that came before, or with Caro herself, as headstrong as she is. This is a small flaw, though (and one that may not bother many readers), in a work that's important, particularly for those living a privileged, charmed life.
So many literary- and realistic fictions are on the same themes (e.g., domestic strife; coming-of-age), so I appreciate that author May Sarton did something so different: told a simple story from the point of view of a nursing-home resident. The only other book I've read written from this viewpoint is the fantastic Water for Elephants, and it's one of the many things that makes that book easy to like.
As We Are Now, however, doesn't have the sweep of Water for Elephants. Seventy-six-year-old Caro Spencer relates her experience after her eighty-year-old brother, John, dumps her in a nursing home. As is to be expected, it's a depressing existence, not helped by the fact that Caro will never be released so is just waiting to die. Obviously the book will depress many readers, but many others may feel as I did: that As We Are Now is a kind of meditation on aging and eventual death.
This story could easily be boring, but Sarton filled the pages with several eventful happenings. A dramatic twist at the end doesn't quite square with all that came before, or with Caro herself, as headstrong as she is. This is a small flaw, though (and one that may not bother many readers), in a work that's important, particularly for those living a privileged, charmed life.
August 15, 2007
This is one of the grimmest accounts of growing old I ever read. It’s told with unflinching honesty by a perceptive elderly woman who’s been put in a nursing home. Effective for engendering empathy for vulnerable older people, at least it was thought provoking for me when I read it many years ago as a young woman of 19 or 20 years old. Beautifully told but disturbing. I've been haunted by this story for years, and as I approach more closely the age of the heroine, I'm sure that reading about her experience would be even more devastating for me, if that is possible.
October 8, 2024
کارولین اسپنسر یک معلم ریاضی بازنشستهی ۷۶ ساله است که اخیراً بعد از حملهی قلبی که داشته توسط برادرش به خانهی سالمندان منتقل شده. یک خانهی سالمندان شبیه به زندان با یک پرستار فولادزره همچون زندانبان! کتاب مثل یک دفتر خاطرات نقل شده و از اولین روزهای حضور کارولین در خانهی سالمندان شروع شده تا به قول خودش تسلیم شرایط نشه. خب خاطرات یک زن مسن در خانهی سالمندان قرار نیست هیجان خاصی داشته باشه، بیشتر موجب غم و همدردی میشه و در انتها یک غافلگیری داره. برای من یک کتاب معمولی بود، نه بد و نه آنچنان چشمیگر، در حد ۲.۵ ستاره.ه
September 25, 2020
This was not a good time to pick this slim novel off my shelf. I'm not sure there would have been a good time, to tell the truth. I usually like May Sarton, but this was bleak and depressing, not her usual thing at all. Not recommended.
March 2, 2016
Tough - and wonderful - read. This is both a sad, and victorious, book; I thought a lot about my Mom and Dad, both of whom were in nursing homes...I do not think they felt, or lived, like the Caro in this book; for one thing, they had visitors at least every other day...but I still wonder what was often going on in their minds and hearts...I hope I know, because we talked a lot, and I think they were honest. But I saw others who broke my heart, who were not visited, whose minds were trending downhill. The treatment Caro received was abominable, and this was upsetting to me...makes one wonder how much of this cruelty occurs in a nursing home? May Sarton has a fierce, clear, aching, way with her words; this will not be the last Sarton book for me!
November 20, 2024
«Gracias a Dios, no se han dado cuenta de que la escritura es dinamita, y consideran este cuaderno un montón de divagaciones de una vieja senil».
«¿Se sabe loca la locura?»
«La vejez es sin duda un disfraz, y los mismos viejos son los únicos capaces de ver lo que oculta.(…) Vuelvo a ser yo misma tras haber escrito dos paginas disidentes sobre la vejez».
«En este lugar es muy fácil caer en una cierta locura, como les sucede a menudo a los prisioneros. El mundo interior se hincha como un globo».
«Es un hecho que estoy muriéndome por falta de amor. Como si cada vez me llegara menos aire a los pulmones».
