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No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club: Diary of a Sixtieth Year
Read Virginia Ironside's posts on the Penguin Blog.
A screamingly funny and poignant story about embracing life beyond middle age
Marie Sharp is heading toward sixty and is just fine with it. She’s already had plenty of excitement in her life: sex and drugs in the freewheeling sixties, career and children, marriage and divorce. Now she’s ready to settle into a quiet, blissfully boring routine. No Italian classes or gym memberships or bicycle trips across Europe, thank you very much! Marie just wants to put her feet up and “start doing old things.”
She’s even sworn off men! But as it turns out, life still has some surprises in store, the biggest of which is a new grandson on the way. What’s more, Archie, her old childhood crush, suddenly reenters her life, and her closest friend falls seriously ill. Armed with a biting sense of humor, Marie wrestles with a life that refuses to follow her plans—and may still offer more possibilities than she realizes.
A screamingly funny and poignant story about embracing life beyond middle age
Marie Sharp is heading toward sixty and is just fine with it. She’s already had plenty of excitement in her life: sex and drugs in the freewheeling sixties, career and children, marriage and divorce. Now she’s ready to settle into a quiet, blissfully boring routine. No Italian classes or gym memberships or bicycle trips across Europe, thank you very much! Marie just wants to put her feet up and “start doing old things.”
She’s even sworn off men! But as it turns out, life still has some surprises in store, the biggest of which is a new grandson on the way. What’s more, Archie, her old childhood crush, suddenly reenters her life, and her closest friend falls seriously ill. Armed with a biting sense of humor, Marie wrestles with a life that refuses to follow her plans—and may still offer more possibilities than she realizes.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
152 people are currently reading
1253 people want to read
About the author
Virginia Ironside
49 books40 followersVirginia Ironside is best known as one of Britain's leading agony aunts. She started on Woman magazine before moving to The Sunday Mirror and Today newspapers. She now writes a weekly column for The Independant. She also appears regularly on radio and television on such programmes as Radio 4's 'Woman's Hour'. Her many books include self-help titles on subjects such as bereavement, as well as the children's spooky adventure series
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 615 reviews
August 6, 2025
EXCERPT: . . . I am just longing for my birthday. Fifty-eight and fifty-nine are stupid ages to be. I always felt, when I was fifty-nine, that people must think I was lying, like some pathetic old actress. Fifty-nine was nowhere, neither fish nor fowl. If anything, in fact, it seemed to declare me a truly ancient middle-aged person. Now, nearly sixty, I feel like a young and lissome old person. I feel like a new and shiny snake who has shed a middle-aged skin that was getting horribly worn, smelly and tatty.
At last, too, my past will be truly bigger than my future. And I like it like that.
People who love life to bits hate getting older. It means death is getting nearer. For people like me, for whom life has rather resembled one of those interminable performances at the National Theatre (those ones that last all day, to which you have to take sandwiches), getting older means that at last I'm entering the final act. It means I can see freedom at the end of the tunnel. Getting older means I get happier and happier. It means at last I can put aside those nagging, guilty anxieties about whether I should take up tap dancing (have I said this before? Am I repeating myself already?) or become an opera singer. Being sixty will mean I don't have to worry about doing anything any more. I will, officially, be retired. I will pick up a pension. I will be entitled to free prescriptions. I can spend my time, as George, the black guy across the road always answers, when I ask him what he's up to, 'Tekkin' it eezee, man.'
I can't wait for tomorrow.
ABOUT 'NO! I DON'T WANT TO JOIN A BOOK CLUB': A delightful novel about letting go of youth and embracing the sassy curmudgeon within.
Don't harass her about parasailing or taking Italian language courses.
Forget about suggesting she join a gym.
Marie Sharp may be a little creaky in the bones as she heads toward the big 6-0, but she's fine with it. She would rather do without all the moving-to-Florida-bicycling-across- Mongolia-for-the-hell-of-it hoopla that her friends insist upon. She's already led an exciting life: She came of age in the 1960s, after all.
Now, with both a new grandchild and a new man on the horizon, all she wants to do is make the most of what she considers the most interesting stage of her life.
In this wonderfully astute novel based on the author's own experiences, No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club is the funny--and often poignant--fictionalized diary of an older woman . . . a decade or two past her prime and content to leave it all behind her. So don't tell her to take a gourmet cooking class, and whatever you do, don't you dare tell her to join a book club.
Fresh and truly unique, moving gracefully on in years has never been more hilarious than in this forthright grandma's take on the "third phase" of life.
MY THOUGHTS: A 'coming-of-age' book for the about to be or newly retired. WARNING: It takes life experience to properly appreciate this book.
Marie has an irreverent outlook on life. She is a woman who has made no great contribution to society. She has lived quite an ordinary life, as many of us do. She is over having to prove herself. She resents people who try to organise her time, thinking that she won't know what to do with herself once she retires - join a book club, go to Zumba, take up tramping, get a degree! But of course, they are wrong. Marie knows exactly what she is going to do with herself - whatever she damned well pleases and is comfortable with.
But, of course, life events have a way of taking over, and Marie finds herself juggling the excitement of becoming a grandmother with the sadness of losing a good friend.
We all think about death. As we get older, there is more of it about. I have never been to as many funerals in my whole life as I have just in the first part of this year (it's early August as I write this). With each one, I mourn the loss of a friend or family member, and sigh with relief that it is not me. I am not afraid of death, just not in any hurry to get there. And Marie is much the same.
As I read, I found I had a lot in common with Marie - I think it's an age thing, although I am a good ten years older than she is in this book. The anxieties, the random thoughts, the moments of forgetfulness that make us wonder if we are on the Alzheimer path. She makes fun of the emails that fill our inboxes and doesn't like or agree with all her friends all of the time. She doesn't answer the phone if she doesn't feel like it. She makes declarations, and changes her mind, which we are quite entitled to do. In other words, despite her protestations, she is open to change. And yes, I agree with Marie, this is the most interesting (and enjoyable) stage of my life!
BTW, I cackled out loud - yes, cackled! often as I read. My husband gave me some very strange looks, indeed. But don't expect to sit down and 'read' this book. It's not that kind of book. It's great for dipping in and out of at your leisure.
