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At Seventy: A Journal
"Prolific poet and novelist, author of six nonfiction books and heaped with academic honors, Sarton has fashioned her journals, ‘sonatas’ as she calls them, into a distinctive literary form: relaxed yet shapely, a silky weave of reflection, sensuous observation and record of her daily round, with the reader made companion to her inmost thoughts. . . . It’s a book rich in warmth, perceptiveness and reassurance.” ― Publishers Weekly May Sarton―poet, novelist, and chronicler―occupies a special place in American letters. This new journal chronicles the year that began on May 3, 1982, her seventieth birthday. At her home in Maine, she savors “the experience of being alive in this beautiful place,” reflecting on nature, friends, and work. “Why is it good to be old?” she was asked at one of her lectures. “Because,” she said, “I am more myself than I have ever been.”
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
267 people are currently reading
1108 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
August 20, 2023
I'm a fan of May Sarton's work, especially her journals, and as I am now seventy myself, I thought it would be a good time for this one. As always, she is introspective and honest. Her days are filled with reading, writing, gardening, visits with friends, traveling....all of those things that make life worthwhile. She also complains about politics, the state of the world, crime and the weather. Same as we do now, so the 40 years since this was published hasn't made much difference.
December 23, 2017
I started reading this on my mother’s 70th birthday: August 7, 2017. Sarton started writing it on her 70th birthday: May 3, 1982. Many of the book’s themes were familiar to me from other Sarton journals I’ve read: her acceptance of aging and the sense that she has become more herself over the years; the joy she takes in her pets, gardening and visits from friends; the tyranny of her correspondence; and the fleeting nature of the muse, who is sometimes an abstraction and sometimes a very real person – here, a younger woman, it seems, whom I have not yet identified but will expect to learn about in the Margot Peters biography. (Speaking of which, Sarton must have changed her mind after writing this about biographies: “Several people unknown to me have written lately to ask whether they could do mine, and my answer is always the same. ‘Not till I’m dead.’”)
In the year this book covers, Sarton was returning to a project she’d had on hiatus, a novel about Anne Thorp (what would become The Magnificent Spinster, which I plan to read soon). As always, there are far too many quotable lines about the writer’s life, but here are a few:
“what a style transmits is a vision of life, and this may come through to a reader whatever the subject may be.”
“writing for me is a way of understanding what is happening to me, of thinking hard things out. I have never written a book that was not born out of a question I needed to answer for myself. Perhaps it is the need to remake order out of chaos over and over again. For art is order, but it is made out of the chaos of life.”
“good writing takes a certain kind of psychic energy. To summon it each morning, I must wake unblurred, rested”
“There is always some sleight of hand going on in writing autobiography. So much has to be left out, especially things that might hurt or dismay people. But in a novel one can say everything. The novel is often autobiography distilled and/or transcended.”
In the year this book covers, Sarton was returning to a project she’d had on hiatus, a novel about Anne Thorp (what would become The Magnificent Spinster, which I plan to read soon). As always, there are far too many quotable lines about the writer’s life, but here are a few:
“what a style transmits is a vision of life, and this may come through to a reader whatever the subject may be.”
“writing for me is a way of understanding what is happening to me, of thinking hard things out. I have never written a book that was not born out of a question I needed to answer for myself. Perhaps it is the need to remake order out of chaos over and over again. For art is order, but it is made out of the chaos of life.”
“good writing takes a certain kind of psychic energy. To summon it each morning, I must wake unblurred, rested”
“There is always some sleight of hand going on in writing autobiography. So much has to be left out, especially things that might hurt or dismay people. But in a novel one can say everything. The novel is often autobiography distilled and/or transcended.”
December 17, 2021
This was a reread for me. Every time I pick up a May Sarton book I become a better observer. She is so attune to the passing of the seasons and the plant world that I am inspired to look at my environment with new eyes. She is a master at inviting a reader into her life. Her thoughts on aging and community are priceless guidelines to creating a meaningful life. Her journals are soothing and thoughtful, perfect for reading before bed.
October 18, 2011
This is the second May Sarton journal I've read and I have to say I'm growing quite fond of her. Admittedly, I'm haunted by the thought that she wouldn't like me very much, that she would find my fidgety, foolish youth cloying to spend time with. May Sarton makes me long to be wise and 'old' and therefore "more myself than I have ever been".