Durísimo. Genial.
«¿Se sabe loca la locura?»
«La vejez es sin duda un disfraz, y los mismos viejos son los únicos capaces de ver lo que oculta.(…) Vuelvo a ser yo misma tras haber escrito dos paginas disidentes sobre la vejez».
«En este lugar es muy fácil caer en una cierta locura, como les sucede a menudo a los prisioneros. El mundo interior se hincha como un globo».
«Es un hecho que estoy muriéndome por falta de amor. Como si cada vez me llegara menos aire a los pulmones».
Durísimo. Genial.
June 21, 2017
"Não entres docilmente nessa noite serena,Etelvina era uma mulher extraordinária. Avançada para a sua época, inteligente, livre. Um dia o coração traiu-a e forçou-a a depender de terceiros. O filho, não podendo cuidar dela, instalou-a num asilo. Ficava sempre sozinha no quarto a ler e a escrever. Pouco tempo depois saltou de uma varanda do quarto andar.
porque a velhice deveria arder e delirar no termo do dia;
odeia, odeia a luz que começa a morrer."
Dylan Thomas
"Apenas vivemos, apenas suspiramosCaroline foi professora de matemática; gostava de viajar, de ler, de ouvir música e "quase podia enlouquecer de alegria num museu.". Nunca se casou por não querer "desistir de uma existência autêntica", mas amou alguns homens e também mulheres. Quando, aos setenta e seis anos, teve o ataque cardíaco foi depositada pelo irmão num asilo, gerido por duas senhoras que acolhiam os idosos que a família não queria. É difícil cuidar de velhos, principalmente se forem rebeldes, sendo, por vezes, necessário acalmá-los com comprimidos ou educá-los com castigos.
Consumidos pelo fogo ou pelo fogo."
T. S. Eliot
Caroline, para manter a sua sanidade escreve um diário, a que chama O Livro dos Mortos, o qual vai revelando, ao longo de seis meses, a sua destruição mental. Luta para tentar aniquilar a esperança e manter viva a raiva - a única forma de ali sobreviver - mas quem entra naquele lugar só tem uma porta de saída...
"A velhice poderia ser a suprema solidão, não fosse a morte uma solidão ainda maior."Etelvina e Caroline. Realidade e ficção.
Jorge Luis Borges
Não há grande diferença...
March 21, 2025
Lo que somos ahora ·
Aquest llibre, junt amb "La neta del senyor Lihn", passa a ser una de les millors lectures del meu 2025. Vull saber més i molt de May Sarton. I ara he vist que @amsterdam_llibres n'edita una obra en català.
Quina donassa! Com et remou! Un relat dolorosament bellíssim sobre la vellesa, l'amor, la mort...
Aquesta és una història senzilla des del punt de vista d'una resident d'una residència de gent gran. I quanta negligència latent, en aquests llocs hostils.
Un retrat altament intimista, sensible i bell. Un llibre memorable.
Aquest llibre, junt amb "La neta del senyor Lihn", passa a ser una de les millors lectures del meu 2025. Vull saber més i molt de May Sarton. I ara he vist que @amsterdam_llibres n'edita una obra en català.
Quina donassa! Com et remou! Un relat dolorosament bellíssim sobre la vellesa, l'amor, la mort...
Aquesta és una història senzilla des del punt de vista d'una resident d'una residència de gent gran. I quanta negligència latent, en aquests llocs hostils.
Un retrat altament intimista, sensible i bell. Un llibre memorable.
December 5, 2016
Sarton’s narrator, seventy-six-year-old Caroline Spencer, has given in. A retired high school math teacher, she’s landed in a New England old folks’ home because during her recovery from a heart attack she failed to get along with her brother’s younger wife. She finds kindred spirits in Standish Flint, a tough old farmer, and Reverend Thornhill, but her growing confusion and the home’s pretty appalling conditions drive her to despair. This is enjoyable for the unreliable narrator and the twist ending, but overall it struck me as rather melodramatic. However, I appreciated a lot of Caro’s sentiments.