I would like to thank the author, Virginia Ironside, for making me aware of this lovely piece by Cicero, which I find comforting: The death of the old is like a fire sinking and going out of its own accord, without external impulsion. In the same way as apples, while green, can only be picked by force, but after ripening to maturity fall off by themselves, so death comes to the young with violence but to old people when the time is ripe. The thought of this ripeness so greatly attracts me that as I approach death I feel like a man nearing harbour after a long voyage: I seem to be catching sight of land.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#No!IDontWanttoJoinaBookClub
MEET THE AUTHOR - VIRGINIA IRONSIDE has been a journalist ever since her first book came out in 1964, when she was 20. Since then, she has written over ten more books and, for the last thirty years, been an agony aunt for Woman, the Sunday Mirror and, now, the Independent. She has one son and lives in London.
Ironside is a Patron of the right to die organisation, My Death My Decision. My Death My Decision is a right to die campaign organisation that wants to see a more compassionate approach to dying in the UK, including giving people the legal right to a medically assisted death if that is their persistent wish.
I own my copy of No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club by Virginia Ironside.
At last, too, my past will be truly bigger than my future. And I like it like that.
People who love life to bits hate getting older. It means death is getting nearer. For people like me, for whom life has rather resembled one of those interminable performances at the National Theatre (those ones that last all day, to which you have to take sandwiches), getting older means that at last I'm entering the final act. It means I can see freedom at the end of the tunnel. Getting older means I get happier and happier. It means at last I can put aside those nagging, guilty anxieties about whether I should take up tap dancing (have I said this before? Am I repeating myself already?) or become an opera singer. Being sixty will mean I don't have to worry about doing anything any more. I will, officially, be retired. I will pick up a pension. I will be entitled to free prescriptions. I can spend my time, as George, the black guy across the road always answers, when I ask him what he's up to, 'Tekkin' it eezee, man.'
I can't wait for tomorrow.
ABOUT 'NO! I DON'T WANT TO JOIN A BOOK CLUB': A delightful novel about letting go of youth and embracing the sassy curmudgeon within.
Don't harass her about parasailing or taking Italian language courses.
Forget about suggesting she join a gym.
Marie Sharp may be a little creaky in the bones as she heads toward the big 6-0, but she's fine with it. She would rather do without all the moving-to-Florida-bicycling-across- Mongolia-for-the-hell-of-it hoopla that her friends insist upon. She's already led an exciting life: She came of age in the 1960s, after all.
Now, with both a new grandchild and a new man on the horizon, all she wants to do is make the most of what she considers the most interesting stage of her life.
In this wonderfully astute novel based on the author's own experiences, No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club is the funny--and often poignant--fictionalized diary of an older woman . . . a decade or two past her prime and content to leave it all behind her. So don't tell her to take a gourmet cooking class, and whatever you do, don't you dare tell her to join a book club.
Fresh and truly unique, moving gracefully on in years has never been more hilarious than in this forthright grandma's take on the "third phase" of life.
MY THOUGHTS: A 'coming-of-age' book for the about to be or newly retired. WARNING: It takes life experience to properly appreciate this book.
Marie has an irreverent outlook on life. She is a woman who has made no great contribution to society. She has lived quite an ordinary life, as many of us do. She is over having to prove herself. She resents people who try to organise her time, thinking that she won't know what to do with herself once she retires - join a book club, go to Zumba, take up tramping, get a degree! But of course, they are wrong. Marie knows exactly what she is going to do with herself - whatever she damned well pleases and is comfortable with.
But, of course, life events have a way of taking over, and Marie finds herself juggling the excitement of becoming a grandmother with the sadness of losing a good friend.
We all think about death. As we get older, there is more of it about. I have never been to as many funerals in my whole life as I have just in the first part of this year (it's early August as I write this). With each one, I mourn the loss of a friend or family member, and sigh with relief that it is not me. I am not afraid of death, just not in any hurry to get there. And Marie is much the same.
As I read, I found I had a lot in common with Marie - I think it's an age thing, although I am a good ten years older than she is in this book. The anxieties, the random thoughts, the moments of forgetfulness that make us wonder if we are on the Alzheimer path. She makes fun of the emails that fill our inboxes and doesn't like or agree with all her friends all of the time. She doesn't answer the phone if she doesn't feel like it. She makes declarations, and changes her mind, which we are quite entitled to do. In other words, despite her protestations, she is open to change. And yes, I agree with Marie, this is the most interesting (and enjoyable) stage of my life!
BTW, I cackled out loud - yes, cackled! often as I read. My husband gave me some very strange looks, indeed. But don't expect to sit down and 'read' this book. It's not that kind of book. It's great for dipping in and out of at your leisure.
I would like to thank the author, Virginia Ironside, for making me aware of this lovely piece by Cicero, which I find comforting: The death of the old is like a fire sinking and going out of its own accord, without external impulsion. In the same way as apples, while green, can only be picked by force, but after ripening to maturity fall off by themselves, so death comes to the young with violence but to old people when the time is ripe. The thought of this ripeness so greatly attracts me that as I approach death I feel like a man nearing harbour after a long voyage: I seem to be catching sight of land.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#No!IDontWanttoJoinaBookClub
MEET THE AUTHOR - VIRGINIA IRONSIDE has been a journalist ever since her first book came out in 1964, when she was 20. Since then, she has written over ten more books and, for the last thirty years, been an agony aunt for Woman, the Sunday Mirror and, now, the Independent. She has one son and lives in London.
Ironside is a Patron of the right to die organisation, My Death My Decision. My Death My Decision is a right to die campaign organisation that wants to see a more compassionate approach to dying in the UK, including giving people the legal right to a medically assisted death if that is their persistent wish.
I own my copy of No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club by Virginia Ironside.
December 20, 2024
I checked this out from my library years ago because of the title. I couldn’t help myself. I was a book clubber. “Is this a funny take on people in one?” I wondered.
We are meeting Marie, a seasoned woman on the eve of her 60th birthday who is making decisions of what she is deciding to give up, like post-menopausal sex, and dinner parties. And she definitely has no interest in joining a book club. She feels this is her opportunity to just let go and be free of expected standards.
And yet…She is still looking for love and sex in all the wrong places.
Until…Childhood friend, and widower Archie shows up. Maybe he can take the snark out of Marie?
To be honest, by this point, I didn’t care, and I will tell you why.
Marie felt it was time, at age 60 to let go of dreams of love, forget about plans, and basically just exist. Bottom line: she was looking at age 60 as old.
I found her attitude rather depressing and old fashioned. And considering that age 60 is the new 40, I was disappointed that the author would even suggest 60 as being old/over-the-hill, done.
And because of this attitude, I felt the book became rather tedious, and somewhat difficult having to read the ramblings of a rather self-absorbed, unremarkable narrator.