I always have to smile when she writes things like:
"For the first time in weeks I have three whole days to myself, and it is heaven not trying to take in and commune with someone else."
That sounds like a thought I'd express. I could definitely envision myself turning into her 40 or 50 years from now. I can see me now, living alone with a cat, a dog and a deep desire for continued solitude (though still treasuring the visits of various friends).
Though I still have quite a few left, I'm going to be sad after I've read all her journals.
I always have to smile when she writes things like:
"For the first time in weeks I have three whole days to myself, and it is heaven not trying to take in and commune with someone else."
That sounds like a thought I'd express. I could definitely envision myself turning into her 40 or 50 years from now. I can see me now, living alone with a cat, a dog and a deep desire for continued solitude (though still treasuring the visits of various friends).
Though I still have quite a few left, I'm going to be sad after I've read all her journals.
August 9, 2012
A friend recommended this book of the many Sarton tomes she's read, and I'm glad she did. Quite personal, and I felt like a welcomed friend invited for the weekend. It's a comfort to know that I may perhaps look forward to more serenity and appreciation of beauty as I approach 70, even though the garden will be more of a challenge. A lovely walk by the shore with an accomplished writer.
January 22, 2025
A medida que cambian las estaciones May Sarton relata su experiencia y pensamientos sobre la vejez.
Nos cuenta sobre encuentros con amigos y vecinos que pasan a visitarla, los funerales a los que asiste y las cartas que recibe. Hay días donde se despierta angustiada por las noticias que lee en el diario: Inglaterra y Argentina continúan en guerra, Ronald Reagan está implementando una persecución ideológica en Estados Unidos, la sombra del nazismo sigue presente en Europa. Tiene miedo por el futuro y sin embargo, siempre encuentra las palabras justas para consolarse a sí misma.
Me entristece saber que sus diarios no son infinitos pero por el momento me permito sentirme acompañada por su presencia.
"¿De qué sirve la vida? Para mí, al menos, una de las emociones más gratificantes es estar en presencia de alguien a quien admiro de corazón y de quien puedo aprender"
Nos cuenta sobre encuentros con amigos y vecinos que pasan a visitarla, los funerales a los que asiste y las cartas que recibe. Hay días donde se despierta angustiada por las noticias que lee en el diario: Inglaterra y Argentina continúan en guerra, Ronald Reagan está implementando una persecución ideológica en Estados Unidos, la sombra del nazismo sigue presente en Europa. Tiene miedo por el futuro y sin embargo, siempre encuentra las palabras justas para consolarse a sí misma.
Me entristece saber que sus diarios no son infinitos pero por el momento me permito sentirme acompañada por su presencia.
"¿De qué sirve la vida? Para mí, al menos, una de las emociones más gratificantes es estar en presencia de alguien a quien admiro de corazón y de quien puedo aprender"
June 9, 2024
«Envejecer bien tiene algo que ver con estar vinculado a la tierra».
November 18, 2013
I've been slogging through this book off and on for a month. I love journals, personal growth, day-to-day living, but this book was a disappointment. How many lunches/dinners/rainy days/"I need to be alone"/"I am alone"/I need to be alone/I had lunch with...etc ... can one write about? I had really looked forward to this based on other reviews, but it did not speak to me. I am approaching my sixtieth year and understand milestones; this was not a book that offered any depth. To be fair, her descriptions of her gardens and home were beautiful and maybe that is enough. I'll revisit it another time.
April 3, 2016
Although I love gardening and noting the weather, her journal wandered too much back to the same places: her visiting friends and admirers, her garden, and the weather. At the halfway point, nothing remarkable had happened and no huge "ah-has" I kept a paper and pencil handy to write down pithy observations on growing older, but what I mainly got was repetition of the same routine.... That is okay for me, but not interesting enough to read about. I'm switching to Gloria Steinem's book, Doing Sixty and Seventy.
October 26, 2016
Although May Sarton would have wanted to be remembered for her poetry and the novels she wrote, today she is probably best known for her journals. I discovered them when I was a young woman in my late twenties and was captivated by the way she wrote about her solitary life, her love of nature and beautiful things, the relationships she valued, her ability to pay attention to the significance of what often gets overlooked, and the joys and struggles of the creative life. When I first read “At Seventy” which she started on her seventieth birthday, I promised myself to read it again when I was that same age. That was over 30 years ago and I have just finished re-reading it (having started it over a year ago on the first day of my own 70th birthday.)