Favorite passages:
Recently reviewed, along with five other novellas, on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Favorite passages:
“Am I senile, I wonder? The trouble is that old age is not interesting until one gets there, a foreign country with an unknown language to the young, and even to the middle-aged. I wish now that I had found out more about it.”
“And what is left of you? A lapis lazuli pin, a faded rose petal, once pink, slipped into the pages of this copybook.”
Recently reviewed, along with five other novellas, on my blog, Bookish Beck.
December 7, 2024
La prosa bellísima de esta mujer. No tengo palabras, aunque sin duda me quedo con sus diarios. Ya solo falta leerme su poesía.
May 10, 2016
A searing look at the hopelessness of despair, loneliness and old age, May Sarton's As We Are Now is a powerful study of a woman's resolve to relinquish herself by any means possible from the depths of the anger and anguish she feels from her surroundings. Told through the journals of Caro Spencer who has moved into a "home," not due to a lack of mental strength but of a physical frailty that leaves her unable to live alone. She keeps the journals at first as a record of her days as she fears she is losing her memory, but later the journals become a record of the mistreatment that she and the other "inmates" must endure at the hands of the two women who run the home. Told over the course of several months, this is the story of one woman's battle against age and the carelessness that the elderly can be treated with.
It's a powerful book, told quickly and to the point, and there are times that you forget you are reading a novel and feel like you are being given a first-hand account of a woman's battle against her keepers. I found myself feeling hopeless as there should be something that I could do to help ease her suffering, but then I would need to remind myself that this is a novel. One of Sarton's more powerful works.
It's a powerful book, told quickly and to the point, and there are times that you forget you are reading a novel and feel like you are being given a first-hand account of a woman's battle against her keepers. I found myself feeling hopeless as there should be something that I could do to help ease her suffering, but then I would need to remind myself that this is a novel. One of Sarton's more powerful works.
August 1, 2017
Any society, any culture can be judged pretty accurately by how they treat their most vulnerable members. The elderly specifically as is the case in this short novel. It's an epistolary journal entry of stream consciousness of a 76 year old woman physically quite able and completely in control of her mental faculties that chronicles her psychological decline as she's put into a care facility by her brother. Disturbing, harrowing and claustrophobic descent into a sort of incendiary madness. This story is a sustained long note of bleakness and despondency, by no means an easy or pleasant read, but expertly done and poignant. Quick (95 minutes precisely)one sitting read, which makes it work, any longer might be too difficult to spend with such a heavy emotional weightiness. The other thing that makes this work is that the premise can be applied to any situation where a person with bright and inquisitive mind and a strong personality is oppressed beyond all reason by brute and ugly forces of the powers that be. Potent read. To be balanced out with something sunny immediately.
May 16, 2018
I just read a review that sums it up in three words - tough but necessary. Grim Grim Grim and maybe not for my mood at present (but it did make me want to go out and do something) And it's also beautifully written and paced . But not for the faint of heart.
December 30, 2024
Es una locura lo bien que escribe May Sarton, la cantidad de belleza que albergan sus reflexiones y lo valiente que es tratando temas como la soledad, la fragilidad, la vejez, el amor sin seguir los cánones o etiquetas de la sociedad...
July 4, 2021
Ho iniziato a leggere questo libro a marzo 2020, durante il primo lockdown. L'ho abbandonato, naturalmente: non era il momento per caricarsi della disperazione e della frustrazione di Caroline Spencer. Non che ora sia stata una lettura leggera e spensierata.
Caro racconta con spietata lucidità, anche quando lucida lo è poco, la sua vita in una residenza per anziani. La disumanizzazione, un pezzetto alla volta, le angherie sottili, la solitudine, la noia, l'importanza dei piccoli gesti, l'esasperazione.
Un tema che mi è caro da quando ero ragazzina. Forse per questo le ingiustizie subite da Caro, la sua impotenza, risuonano così forti e mi fanno infuriare.
Caro racconta con spietata lucidità, anche quando lucida lo è poco, la sua vita in una residenza per anziani. La disumanizzazione, un pezzetto alla volta, le angherie sottili, la solitudine, la noia, l'importanza dei piccoli gesti, l'esasperazione.