We are meeting Marie, a seasoned woman on the eve of her 60th birthday who is making decisions of what she is deciding to give up, like post-menopausal sex, and dinner parties. And she definitely has no interest in joining a book club. She feels this is her opportunity to just let go and be free of expected standards.
And yet…She is still looking for love and sex in all the wrong places.
Until…Childhood friend, and widower Archie shows up. Maybe he can take the snark out of Marie?
To be honest, by this point, I didn’t care, and I will tell you why.
Marie felt it was time, at age 60 to let go of dreams of love, forget about plans, and basically just exist. Bottom line: she was looking at age 60 as old.
I found her attitude rather depressing and old fashioned. And considering that age 60 is the new 40, I was disappointed that the author would even suggest 60 as being old/over-the-hill, done.
And because of this attitude, I felt the book became rather tedious, and somewhat difficult having to read the ramblings of a rather self-absorbed, unremarkable narrator.
July 31, 2020
No, I Don't Want to Join a Book Club was almost a DNF book for me. And man, are those rare!
Marie Sharp is turning 60 and she decides to write a journal! She documents all of her life's joys and downfalls - a new grandbaby (she's obviously a Glamma), the health struggles of her friends and potential romances blooming. Also, lots of old lady gossip and commentary. You are not sixty years old unless you have some epic gossip to spread.
There was something about this book that did not sit well with me. It was a really bouncy book - it jumped all over the place despite being a journal in chronological order. There were instances when I wondered why there was a journal post at all - "Glenn Close" being the prime example.
There was so much potential in this book and I was really excited to pick up a book that was different! I found this at a book store that sells those extra books that didn't sell in other book stores. It was a great sale and this book seemed awesome! I have gotten so many extravagant (and sometimes damaged) books from this store that I didn't expect to not like this book. But, alas, as most readers find... not every book is for them.
I do think this book is quirky and amusing. Virginia Ironside has a fun tone and has a sassy tongue to her writing. This book has lots of sass and is funny! If you like humour about love, life and dying then this book will be awesome! It just wasn't for me!
Overall, it was definitely amusing! I'm ashamed to say I picked up this book because of the beautiful cover and title. Remember guys, never judge a book based off it's cover (or title!) because you just don't know what you're getting into.
Two out of five stars.
Marie Sharp is turning 60 and she decides to write a journal! She documents all of her life's joys and downfalls - a new grandbaby (she's obviously a Glamma), the health struggles of her friends and potential romances blooming. Also, lots of old lady gossip and commentary. You are not sixty years old unless you have some epic gossip to spread.
There was something about this book that did not sit well with me. It was a really bouncy book - it jumped all over the place despite being a journal in chronological order. There were instances when I wondered why there was a journal post at all - "Glenn Close" being the prime example.
There was so much potential in this book and I was really excited to pick up a book that was different! I found this at a book store that sells those extra books that didn't sell in other book stores. It was a great sale and this book seemed awesome! I have gotten so many extravagant (and sometimes damaged) books from this store that I didn't expect to not like this book. But, alas, as most readers find... not every book is for them.
I do think this book is quirky and amusing. Virginia Ironside has a fun tone and has a sassy tongue to her writing. This book has lots of sass and is funny! If you like humour about love, life and dying then this book will be awesome! It just wasn't for me!
Overall, it was definitely amusing! I'm ashamed to say I picked up this book because of the beautiful cover and title. Remember guys, never judge a book based off it's cover (or title!) because you just don't know what you're getting into.
Two out of five stars.
February 7, 2008
"Don't Touch It With A Bargepole"
According to the main character of this book, Marie Sharp, a woman turning 60 who decides to start a diary, there are only two ways to describe books: "One is: `Absolutely brilliant! You must read it!' or `Total cr@p. Don't touch it with a bargepole.' " Here in the USA we might refer to a "ten foot pole" rather than a "bargepole," but it wasn't for a lack of understanding British humor/humour or widely used British slang that made me find this effort not remotely worth my time. (Thank goodness I didn't recommend it to my book club.) Bridget Jones for an older audience it surely ain't. The writing flows and is easy to read, however, I was so bored, I practically threw it down the aisle on a recent plane ride. Is there a gripping plot? No. Is the writing fresh? No. Is she funny? She has her moments. Mostly, I found this to be a collection of dated ramblings by a self-absorbed, unremarkable narrator. (In fairness, what is a diary if it doesn't contain a vast degree of self-absorption?)
I admit I bought the book because the title tickled me. The book club to which I belong is a haven for a group of intelligent and fun middle-aged women. I wouldn't mind poking fun at the activity a bit while reading a witty outlook on life through a pair of 60 year-old lenses. Unfortunately, when you choose only one book per month to discuss, it is a much more worthwhile experience when the book sparks an interesting conversation. The only things I could imagine this book provoking is a discussion about how some diaries should remain private--hidden behind a little gold lock and key; or the wonders of the publishing world that markets this kind of cr@p.
According to the main character of this book, Marie Sharp, a woman turning 60 who decides to start a diary, there are only two ways to describe books: "One is: `Absolutely brilliant! You must read it!' or `Total cr@p. Don't touch it with a bargepole.' " Here in the USA we might refer to a "ten foot pole" rather than a "bargepole," but it wasn't for a lack of understanding British humor/humour or widely used British slang that made me find this effort not remotely worth my time. (Thank goodness I didn't recommend it to my book club.) Bridget Jones for an older audience it surely ain't. The writing flows and is easy to read, however, I was so bored, I practically threw it down the aisle on a recent plane ride. Is there a gripping plot? No. Is the writing fresh? No. Is she funny? She has her moments. Mostly, I found this to be a collection of dated ramblings by a self-absorbed, unremarkable narrator. (In fairness, what is a diary if it doesn't contain a vast degree of self-absorption?)
I admit I bought the book because the title tickled me. The book club to which I belong is a haven for a group of intelligent and fun middle-aged women. I wouldn't mind poking fun at the activity a bit while reading a witty outlook on life through a pair of 60 year-old lenses. Unfortunately, when you choose only one book per month to discuss, it is a much more worthwhile experience when the book sparks an interesting conversation. The only things I could imagine this book provoking is a discussion about how some diaries should remain private--hidden behind a little gold lock and key; or the wonders of the publishing world that markets this kind of cr@p.
August 23, 2016
Ok, sure, five stars is, objectively, too high. But it's spot on for me. I am *so* glad to meet someone else who isn't scared of the word 'old' and who doesn't want to live a 'third age.' Now, if I could only have a grandchild and get to babysit it often, I wouldn't mind achieving 60, seven years from now.