It was interesting to read this book from my perspective as an older woman because of what Sarton said about the benefits of growing older (it’s an exhilarating time of life because we are so much more in touch with who we really are.) I could also relate to what she said about the importance of decluttering our lives and the satisfaction of making order out of chaos, the love of reading, the joy of tending a garden, as well as the pleasure that comes from paying attention to the world of nature from one season to the next. But this time around I noticed that she seemed a little too pre-occupied with herself – how her writing was perceived by others, how the audiences at her poetry readings applauded her, etc. I also found it less interesting to hear about the many people she was constantly entertaining overnight or driving off to meet for lunch or talking with on the phone – especially since she so frequently wrote about how much she needed and loved solitude.
But what impressed me as I read the book this time – just as it had the first time – was what it revealed about the significance of keeping a journal (something I began doing as a result of reading May Sarton’s books and have been doing ever since.) I also loved the fact that she was a faithful and dedicated letter-writer. In fact I treasure the hand-written letter I received from her many years ago in response to one I had written to her. Enclosed was a signed copy of one of her poems, a thoughtful gift from a writer I have always admired.
It was interesting to read this book from my perspective as an older woman because of what Sarton said about the benefits of growing older (it’s an exhilarating time of life because we are so much more in touch with who we really are.) I could also relate to what she said about the importance of decluttering our lives and the satisfaction of making order out of chaos, the love of reading, the joy of tending a garden, as well as the pleasure that comes from paying attention to the world of nature from one season to the next. But this time around I noticed that she seemed a little too pre-occupied with herself – how her writing was perceived by others, how the audiences at her poetry readings applauded her, etc. I also found it less interesting to hear about the many people she was constantly entertaining overnight or driving off to meet for lunch or talking with on the phone – especially since she so frequently wrote about how much she needed and loved solitude.
But what impressed me as I read the book this time – just as it had the first time – was what it revealed about the significance of keeping a journal (something I began doing as a result of reading May Sarton’s books and have been doing ever since.) I also loved the fact that she was a faithful and dedicated letter-writer. In fact I treasure the hand-written letter I received from her many years ago in response to one I had written to her. Enclosed was a signed copy of one of her poems, a thoughtful gift from a writer I have always admired.
April 20, 2022
This book is filled with little pearls of wisdom about growing into those mature years, living alone, writing, poetry, gardening, friendships, nature, and admiring sunlight and silence. As with all of May Sarton's journals, you might want to keep this one on your shelf to reread as time goes by. This is actually my second time reading At Seventy. And I got so much more out 0f it now. I even blogged about it on my Reading Fiction Blog: "Book Moments, Morning Tea with May Sarton." I offer quotes and insights of May's thoughts. There was so much that I had to do 3 posts so far! A lovely book, a perfect gift full of rich images. Just loved it.
My morning tea with May Sarton. Book Moments: https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2022...
My morning tea with May Sarton. Book Moments: https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2022...
April 16, 2024
«¿Qué tiene de bueno ser mayor?», preguntan a Sarton a lo que ella responde: «Que soy yo más que nunca».
Diario a los setenta, comienza el 3 de mayo de 1982 y finaliza el 2 de mayo de 1983. Sarton murió doce años después.
Identificarme con May es de sobra conocido.
Sus letras son remanso y sus reflexiones paz.
He leído casi todo de ella y cuando recibí este último diario de @gallo se convirtió en libro de cabecera que he leído saboreando cada olor, cada sabor y cada sentimiento.
Leer a May despacio mientras saboreas un buen vino y levantas solo la mirada puntualmente para asentar lo que acabas de leer y explosiona en tu interior.
Es una lectura para Ser y estar mientras vas impregnándote de la belleza de su prosa, de la sabiduría oculta en sus versos y de la inteligencia que subyace en sus conferencias.
Mujer cosmopolita y políticamente comprometida.