Un tema che mi è caro da quando ero ragazzina. Forse per questo le ingiustizie subite da Caro, la sua impotenza, risuonano così forti e mi fanno infuriare.
December 21, 2024
«Dicen que la vejez es una rendición gradual, pero cuando ocurre de pronto se hace muy extraña. Exige poner a prueba el carácter, es una especie de confinamiento solitario. Lo único que me queda ahora es mi mente».
No sé qué me esperaba encontrar en esta novela, pero ha sido mucho más dura de lo que pensaba. Personalmente, sabía que esta historia me iba a remover especialmente porque mi abuela, como Caro, la protagonista de esta novela, está en una residencia y estos últimos meses han sido difíciles para ella.
La mente es compleja y nunca sabes cómo va a funcionar al llegar al final de tu vida. Y el miedo a perder la cordura en estos momentos es más grande que nunca. Caro es llevada por su hermana a una residencia, sin ella saberlo previamente –al no entenderse con su cuñada– y este libro es el resultado de sus diarios y su experiencia en la misma, así como de las personas a las que se encuentra en este lugar.
Lo primero que me gustaría destacar es lo vulnerable e íntima que es la voz narrativa, que nos relata la historia en primera persona para ponernos en el lugar de esta mujer, que debe sobrevivir al paso de los días aburrida, sin apenas libertad y con cuidadoras que, casi siempre, la tratan mal.
Siempre evitamos pensar en este tipo de situaciones: cómo seremos cuando lleguemos al final de nuestra vida, si perderemos la cabeza o no y si seremos cuidados desde la ternura, el cariño y la igualdad o desde la rudeza, la brusquedad y la pena, como un objeto y no tanto como un ser humano. Es un miedo que todos tenemos en nuestro interior, aunque no lo expresemos en voz alta –tanto para nosotros como para nuestros seres queridos.
Y, de esta forma, reflexiona sobre la importancia de los cuidados, personificándolos en el personaje de Anna, una de las mejores cuidadoras que tiene Caro, y sus valores: la escucha, la caricia, la empatía o la amabilidad. Y cómo la trata de igual a igual, no como a una vieja loca a la que no le importa nada como lo hace el resto.
También, destacaría todos sus pensamientos y reflexiones, a veces muy negativos, pero otros muy realistas sobre cosas que nunca pensó que le pasarían al llegar a esa edad. Y cómo, en esta etapa tan dura, trata de enfocarse en la música, la escritura, el aire libre o la ensoñación para sobrellevarlo, dejar de pensar y pasar las horas muertas en la residencia –al haber leído uno de los diarios de May Sarton, no me resulta raro, es algo que es muy importante para ella y que reivindica esa paz, esa pausa y esa observación y contacto con la naturaleza y aire libre para ser mas feliz.
No sé qué me esperaba encontrar en esta novela, pero ha sido mucho más dura de lo que pensaba. Personalmente, sabía que esta historia me iba a remover especialmente porque mi abuela, como Caro, la protagonista de esta novela, está en una residencia y estos últimos meses han sido difíciles para ella.
La mente es compleja y nunca sabes cómo va a funcionar al llegar al final de tu vida. Y el miedo a perder la cordura en estos momentos es más grande que nunca. Caro es llevada por su hermana a una residencia, sin ella saberlo previamente –al no entenderse con su cuñada– y este libro es el resultado de sus diarios y su experiencia en la misma, así como de las personas a las que se encuentra en este lugar.
Lo primero que me gustaría destacar es lo vulnerable e íntima que es la voz narrativa, que nos relata la historia en primera persona para ponernos en el lugar de esta mujer, que debe sobrevivir al paso de los días aburrida, sin apenas libertad y con cuidadoras que, casi siempre, la tratan mal.