Mostly it's funny, but one serious bit did earn a book dart:
"We are here... to be kind.... Life is one big mystery. If you ask what it means you just waste time when you could be making someone else's life happier."
So, now I wonder if this is memoir, novel inspired by life, or pure fiction, and if the author has written anything else....
Mostly it's funny, but one serious bit did earn a book dart:
"We are here... to be kind.... Life is one big mystery. If you ask what it means you just waste time when you could be making someone else's life happier."
So, now I wonder if this is memoir, novel inspired by life, or pure fiction, and if the author has written anything else....
March 27, 2014
"No! I Don't Want to Read This Book."
I wish there was a place on Goodreads to say that, while I didn't finish the book, I stopped reading it because I just couldn't make myself read another page. In fact, I returned it to the library right away, because I just didn't want it in my house any more. I'm sure there are many people who will enjoy the book, but the temperament and outlook of the lead character ("I'm turning 60, so now I can be lazy and old and don't have to enrich my life any more") are so at odds with my own that I did something I practically never do -- stopped reading it.
I wish there was a place on Goodreads to say that, while I didn't finish the book, I stopped reading it because I just couldn't make myself read another page. In fact, I returned it to the library right away, because I just didn't want it in my house any more. I'm sure there are many people who will enjoy the book, but the temperament and outlook of the lead character ("I'm turning 60, so now I can be lazy and old and don't have to enrich my life any more") are so at odds with my own that I did something I practically never do -- stopped reading it.
January 14, 2014
This first novel, written in diary form, is laugh-out-loud hilarious. Virginia Ironside is British and the novel is set in and around London. The narrator, Marie Sharp, is witty, sarcastic and sweet, all in one. I loved the "Britishisms" as I call them, sprinkled throughout the book and I was drawn in by the salty narrator as she navigates her 60th year.
The book has some poignant moments also, dealing with death, change and growing older. All of the main characters were a riot. I was chuckling aloud so much my husband kept asking, "Now what?"
It's one of those books where one is compelled to share all the funny "bits" as the English say!
A favorite funny bit:
"'The great thing about age,' said the therapist, whose wife had finally leaned over the table and taken his plate, "is that it's never too late. You can do so many things. Take an Open University degree, go bungee jumping, learn a new language . . .'
'But it is too late!' I argued. 'That's what's so great about getting old. You no longer have to think about going to university, or go bungee jumping. It's a huge release! I've been feeling guilty about not learning another language for most of my adult life. At last I find that now, being old, I don't have to! There aren't enough years left to speak it. It'd be pointless!'
A favorite serious bit:
"I had one of those really weird moments when you feel like St. Francis. Not only do you feel like St. Francis, but you also feel peculiarly at one with nature. I never used to feel like this: it feels like another age thing. Nature is saying 'Now you're getting on and coming to the end of your life, come and join us. We're your friends. There's nothing to fear.' It was definitely a presentiment of death, but not a creepy ghoullike-figure-in-a-black-cape-clutching-a-scythe kind of presentiment but, rather, a beautifully peaceful and seductive kind of presentiment, a call to a world where the phrase, 'Go for it!' and other such unpleasant prods to do an Open university course or live for three months with a Masai tribe in Africa, have no place at all."
The book has some poignant moments also, dealing with death, change and growing older. All of the main characters were a riot. I was chuckling aloud so much my husband kept asking, "Now what?"
It's one of those books where one is compelled to share all the funny "bits" as the English say!
A favorite funny bit:
"'The great thing about age,' said the therapist, whose wife had finally leaned over the table and taken his plate, "is that it's never too late. You can do so many things. Take an Open University degree, go bungee jumping, learn a new language . . .'
'But it is too late!' I argued. 'That's what's so great about getting old. You no longer have to think about going to university, or go bungee jumping. It's a huge release! I've been feeling guilty about not learning another language for most of my adult life. At last I find that now, being old, I don't have to! There aren't enough years left to speak it. It'd be pointless!'
A favorite serious bit:
"I had one of those really weird moments when you feel like St. Francis. Not only do you feel like St. Francis, but you also feel peculiarly at one with nature. I never used to feel like this: it feels like another age thing. Nature is saying 'Now you're getting on and coming to the end of your life, come and join us. We're your friends. There's nothing to fear.' It was definitely a presentiment of death, but not a creepy ghoullike-figure-in-a-black-cape-clutching-a-scythe kind of presentiment but, rather, a beautifully peaceful and seductive kind of presentiment, a call to a world where the phrase, 'Go for it!' and other such unpleasant prods to do an Open university course or live for three months with a Masai tribe in Africa, have no place at all."
July 30, 2015
I decided to read this book only because of the mention of a bookclub in the title. And lemme tell you, it is NOWHERE related to a bookclub, so if you plan to read it only for the book-ish title, then don't read it.
The story is about Mrs. Sharp who decides to start a diary for her 60th birthday. The story revolves around Sharp and her other friends, that is , other oldies and how their life changes after a certain age. How a small child and bring happiness for old grandparents. Sharp shares her life with other of her friends and realizes that she is very lucky that her son still loves and respects her unlike those other people who are sent to old age homes. A very unique plot.
This book was very different from other books I have read. The narration by a 60 year old was very different and unique as it shows how older people look at this new changed world. I gave it 3 stars because there were a few things which I didn't understand, but I guess, it is just me. I think I would have liked this book more if I had read it later in the coming years, but anyway, it is a good book and has a special place out there.
3.5 stars rounded down to 3!!! :)
The story is about Mrs. Sharp who decides to start a diary for her 60th birthday. The story revolves around Sharp and her other friends, that is , other oldies and how their life changes after a certain age. How a small child and bring happiness for old grandparents. Sharp shares her life with other of her friends and realizes that she is very lucky that her son still loves and respects her unlike those other people who are sent to old age homes. A very unique plot.
This book was very different from other books I have read. The narration by a 60 year old was very different and unique as it shows how older people look at this new changed world. I gave it 3 stars because there were a few things which I didn't understand, but I guess, it is just me. I think I would have liked this book more if I had read it later in the coming years, but anyway, it is a good book and has a special place out there.
3.5 stars rounded down to 3!!! :)
September 3, 2012
Somehow, I got the impression that I really MUST read and enjoy this book because I’m heading towards sixty myself; that I was supposed exclaim ”Eureka! That’s me!”
Well, I didn’t. In fact, I was bored silly. To begin with, is Ironside speaking only of single women? That’s the impression I got!
I didn’t feel there was any character development. Rather, the characters are stereotypes, as if the author had “made up” these almost stick-figures to get her point across.