En los libros de Sarton he encontrado una simbiosis perfecta entre vida y escritura, mientras
escribe (s) va(s) encontrándo(te)a ti misma reafirmando(te) en lo que crees. Palabras nacidas de lo hondo. Son libros que abarcan un todo porque hay una apertura entre el paisaje exterior y el paisaje interior de la autora y de uno mismo. narrar la transformación de una mujer por escucharse y por dejarse ser.
Atravesar sus líneas aparentemente transparentes y llegar a entresacar lo que subyace a ellas ha sido un placer. Comprender esa oscuridad que la perseguía desde niña y que ya entrada en edad y libre de cargas familiares consiguió vencer gracias a la escritura honesta aceptándose a sí misma. May se narra así misma en lo oscuro y en lo luminoso.
Y con un jarrón de narcisos frescos en mi mirada he aprendido leyendo a #may Sarton.
Que en la construcción de lo íntimo surge lo que nos hace vivir.
Que en lo incierto hay respuestas.
Que la soledad es el armazón de un camino.
Que en la nostalgia y los recuerdos esta la verdadera esencia.
Que en las raíces encontramos la madurez, es donde todo sucede.
Que en lo sencillez está escondida la grandeza.
Que la edad te concede el privilegio de la sabiduría, has convertido la vulnerabilidad en tu mayor fortaleza.
Gracias de nuevo May por hacerme crecer.
Diario a los setenta, comienza el 3 de mayo de 1982 y finaliza el 2 de mayo de 1983. Sarton murió doce años después.
Identificarme con May es de sobra conocido.
Sus letras son remanso y sus reflexiones paz.
He leído casi todo de ella y cuando recibí este último diario de @gallo se convirtió en libro de cabecera que he leído saboreando cada olor, cada sabor y cada sentimiento.
Leer a May despacio mientras saboreas un buen vino y levantas solo la mirada puntualmente para asentar lo que acabas de leer y explosiona en tu interior.
Es una lectura para Ser y estar mientras vas impregnándote de la belleza de su prosa, de la sabiduría oculta en sus versos y de la inteligencia que subyace en sus conferencias.
Mujer cosmopolita y políticamente comprometida.
En los libros de Sarton he encontrado una simbiosis perfecta entre vida y escritura, mientras
escribe (s) va(s) encontrándo(te)a ti misma reafirmando(te) en lo que crees. Palabras nacidas de lo hondo. Son libros que abarcan un todo porque hay una apertura entre el paisaje exterior y el paisaje interior de la autora y de uno mismo. narrar la transformación de una mujer por escucharse y por dejarse ser.
Atravesar sus líneas aparentemente transparentes y llegar a entresacar lo que subyace a ellas ha sido un placer. Comprender esa oscuridad que la perseguía desde niña y que ya entrada en edad y libre de cargas familiares consiguió vencer gracias a la escritura honesta aceptándose a sí misma. May se narra así misma en lo oscuro y en lo luminoso.
Y con un jarrón de narcisos frescos en mi mirada he aprendido leyendo a #may Sarton.
Que en la construcción de lo íntimo surge lo que nos hace vivir.
Que en lo incierto hay respuestas.
Que la soledad es el armazón de un camino.
Que en la nostalgia y los recuerdos esta la verdadera esencia.
Que en las raíces encontramos la madurez, es donde todo sucede.
Que en lo sencillez está escondida la grandeza.
Que la edad te concede el privilegio de la sabiduría, has convertido la vulnerabilidad en tu mayor fortaleza.
Gracias de nuevo May por hacerme crecer.
July 8, 2025
Leer a May Sarton siempre es un placer para mí. He tenido la suerte de ir leyendo sus diarios en orden y eso me ha permitido acompañarla desde que decidió echar raíces. Ambas tenemos un sentimiento similar sobre lo que nuestro hogar significa, disfrutamos de todo lo que lo rodea (y estoy de acuerdo en que la ubicación del suyo es una maravilla) pero todo está en nosotros, en nuestra mirada y la conciencia de la riqueza que tenemos a nuestro alrededor.
May cumple en este libro 70 años y lo he leído con mucha calma, deseando estirarlo lo máximo posible pues la vida no es infinita y llegará un momento en el que ya no me quedará un diario suyo por leer. La echaré de menos y volveré a releer sus libros desde el comienzo y en orden. Admiro que a esa edad y a pesar de que va perdiendo amistades por el camino, es capaz de despedirlas con amor y respeto y celebra todo aquello que vivió gracias a ellas. Podría decidir encerrarse sin más, pero no, vive acompañada por ellas y sigue trabajando en sus escritos, contestando todas las cartas que recibe dejándose mimar y cuidando a la gente que conoce y le resulta afín.