Siempre evitamos pensar en este tipo de situaciones: cómo seremos cuando lleguemos al final de nuestra vida, si perderemos la cabeza o no y si seremos cuidados desde la ternura, el cariño y la igualdad o desde la rudeza, la brusquedad y la pena, como un objeto y no tanto como un ser humano. Es un miedo que todos tenemos en nuestro interior, aunque no lo expresemos en voz alta –tanto para nosotros como para nuestros seres queridos.
Y, de esta forma, reflexiona sobre la importancia de los cuidados, personificándolos en el personaje de Anna, una de las mejores cuidadoras que tiene Caro, y sus valores: la escucha, la caricia, la empatía o la amabilidad. Y cómo la trata de igual a igual, no como a una vieja loca a la que no le importa nada como lo hace el resto.
También, destacaría todos sus pensamientos y reflexiones, a veces muy negativos, pero otros muy realistas sobre cosas que nunca pensó que le pasarían al llegar a esa edad. Y cómo, en esta etapa tan dura, trata de enfocarse en la música, la escritura, el aire libre o la ensoñación para sobrellevarlo, dejar de pensar y pasar las horas muertas en la residencia –al haber leído uno de los diarios de May Sarton, no me resulta raro, es algo que es muy importante para ella y que reivindica esa paz, esa pausa y esa observación y contacto con la naturaleza y aire libre para ser mas feliz.
February 3, 2016
A finely crafted novella about aging and the indignity of being "stored" in a nursing home. It was written in 1973 and I have to ask, "Is it true today?" I love Caro's spirit, but am uncomfortable with the book. (The fact that I had just moved my mother to an Alzheimer's unit three months prior to reading this obviously colored my perspective.)
December 22, 2024
Un giorno, all’improvviso, Caroline Spencer si ritrova inerme, indifesa, privata della possibilità di decidere per sè stessa. Un infarto segna l’inizio del decadimento fisico e mentale, l’impossibilità di restare nella propria casa, con quel delizioso portico avvolto dai rampicanti che lo rendono un’oasi fresca, un riparo.
Lasciatasi alla spalle la sua realtà – indipendente e solitaria – arriva poi la difficile convivenza con la nuova moglie del fratello e la scelta, senza appello, dei coniugi di portarla in un ricovero per anziani, isolato e trascurato. Ma Caroline non è come gli altri ospiti, spenti in un’apatia che li rende ebeti e ammutoliti, più simili ad animali che ad esseri umani.
Caroline ha alle spalle una vita diversa, fatte di decisioni difficili e sovversive. La sua mente è sempre stata una macchina perfetta, lucida e inarrestabile. Ha scelto di studiare, di laurearsi, di diventare una professoressa di matematica, di ispirare le giovani menti assettate dei suoi studenti col suo esempio e la sua passione. Nella sua famiglia nessuno l’ha davvero capita, ma questo non l’ha mai fermata. Caroline ha sempre scelto sè stessa, ogni passo compiuto nel mondo un’affermazione coraggiosa della sua natura indomita.
Continua a leggere qui: https://parlaredilibri.wordpress.com/...
Lasciatasi alla spalle la sua realtà – indipendente e solitaria – arriva poi la difficile convivenza con la nuova moglie del fratello e la scelta, senza appello, dei coniugi di portarla in un ricovero per anziani, isolato e trascurato. Ma Caroline non è come gli altri ospiti, spenti in un’apatia che li rende ebeti e ammutoliti, più simili ad animali che ad esseri umani.
Caroline ha alle spalle una vita diversa, fatte di decisioni difficili e sovversive. La sua mente è sempre stata una macchina perfetta, lucida e inarrestabile. Ha scelto di studiare, di laurearsi, di diventare una professoressa di matematica, di ispirare le giovani menti assettate dei suoi studenti col suo esempio e la sua passione. Nella sua famiglia nessuno l’ha davvero capita, ma questo non l’ha mai fermata. Caroline ha sempre scelto sè stessa, ogni passo compiuto nel mondo un’affermazione coraggiosa della sua natura indomita.
Continua a leggere qui: https://parlaredilibri.wordpress.com/...
June 3, 2024
《احساس میکردم باید برای مدتی بیحس و بیتفاوت باشم.