These stereotypes are based on a number of assumptions, which in my experience are invalid. I haven’t come across what the author seems to think is the popular notion of older people, especially older women. My friends have wide interests – gyms, bookclubs (guilty!) studying, eating, sport, long days doing nothing – basically, women seem to please themselves! I even have a few friends who love to knit, which, in Virginia Ironside’s opinion they probably shouldn’t!
The author seems to feel that those who do undertake new adventures do so to try and reclaim their youth. Rubbish! I think they do it because it’s fun!
Basically, I disliked the book because the characters weren’t real, and because it set out to destroy so-called popular notions” that don’t, in fact, exist.
Well, I didn’t. In fact, I was bored silly. To begin with, is Ironside speaking only of single women? That’s the impression I got!
I didn’t feel there was any character development. Rather, the characters are stereotypes, as if the author had “made up” these almost stick-figures to get her point across.
These stereotypes are based on a number of assumptions, which in my experience are invalid. I haven’t come across what the author seems to think is the popular notion of older people, especially older women. My friends have wide interests – gyms, bookclubs (guilty!) studying, eating, sport, long days doing nothing – basically, women seem to please themselves! I even have a few friends who love to knit, which, in Virginia Ironside’s opinion they probably shouldn’t!
The author seems to feel that those who do undertake new adventures do so to try and reclaim their youth. Rubbish! I think they do it because it’s fun!
Basically, I disliked the book because the characters weren’t real, and because it set out to destroy so-called popular notions” that don’t, in fact, exist.
July 22, 2010
Virginia Ironside's book is a hoot and I think the lady doth protest too much about age. She claims not to want to go cheerily into that good night but at the same time, does seem obsessed in her own particular way about reaching 60. Since I'm still a few years shy of that, maybe I'll come around to having the same obsession (although, in the US, I can't look forward to social security until age 66 and maybe that will make a big difference, but since there probably won't be any funds left in Social Security by then, maybe not).
My favorite parts of the book are the ones about her new grandbaby Gene. I'm sure I'll be just as dotty when I have grandkids. For now, I have to make do with a grand-nephew and it takes all the self-control I possess to keep from just kidnapping the boy.
I also love the very short entries in the diary that tell about some strange new thing she's noticed, particularly the CRAFT moments ("Can't remember a f***ing thing"). Such as a party discussion about a movie and no one can remember the actress' name. Then two days later, the entry, "Glenn Close".
The book was fun, it was touching, particularly toward the end. Although I can't find the character Archie to be the tiniest bit sexy, I'll allow that it must still be quite exciting to have an old boyfriend return to one's life.
So, here's what I'd love to see. Virginia Ironside, with her sense of humor, writing a story about a 60-year-old in which age means not a jot. Not as in age-defying, or age-denying, but as in age-not-central. For THAT, I would join a book club.
My favorite parts of the book are the ones about her new grandbaby Gene. I'm sure I'll be just as dotty when I have grandkids. For now, I have to make do with a grand-nephew and it takes all the self-control I possess to keep from just kidnapping the boy.
I also love the very short entries in the diary that tell about some strange new thing she's noticed, particularly the CRAFT moments ("Can't remember a f***ing thing"). Such as a party discussion about a movie and no one can remember the actress' name. Then two days later, the entry, "Glenn Close".
The book was fun, it was touching, particularly toward the end. Although I can't find the character Archie to be the tiniest bit sexy, I'll allow that it must still be quite exciting to have an old boyfriend return to one's life.
So, here's what I'd love to see. Virginia Ironside, with her sense of humor, writing a story about a 60-year-old in which age means not a jot. Not as in age-defying, or age-denying, but as in age-not-central. For THAT, I would join a book club.
June 12, 2015
Subtitle: Diary of a 60th Year
Well, that pretty much sums up the (non)plot of this charming little novel. Marie Sharp is turning 60 and she’s a little cranky. She’s perfectly content with her age and doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about. She doesn’t need advice on how to look and feel younger, thank you very much. One friend is determined to find a new lover, but Marie is horrified at the prospect, and (frankly) glad to have left all that hullabaloo behind her. Things change a bit for her when a new man enters her life – her grandson.
This was slow to get started and I began wondering if I was reading the same book that people had commented so favorably about over the years. But the diary style grew on me, as did Marie. I appreciated her no-nonsense approach to many events, her compassion when it came to her friends, her wild flights of imagination when considering how she might bungle being a Granny, her absolute delight at being so besotted by this tiny pink creature who actually smiled at her, and her slow awakening to the possibility of love coming into her life.
Well, that pretty much sums up the (non)plot of this charming little novel. Marie Sharp is turning 60 and she’s a little cranky. She’s perfectly content with her age and doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about. She doesn’t need advice on how to look and feel younger, thank you very much. One friend is determined to find a new lover, but Marie is horrified at the prospect, and (frankly) glad to have left all that hullabaloo behind her. Things change a bit for her when a new man enters her life – her grandson.
This was slow to get started and I began wondering if I was reading the same book that people had commented so favorably about over the years. But the diary style grew on me, as did Marie. I appreciated her no-nonsense approach to many events, her compassion when it came to her friends, her wild flights of imagination when considering how she might bungle being a Granny, her absolute delight at being so besotted by this tiny pink creature who actually smiled at her, and her slow awakening to the possibility of love coming into her life.
August 18, 2015
Okay, so I picked this book up because of the bookish title, right? I read the blurb on the back and I thought, Hey, may as well try it, hmm? So I did. And it wasn't great. It wasn't horrible either, but it really didn't go anywhere.
Even though I'm nowhere near 60, I did enjoy how feisty Marie is, although she did kind of whinge a lot throughout the book. But I'm also taking this book somewhat as satire rather than a serious-with-some-humor-injected novel.
My favorite part? Right here, yo:
That really was the best part of the book to me though... after that it just devolves into Marie oozing about her new grandson, and talking about her dying friend Hughie, and more about how she's now too old to do anything new and "exciting" and what a relief that is.
It was entertaining, but I also struggled to finish it (I've had it out from the library since... late June?). Ufda. And there is nothing about book clubs in here at all, except one reference to it. Very misleading title (except the spunk in it was present, at times, in Marie).
Even though I'm nowhere near 60, I did enjoy how feisty Marie is, although she did kind of whinge a lot throughout the book. But I'm also taking this book somewhat as satire rather than a serious-with-some-humor-injected novel.
My favorite part? Right here, yo:
I said I would be sixty in a few months, and couldn't wait.
"Yes," said Mrs. Glasses-on-Strings, trying to ingratiate herself with me. "You're only as old as you feel. Sixty years young!"