Un verdadero placer leer su diario que he dejado lleno de subrayados y búsquedas de lecturas que menciona.
May cumple en este libro 70 años y lo he leído con mucha calma, deseando estirarlo lo máximo posible pues la vida no es infinita y llegará un momento en el que ya no me quedará un diario suyo por leer. La echaré de menos y volveré a releer sus libros desde el comienzo y en orden. Admiro que a esa edad y a pesar de que va perdiendo amistades por el camino, es capaz de despedirlas con amor y respeto y celebra todo aquello que vivió gracias a ellas. Podría decidir encerrarse sin más, pero no, vive acompañada por ellas y sigue trabajando en sus escritos, contestando todas las cartas que recibe dejándose mimar y cuidando a la gente que conoce y le resulta afín.
Un verdadero placer leer su diario que he dejado lleno de subrayados y búsquedas de lecturas que menciona.
July 17, 2008
I started the series of journals with the second installment Journal of a Solitude, covering one of her last years in NH; she makes the decision to move to ME during that time. There's a section in this one dealing with some NH folks who were covered in the first book Plant Dreaming Deep, so I was mildly concerned that I hadn't read that one earlier, but no big deal. I had been going to college in Maine during the period covered here, and don't recall the weather as having been as severe as she describes, but I was further inland.
On the one hand, I did find her reminiscences of folks from her past daunting - the names just keep rolling along, although she is pretty good at "introducing" new people with proper context. I'm not an animal person, but enjoy the antics of her dog and cat (Tamas and Bramble). Nor am I at all a gardener, but those who are horticulturally inclined should love these journals for that aspect alone!
Recommended, but not as a stand-alone. If you pick up a copy of this one, I suggest you read the previous ones in order first.
On the one hand, I did find her reminiscences of folks from her past daunting - the names just keep rolling along, although she is pretty good at "introducing" new people with proper context. I'm not an animal person, but enjoy the antics of her dog and cat (Tamas and Bramble). Nor am I at all a gardener, but those who are horticulturally inclined should love these journals for that aspect alone!
Recommended, but not as a stand-alone. If you pick up a copy of this one, I suggest you read the previous ones in order first.
August 5, 2007
Read this when you are about to turn 30, and 40, and 50, and so on.
May 19, 2015
Boring, self indulgent book.
October 19, 2020
Re-read an old favorite -and loved it as much as when I read it over 30 years ago
December 22, 2016
Journal in life of p[oet author May Sarton
a rich life is bought at a high price in energy13
One thing is certain, and I have always known it -- the joys of life have nothing to do with age. p. 17
of guests -- my need for time to myself, time to think and, above all, time to drink in the beauty of this palace and to do the work that has to be done to keep it beautiful. p. 25
a spring drunk time p. 27
Think where man's glory most begins and ends
And say my glory was I hasd such friends. p. 32
And as I looked around the table, what steeruck me hard was that, none of us young, we had all managed to become our true selves, that none of it had been easy, and that all of it has been built on dedication and love. p. 33
What we are not drives us . . . .p. 34
. . . the only gift, the most important, is simply to be there for each other. p. 123
. . . she took me into her study where manuscripts and journals are piled on the floor in a positive ongoing disorder that I recognize and enjoy because it is so like my own disorder up here. p. 126
(of a group) only one looked intelligent or aware or had the slightest delicacy in his features. p. 302
a rich life is bought at a high price in energy13
One thing is certain, and I have always known it -- the joys of life have nothing to do with age. p. 17
of guests -- my need for time to myself, time to think and, above all, time to drink in the beauty of this palace and to do the work that has to be done to keep it beautiful. p. 25
a spring drunk time p. 27
Think where man's glory most begins and ends
And say my glory was I hasd such friends. p. 32
And as I looked around the table, what steeruck me hard was that, none of us young, we had all managed to become our true selves, that none of it had been easy, and that all of it has been built on dedication and love. p. 33
What we are not drives us . . . .p. 34
. . . the only gift, the most important, is simply to be there for each other. p. 123
. . . she took me into her study where manuscripts and journals are piled on the floor in a positive ongoing disorder that I recognize and enjoy because it is so like my own disorder up here. p. 126
(of a group) only one looked intelligent or aware or had the slightest delicacy in his features. p. 302
March 22, 2020
May Sarton was a poet, novelist and memoirist, though now she is probably best known for her memoirs/journals. There were parts of this book that did not speak to me, specifically how she needed to manage her time in order to feed her muse; however I immensely enjoyed her descriptions and enjoyment of the nature and wildlife...and her love of gardening. It was all-in-all a leisurely time spent with this book.