باید بیهیچ هدفی، لحظهها و ساعتها را بگذرانم و تمام افکار و احساسات را از خود دور کنم.》
باید بیهیچ هدفی، لحظهها و ساعتها را بگذرانم و تمام افکار و احساسات را از خود دور کنم.》
October 17, 2019
Questo libro mi ha rattristata, soprattutto mi ha fatta arrabbiare.
Il finale di questo libro è sorprendente ma comprensibile.
"Vi prego, cercate di capire" mi ha coinvolta più di quanto mi aspettassi.
Si legge in poco tempo e non si può rimanere impassibili davanti alla situazione deprecabile in cui si trova Caroline, situazione fin troppo reale.
Il libro fa riflettere molto, non solo sulla meschinità di alcune case di riposo ma anche sui parenti che lasciano lì i loro famigliari anziani e se ne dimenticano, diventando perfino ciechi di fronte alle mancanze della struttura.
Caroline viene proprio abbandonata, suo fratello si e no la va a trovare e di sicuro non si lamenta mai per come viene trattata.
Lei è un peso, qualcosa da allontanare dalla vista per non provare rimorso.
È inaccettabile, ignobile.
Questo libro è pieno di ingiustizie però non ci sono scene violente.
Sono soddisfatta di questa lettura, ve la consiglio!
Il finale di questo libro è sorprendente ma comprensibile.
"Vi prego, cercate di capire" mi ha coinvolta più di quanto mi aspettassi.
Si legge in poco tempo e non si può rimanere impassibili davanti alla situazione deprecabile in cui si trova Caroline, situazione fin troppo reale.
Il libro fa riflettere molto, non solo sulla meschinità di alcune case di riposo ma anche sui parenti che lasciano lì i loro famigliari anziani e se ne dimenticano, diventando perfino ciechi di fronte alle mancanze della struttura.
Caroline viene proprio abbandonata, suo fratello si e no la va a trovare e di sicuro non si lamenta mai per come viene trattata.
Lei è un peso, qualcosa da allontanare dalla vista per non provare rimorso.
È inaccettabile, ignobile.
Questo libro è pieno di ingiustizie però non ci sono scene violente.
Sono soddisfatta di questa lettura, ve la consiglio!
April 8, 2025
Cuando algunas personas te dicen que leer ficción no te deja nada es porque no han tenido la suerte de leer textos como éste….aquí aflora esa palabra que me gusta tanto.. EMPATÍA.
May Sarton tiene una delicadeza y una pluma impresionante. En esta breve novela logra removerte completamente a través de un diario de una mujer que por desgracia cae en un centro para adultos mayores, de esos que uno no quisiera estar.
Este es un relato sobrecogedor, muy triste, de situaciones lamentables y también de algunas esperanza; como sea… la vejez es dura, muchas veces denigrante, y eso no podremos cambiarlo pero si hacerla más amable.
Lamentablemente las sociedades actualmente se movilizan por números y cualquier cálculo que hagas en esta etapa de la vida quedará al debe.
A ratos me recordó la “Las Gratitudes” de De Vigan, aunque con un estilo mucho más poético.
Lectura muy recomendable.
May Sarton tiene una delicadeza y una pluma impresionante. En esta breve novela logra removerte completamente a través de un diario de una mujer que por desgracia cae en un centro para adultos mayores, de esos que uno no quisiera estar.
Este es un relato sobrecogedor, muy triste, de situaciones lamentables y también de algunas esperanza; como sea… la vejez es dura, muchas veces denigrante, y eso no podremos cambiarlo pero si hacerla más amable.
Lamentablemente las sociedades actualmente se movilizan por números y cualquier cálculo que hagas en esta etapa de la vida quedará al debe.
A ratos me recordó la “Las Gratitudes” de De Vigan, aunque con un estilo mucho más poético.
Lectura muy recomendable.
March 13, 2022
The first few sentences made me want to read this book, because the voice was eerie and fascinating. Basically the character has been locked away in an old folks' home, against her will (from her point of view)— but she is powerless to do very much about it.