"Sixty going on twenty!" said the therapist.
"I really can't agree," I said. "If you're sixty, you're sixty. Sixty is old. I am just longing to be old, and I don't want to be told I'm young, when I'm not. ... When I was twenty, sixty was old, when I was thirty, forty and fifty, sixty was still old. I'm not going to change the goal posts now."
"I'm sixty," said Marion ... "But I don't feel a day over thirty!"
"But, Marion, don't you realize that that's tragic?" I said. "To continue feeling thirty for the whole of you life! So boring! A nightmare! I'm longing to feel sixty! What's wrong with that?"
"The great thing about age," said the therapist ... "Is that it's never too late. You can do so many things. Take an Open University degree, go bungee jumping, learn a new language..."
"But it is too late!" I argued. "That's what's so great about being old. You no longer have to think about going to university, or go bungee jumping! It's a huge release! I've been feeling guilty about not learning another language for most of my adult life. At least I find that now, being old, I don't have to! There aren't enough years left to speak it. It'd be pointless!"
"Well, I feel," said the therapist, defiantly, "that now I am sixty-five, anything is possible."
"I find, approaching sixty," I said, "that the great pleasure is that so many things are impossible. I think," I added, cruelly, putting my hand on his arm and smiling a great deal to pretend I meant no harm, "that you're in what you therapists call denial."
- p. 7-8.
That really was the best part of the book to me though... after that it just devolves into Marie oozing about her new grandson, and talking about her dying friend Hughie, and more about how she's now too old to do anything new and "exciting" and what a relief that is.
It was entertaining, but I also struggled to finish it (I've had it out from the library since... late June?). Ufda. And there is nothing about book clubs in here at all, except one reference to it. Very misleading title (except the spunk in it was present, at times, in Marie).
September 5, 2022
No!
I didn't like I Don't Want To Join A Book Club. 😬
I enjoy a bit of sarcastic, dry humour but this was one continuous moan about a lady in her mature years.
I didn't like I Don't Want To Join A Book Club. 😬
I enjoy a bit of sarcastic, dry humour but this was one continuous moan about a lady in her mature years.
October 3, 2009
This was the worst book my friends and I had ever read. And the title which pokes fun a book club members being full of OAP was not a good start.
Varying in age from late 30's to 50's none of us could find anything positive to say about this book. Based on the life of Marie as she approaches 60 in the form of a diary nothing of interest happens in the course of a all 247 pages. The main problem is that she is so content with life, she has absolutely no problems with reaching 60, has a great social life and lots of friends and is so in love with her first grandchild. SMUG - makes for a dull and tedious read.
The author is a former problem page agony aunt and there is a feel some of this has been borrowed to pad out this book. In other attempts to pad the book out there are endless diary entries of the latest internet scam found on her computer.
Thank goodness for Penny who provided a few laughs. And my favourite quote was " grandchildren are your reward for not killing your own kids". Some of our group couldnt finish it and said they would rather watch paint dry.
I think this was a missed oppportunity to write about a women fighting the stereotypical OAP and not growing old gracefully. A baby boomer generation being a young women in the swinging sixes this book had the promise of much more.
Our conclusion : Boring dont waste your time whatever your age. No I dont want to join a bookgroup ! I'm not surprised if this is all thats on offer.
Varying in age from late 30's to 50's none of us could find anything positive to say about this book. Based on the life of Marie as she approaches 60 in the form of a diary nothing of interest happens in the course of a all 247 pages. The main problem is that she is so content with life, she has absolutely no problems with reaching 60, has a great social life and lots of friends and is so in love with her first grandchild. SMUG - makes for a dull and tedious read.
The author is a former problem page agony aunt and there is a feel some of this has been borrowed to pad out this book. In other attempts to pad the book out there are endless diary entries of the latest internet scam found on her computer.
Thank goodness for Penny who provided a few laughs. And my favourite quote was " grandchildren are your reward for not killing your own kids". Some of our group couldnt finish it and said they would rather watch paint dry.
I think this was a missed oppportunity to write about a women fighting the stereotypical OAP and not growing old gracefully. A baby boomer generation being a young women in the swinging sixes this book had the promise of much more.
Our conclusion : Boring dont waste your time whatever your age. No I dont want to join a bookgroup ! I'm not surprised if this is all thats on offer.
September 29, 2014
There's not much to enjoy in this book. It's not terrible for chick lit, but it's not particularly good, either. It's about a woman "in her 60th year" who decides that, rather than continuing to attempt to fully engage in life, she'll just live her life with a sort of "screw it" attitude. She'll enjoy her grandchild, but when it comes to learning a language, or doing anything else, forget it.
I am quickly hurtling toward 60, and I don't like the main character at all. I mean, by the time you hit 60, you finally have TIME to learn a new language and join book clubs and start to explore your interests, and, at the beginning of the book, the main character is talking about the steadily increasing number of funerals she has to go to, and the fact that all middle aged people want to hang out with young people. What? Maybe in England funerals are a major social occasion for 60 year olds, but not where I live! The wry, sardonic humor of the main character comes off as whiny to me. I didn't hate this book, and it did make me giggle at times, but, for the most part, I wasn't that into it.
I am quickly hurtling toward 60, and I don't like the main character at all. I mean, by the time you hit 60, you finally have TIME to learn a new language and join book clubs and start to explore your interests, and, at the beginning of the book, the main character is talking about the steadily increasing number of funerals she has to go to, and the fact that all middle aged people want to hang out with young people. What? Maybe in England funerals are a major social occasion for 60 year olds, but not where I live! The wry, sardonic humor of the main character comes off as whiny to me. I didn't hate this book, and it did make me giggle at times, but, for the most part, I wasn't that into it.
November 7, 2013
Marie is turning sixty and decides to chronicle her life in a diary, and she does. Sometimes her thoughts are humorous, sometimes a bit sad, and often they are snarky. Her life is constantly changing and evolving in this chick-lit novel that embraces the changes seen as women age. Loss of dear friends, additions of a grandson, and re-kindling a girlhood crush all combine to make a curmudgeon smile.
April 4, 2017
Ich hatte ein bissig-spritzige Satire über Seniorenklischees erwartet und wurde bitter enttäuscht. Es geht nur um Sex, Krankheiten und Tod, und dass eben leider nicht auf parodistische Weise. Was mich besonders irritiert hat: die Personen reden und agieren wie 70-85jährige, sind aber erst Anfang 60 (und welche staatliche Lehrerin kann denn mit Ende 50 in Rente gehen?)! Ich kenne keine 60jährige (und ich habe viele Kolleginnen in diesem Alter), die sich so alt, tatterig und gebrechlich gibt. Als eklatante Diskrepanz steht dazu der ganze Sex-Talk, ich möchte aus dem Mund einer 60- bzw. gefühlt 80jährigen nichts über Vaginalcremen und Gleitgels hören (okay, sowas möchte ich von gar KEINEM hören)! Eine langweilige Zeitverschwendung.