The voice however I felt was uneven. At times Sarton could not hold herself back, and her character waxed philosophical, with a power and focus which did not seem entirely convincing, considering how she otherwise described herself. Although, perhaps that was meant to represent the uneven attention that can be a feature of age.
Read two books by Sarton recently, and this writer deserves to be more widely read.
The voice however I felt was uneven. At times Sarton could not hold herself back, and her character waxed philosophical, with a power and focus which did not seem entirely convincing, considering how she otherwise described herself. Although, perhaps that was meant to represent the uneven attention that can be a feature of age.
Read two books by Sarton recently, and this writer deserves to be more widely read.
September 5, 2024
A quick read, rather depressing, interesting, but I wouldn't call it entertaining...
October 16, 2022
So, last night I was listening to some podcasts when I came across the latest episode of "The Readers" (http://bookbasedbanter.co.uk/thereade...). One of Thomas' choices was As We Are Now by May Sarton. It sounded like something I would enjoy and couldn't believe that I had never heard of it before since it was published in 1973.
So, I went to Amazon.com to check for the title only to find that I could read it for free since I am an Amazon prime member. BONUS! Serendipity?
Since it's such a short book at about 120 pages, I finished it in a day. And I absolutely adored this book. So much so that I went back to Amazon.com and ordered a hard copy. This is a deliciously dark novel that will give you a lot to think about and even give you something to laugh about now and then.
What's it about you ask?
From the publisher:
"I am not mad, only old. . . . I am in a concentration camp for the old."
So begins May Sarton's short, swift blow of a novel, about the powerlessness of the old and the rage it can bring. As We Are Now tells the story of Caroline Spencer, a 76-year-old retired schoolteacher, mentally strong but physically frail, who has been moved by relatives into a "home." Subjected to subtle humiliations and petty cruelties, sustained for too short a time by the love of another person, she fights back with all she has, and in a powerful climax wins a terrible victory.
It's great to start off a new year with a five star read. Thanks to Thomas and Simon for recommending it.
So, I went to Amazon.com to check for the title only to find that I could read it for free since I am an Amazon prime member. BONUS! Serendipity?
Since it's such a short book at about 120 pages, I finished it in a day. And I absolutely adored this book. So much so that I went back to Amazon.com and ordered a hard copy. This is a deliciously dark novel that will give you a lot to think about and even give you something to laugh about now and then.
What's it about you ask?
From the publisher:
"I am not mad, only old. . . . I am in a concentration camp for the old."
So begins May Sarton's short, swift blow of a novel, about the powerlessness of the old and the rage it can bring. As We Are Now tells the story of Caroline Spencer, a 76-year-old retired schoolteacher, mentally strong but physically frail, who has been moved by relatives into a "home." Subjected to subtle humiliations and petty cruelties, sustained for too short a time by the love of another person, she fights back with all she has, and in a powerful climax wins a terrible victory.
It's great to start off a new year with a five star read. Thanks to Thomas and Simon for recommending it.
May 9, 2016
I bought this book years ago and I hesitated to read it because I was very young and thought the ramblings of an old woman locked up would make tedious and depressing reading. I thought I ought to read it but I couldn't make myself.
I am glad I read it. Caro reflects on old age, powerlessness, agency (she is a resister and fighter to the end), friendship, love and what it is to be a human being. It was depressing. It made me think of the asylum seekers (some at the very beginning of their life) locked up in horrible centres by our government subject not only to passive-aggressive violence (like Harriet inflicts on Caro) but outright violence too and the same sort of lies and insincerity (though increasingly not even that as our society averts it's eyes.
Invisibility is dangerous, it brings out the worst in people. Transparency allows for safety. The book is a bit classist, but seems self-critical at that anyway and there is a passing thought about low wages and hard, unrewarding work not bringing out the best in people.
The passion, critical thought and above all resistance that is possible even by Caro in her horrible home, and the humanity she finds in some people (meanwhile the emotional sloveliness of others) makes this a book about being human.