October 6, 2017
Ich hab es abgebrochen. Der Humor war an einigen Stellen ganz okay aber das war's auch schon.
December 16, 2015
In diary form, Marie reveals her thoughts on aging (on turning 60). She looks forward to growing her roses and relaxing, to giving up on men and sex, and to resisting all the activities generally recommended for seniors, including book clubs. She is determined to face aging in her own way.
Marie is feisty, determined, and British, at least as we Americans think of older British women. She has her memories good and bad, her friends, her married son, her cat, her garden, and a great ironic sense of humor. Then, she falls in love again, with her newborn grandson!
I didn't necessarily agree with all her choices, but didn't need to. It was her life and her choice. Good for her! There were many moments of disagreement, many poignant moments, many sad moments, but more laugh-out-loud moments.
A very good read. Three and one-half stars to Marie....and many more years!
Marie is feisty, determined, and British, at least as we Americans think of older British women. She has her memories good and bad, her friends, her married son, her cat, her garden, and a great ironic sense of humor. Then, she falls in love again, with her newborn grandson!
I didn't necessarily agree with all her choices, but didn't need to. It was her life and her choice. Good for her! There were many moments of disagreement, many poignant moments, many sad moments, but more laugh-out-loud moments.
A very good read. Three and one-half stars to Marie....and many more years!
March 16, 2016
Marie Sharp is turning sixty. Turning sixty, for Marie, is a relief. She can drop all pretense; no more attempts to learn Italian, no more hikes into remote regions of the world, and no more silly bookclubs.
I like the character of Marie. She offers inspiration for us all. Why not start at fifty-one?
I like the character of Marie. She offers inspiration for us all. Why not start at fifty-one?
Read
November 24, 2008If you are not over 50, you may not appreciate the humor in this book. However, if you are approaching an "older" age, the book is hilarious. It is fiction but could very well be an actual diary of someone who is not afraid of approaching the age of 60.
October 31, 2014
I really loved the point of view from a sixty year old woman. Set in England, this woman doesn't hold back saying what she thinks. Sex, no sex, cursing...it's all good! Grandchildren are a Grandparent's reward, for not killing their own children ~ (I loved this quote!).
February 11, 2017
Pretty funny. A diary, journal a lady turning 60 starts to write. Wants to start enjoying "life" now, but life has some surprises for her. Found so much of it funny because I'm going to be 60 this year! Nice piece of fluff to read on vacation.
June 16, 2023
An entertaining diary covering nine months in the life of a retired, divorced schoolteacher turning sixty. Marie Sharp, of Shepherd's Bush, England, is at times witty, judgmental, and obsessed with sex. She is at all times a good friend and a doting grandmother. I read this for my book club. Because it is written in informal British prose, I often had trouble understanding the meaning of all the slang terms and the colloquialisms.
Read
June 13, 2024"Found in basement" read. Made me excited to be retired.
September 1, 2025
A fairly boring story of a 60-yr-old about being 60 and living alone. Her friends, activities, etc.
Quite boring, though I read it through.
Quite boring, though I read it through.
March 17, 2013
I found this book wedged under my copy of Murder on the Orient Express when I went to read the latter for a much needed break from the rather intense and depressing books I'd just finished - The God of Small Things and Kaalam.
The summary and reviews promised a fun read, and one review likened it to a sort of Bridget Jones for seniors. So of course I had to read it! It started well enough, funny, light and even witty, especially when the author describes the neighborhood in which the story is set. But soon enough - the humor became repetitive and tired, the story such as it is became sluggish and predictable and Marie Sharp, the main character - a divorced, 60-yr-old, soon to be granny - became irritating and seriously unfunny!
I was disappointed because this book could have been truly funny and enjoyable had the characters, especially Marie been more irreverent and well defined. As it is Marie was boring. She lacked warmth and yet stopped short of being a true eccentric which just made her uninteresting. Her constant tirade in favor of age, while initially convincing, became silly as she began to use age as an excuse to avoid doing things she didn't want to. And while that may be true in real life of many senior citizens, it makes for a rather depressing read! The story includes a son, the requisite best friend, the old flame, and a gay couple who are her friends and neighbors, all playing their parts in the little tableau. But none of it packed a punch as it were. The scenes with her and her grandchild were my favorite bits in the book - they seemed unpretentious and I identified with the sudden bouts of paranoia that she suffers with regard to his safety and well-being, as a mother of a little boy myself.
Good for a quick read, that I found intermittently funny but generally disappointing. This is nowhere near Bridget Jones in any way for any age-group! Still it did help some in relieving my depression ;)Although now I feel like I have to re-read Bridget Jones - that's what I call hilarious!
The summary and reviews promised a fun read, and one review likened it to a sort of Bridget Jones for seniors. So of course I had to read it! It started well enough, funny, light and even witty, especially when the author describes the neighborhood in which the story is set. But soon enough - the humor became repetitive and tired, the story such as it is became sluggish and predictable and Marie Sharp, the main character - a divorced, 60-yr-old, soon to be granny - became irritating and seriously unfunny!
I was disappointed because this book could have been truly funny and enjoyable had the characters, especially Marie been more irreverent and well defined. As it is Marie was boring. She lacked warmth and yet stopped short of being a true eccentric which just made her uninteresting. Her constant tirade in favor of age, while initially convincing, became silly as she began to use age as an excuse to avoid doing things she didn't want to. And while that may be true in real life of many senior citizens, it makes for a rather depressing read! The story includes a son, the requisite best friend, the old flame, and a gay couple who are her friends and neighbors, all playing their parts in the little tableau. But none of it packed a punch as it were. The scenes with her and her grandchild were my favorite bits in the book - they seemed unpretentious and I identified with the sudden bouts of paranoia that she suffers with regard to his safety and well-being, as a mother of a little boy myself.
Good for a quick read, that I found intermittently funny but generally disappointing. This is nowhere near Bridget Jones in any way for any age-group! Still it did help some in relieving my depression ;)Although now I feel like I have to re-read Bridget Jones - that's what I call hilarious!
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December 28, 2016This book was on the list for our book group recently and, with the amusing title, we were looking forward to reading No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub by Virginia Ironside. Many of our members were familiar with the columns she writes in newspapers too. No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub is written in an epistolary style, as if the reader was reading the narrator's journal. The style enveloped the reader in the narrator's head quickly and easily.
Marie Sharp may be a little creaky in the bones as she heads toward the big 6-0, but she's fine with it. She is not interested in parasailing or taking Italian language courses nor will she welcome comments about suggesting she join a gym. Marie has done it all: drink, drugs, sex and rock and roll. She has already led an exciting life: She came of age in the 1960s, after all. So her friends don't tell Marie to take a gourmet cooking class, and whatever they do, they shouldn't tell her to join a book club. Marie has a new grandchild and a new man on the horizon, all she wants to do is make the most of what she considers the most interesting stage of her life.
Nobody thinks 60 is old, but Marie thinks it is time to let go of dreams of love, forget about manners and plans. I found this attitude rather depressing and old fashioned. Parts of the book are funny and it is well-written. However, the book bored me. After my initial interest in the idea and format, the lack of plot and constant reference to sixty being old, I found that the book became tedious. I found No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub to be a collection of dated ramblings by a self-absorbed, unremarkable narrator. The title tickled me, but No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub did not tickle my fancy. I have not read any other books by Virginia Ironside, and on the basis of this, I will not be looking for others.
Valerie Penny
Marie Sharp may be a little creaky in the bones as she heads toward the big 6-0, but she's fine with it. She is not interested in parasailing or taking Italian language courses nor will she welcome comments about suggesting she join a gym. Marie has done it all: drink, drugs, sex and rock and roll. She has already led an exciting life: She came of age in the 1960s, after all. So her friends don't tell Marie to take a gourmet cooking class, and whatever they do, they shouldn't tell her to join a book club. Marie has a new grandchild and a new man on the horizon, all she wants to do is make the most of what she considers the most interesting stage of her life.
Nobody thinks 60 is old, but Marie thinks it is time to let go of dreams of love, forget about manners and plans. I found this attitude rather depressing and old fashioned. Parts of the book are funny and it is well-written. However, the book bored me. After my initial interest in the idea and format, the lack of plot and constant reference to sixty being old, I found that the book became tedious. I found No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub to be a collection of dated ramblings by a self-absorbed, unremarkable narrator. The title tickled me, but No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub did not tickle my fancy. I have not read any other books by Virginia Ironside, and on the basis of this, I will not be looking for others.
Valerie Penny
July 7, 2013
Marie Sharp resists the idea of joining a book group, learning a language or joining the university of the third age, in order to assert her right not to improve herself as she reaches 60. She is determined to relish the letting go of responsibilities, inhibitions, sexual relationships and the trappings of middle age, and embrace her inner elderly person. And she learns that there are joys to be had. There is the joy of her grandchild, the joy of friendships and the poignancy of being parted from lifelong friends by death.
Marie tells in diary form the story of her 61st year: insights gained, new perspectives, the falling away of delusions. The one delusion that remains is that she can live without romance.
It's a light book and the stories are told with a light-hearted touch. There are some slight insights and moments were recognisable to me, as a grandma. As long as you don't expect big ideas you can appreciate the gentle ideas. It is an entertainment, with humour which sometimes misses its mark (the emails?). There is a little comfortable sanitising of issues such as getting old and infirm, and death is given a good review, but it draws a well-meaning and positive picture for all who are getting a bit past it. I don't know what the young would make of it.
There is a feeling that, as a diary, it might work well as a regular magazine or newspaper column. As a book it becomes repetitive. But I have read 'getting older' reported better, where current affairs are dragged into the equation. I'm thinking in particular of Michele Hanson's articles in the Guardian, where getting older in UK society is treated with dark humour. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyl...)
Marie tells in diary form the story of her 61st year: insights gained, new perspectives, the falling away of delusions. The one delusion that remains is that she can live without romance.
It's a light book and the stories are told with a light-hearted touch. There are some slight insights and moments were recognisable to me, as a grandma. As long as you don't expect big ideas you can appreciate the gentle ideas. It is an entertainment, with humour which sometimes misses its mark (the emails?). There is a little comfortable sanitising of issues such as getting old and infirm, and death is given a good review, but it draws a well-meaning and positive picture for all who are getting a bit past it. I don't know what the young would make of it.
There is a feeling that, as a diary, it might work well as a regular magazine or newspaper column. As a book it becomes repetitive. But I have read 'getting older' reported better, where current affairs are dragged into the equation. I'm thinking in particular of Michele Hanson's articles in the Guardian, where getting older in UK society is treated with dark humour. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyl...)
March 16, 2012
I've read several negative reviews of this book, and I've got to say that I do NOT agree with them! Marie/Mary is the woman I want to be when I turn 60! Of course, I won't have the same kind of past, but I did find it refreshing to hear about this woman that lived her life the way she did. She wasn't sorry about anything. And all she wanted to do was celebrate being old when everyone else talks about life beginning anew.
Yes, nothing huge and momentous happens, but this book is a Diary after all. She is chronicling major changes in her life as it changes once again.
Now, it's been a while since I've listened to this book (I've read/listened to a few inbetween writing this review), but she had this interesting thought about how all of your experiences accumulate. Like, when you're one and you have this feeling and it's amazing. Then you're two and now you've had this feeling twice, and so on and so on until you're 60 and you've felt this way so many times now it starts to seem the same. I thought it was an interesting way to put things.
And I don't think I ever seriously thought about sex after menopause before but whoa! Did I get an education! Some people complained about there being too much sex in it, but come on. People talk about sex all the time. 60 year olds are no exception!
So, I would definitely recommend this book. And if I ever find it at Half-Price or Katy Budget during one of their sales, I am snatching the thing up and adding it to my collection.
Yes, nothing huge and momentous happens, but this book is a Diary after all. She is chronicling major changes in her life as it changes once again.
Now, it's been a while since I've listened to this book (I've read/listened to a few inbetween writing this review), but she had this interesting thought about how all of your experiences accumulate. Like, when you're one and you have this feeling and it's amazing. Then you're two and now you've had this feeling twice, and so on and so on until you're 60 and you've felt this way so many times now it starts to seem the same. I thought it was an interesting way to put things.
And I don't think I ever seriously thought about sex after menopause before but whoa! Did I get an education! Some people complained about there being too much sex in it, but come on. People talk about sex all the time. 60 year olds are no exception!
So, I would definitely recommend this book. And if I ever find it at Half-Price or Katy Budget during one of their sales, I am snatching the thing up and adding it to my collection.
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