I am glad I read it. Caro reflects on old age, powerlessness, agency (she is a resister and fighter to the end), friendship, love and what it is to be a human being. It was depressing. It made me think of the asylum seekers (some at the very beginning of their life) locked up in horrible centres by our government subject not only to passive-aggressive violence (like Harriet inflicts on Caro) but outright violence too and the same sort of lies and insincerity (though increasingly not even that as our society averts it's eyes.
Invisibility is dangerous, it brings out the worst in people. Transparency allows for safety. The book is a bit classist, but seems self-critical at that anyway and there is a passing thought about low wages and hard, unrewarding work not bringing out the best in people.
The passion, critical thought and above all resistance that is possible even by Caro in her horrible home, and the humanity she finds in some people (meanwhile the emotional sloveliness of others) makes this a book about being human.
April 9, 2020
Un breve e semplice diario letto il quale, ancora dopo giorni, ti rimane appiccicato come un residuo di ceretta di cui non hai contezza finchè non passi il dito sopra a quel lembo di pelle appiccicosa e il piccolo dolore dell'estirpazione sovviene tutto, nuovamente.
Vi è descritto uno dei babau che terrorizza chi, come me, si sta affacciando alla terza età. Al pari dell'uomo nero per i bambini, ci spaventa non tanto la vecchiaia in sè quanto la disperazione per il fatto di non essere più presi sul serio, di non avere più voce in capitolo, di non avere più autorità, prima di tutto su stessi, sulla propria persona.
Un'anziana professoressa di matematica rinchiusa in una casa di riposo contro la sua volontà, scrive un diario per affermare la propria sanità mentale, soprattutto a se stessa, e tutta la rabbia che la condizione alla quale la famiglia l'ha costretta, quella di persona completamente impotente e in balia del prossimo, si rivela molto presto la condizione nella quale precipiterà dopo pochi mesi di reclusione.
Il finale non è scontato.
Vi è descritto uno dei babau che terrorizza chi, come me, si sta affacciando alla terza età. Al pari dell'uomo nero per i bambini, ci spaventa non tanto la vecchiaia in sè quanto la disperazione per il fatto di non essere più presi sul serio, di non avere più voce in capitolo, di non avere più autorità, prima di tutto su stessi, sulla propria persona.
Un'anziana professoressa di matematica rinchiusa in una casa di riposo contro la sua volontà, scrive un diario per affermare la propria sanità mentale, soprattutto a se stessa, e tutta la rabbia che la condizione alla quale la famiglia l'ha costretta, quella di persona completamente impotente e in balia del prossimo, si rivela molto presto la condizione nella quale precipiterà dopo pochi mesi di reclusione.
Il finale non è scontato.
September 27, 2010
Fantastic book. Quick Read.
An articulate older woman faces the aging process and the eventual loss of memory. To combat this time of loss, she writes notebooks on her life - a rock to turn back to when searching for who she "was".
I had to make sure that this was a novel because it reads like a memoir. Highly recommended to anyone who works in social services or with the aging. Or just people like me who are into their second mature years and viewing the prospects of aging with curiosity.
An articulate older woman faces the aging process and the eventual loss of memory. To combat this time of loss, she writes notebooks on her life - a rock to turn back to when searching for who she "was".
I had to make sure that this was a novel because it reads like a memoir. Highly recommended to anyone who works in social services or with the aging. Or just people like me who are into their second mature years and viewing the prospects of aging with curiosity.
May 7, 2018
Postal book club round #5
I'm not sure how to take this book. I felt that she was old and senile and misrepresenting the situation she was in. She was paranoid and unhappy and I don't think that the people surrounding her were out to get her. I think they were doing their job. No one else in their reviews has mentioned this but I thought it the whole time.
I'm not sure how to take this book. I felt that she was old and senile and misrepresenting the situation she was in. She was paranoid and unhappy and I don't think that the people surrounding her were out to get her. I think they were doing their job. No one else in their reviews has mentioned this but I thought it the whole time.
April 14, 2018
Magnífico, irónico, forte, grave, triste. Adorei!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 242 reviews