October 22, 2020
I love May Sarton and every ounce of the quotidian she writes about in her journals. There’s nothing flashy in her writing though there are moments of keen insight and brilliance, especially when she touches on love she did not live to see sanctioned. It’s fascinating to spend time with a woman who carved out her own life, relished the simplest moments, and never stopped putting pen to paper.
January 2, 2015
So apparently, I want the life of a semi-retired poet/writer. To garden, take walks, OWN A HOUSE BY THE SEA, correspond with my many admirers and friends, travel and read my poems to appreciative audiences. Better get on that whole "writing" thing then.
August 20, 2008
At seventy-two, it's time for me to read this again. I have read several of her journals and they all make me so happy that I moved to Maine.
April 15, 2013
what can I say, I love May Sarton.
April 29, 2023
i loved it. my love is belle lettres.
May 6, 2018
May Sarton wrote of herself as a literary outsider and I have not known anyone else who reads her. I read many of her novels and journals, including this one, over 30 years ago. And, re-reading this now, I am anxious to read and reread more. From her I get a longing to think deeply and to center myself. I feel the urge to read thoughtfully and to use my own creativity. She doesn't tackle world problems, in general, though she mentions them, but she looks inward and to her friends. Her writing soothes me while making me ready to do creative things.
October 8, 2019
December 2016 - I love May Sarton’s journals. I’ve read several of them over the years, and each one was perfect for a particular time in my life. At Seventy records Sarton’s life and thoughts throughout her seventieth year. Although I’m not yet seventy, I could definitely relate to many of her thoughts and experiences with aging. I especially loved her descriptions of her garden and life on the coast of Maine. The intimacy and the ordinariness of her writing always gives me the feeling that she’s writing just to me. It’s like visiting with an old friend. This journal made me want to go back and reread earlier ones, which I think I may actually do. All of Sarton’s journals, including At Seventy, are consistent and endearing reads.
October 2019 - This was my second read of May Sarton’s journal, At Seventy. I read it a few years ago and revisited now when I, too, am seventy. I love Sarton’s journals, at least those written before and up to At Seventy. I haven’t read any of her journals after that, but do intend to. The journals are intimate and grounding. Sarton writes as if she is speaking or writing directly to the reader. She exposes her innermost thoughts and feelings as she describes the details of her life, her garden and the world around her. In At Seventy, her world included home on the Maine coast and places she visited, mostly in New England. At Seventy was an enjoyable, calming and grounding read.
October 2019 - This was my second read of May Sarton’s journal, At Seventy. I read it a few years ago and revisited now when I, too, am seventy. I love Sarton’s journals, at least those written before and up to At Seventy. I haven’t read any of her journals after that, but do intend to. The journals are intimate and grounding. Sarton writes as if she is speaking or writing directly to the reader. She exposes her innermost thoughts and feelings as she describes the details of her life, her garden and the world around her. In At Seventy, her world included home on the Maine coast and places she visited, mostly in New England. At Seventy was an enjoyable, calming and grounding read.
January 18, 2023
I don't know much about this author besides her journals. I don't think I've read any of her poetry or novels. I love her writing and think it's gorgeous, and I appreciate her appreciation of nature and a slower way of life. But she also seems a bit snobby and privileged. I think I would have appreciated her writing, but not sure I would have appreciated her personality.
August 1, 2024
Very enjoyable, relatable and inspirational. As a journal writer for over 20 plus years, I found her journal to be quite easy to get into.
January 31, 2025
Well, this didn't provide the inspiration and role-model of what I want to be at 70, as I hoped it would. But it is pretty quotable and the writing is lovely. And surprisingly, in between the descriptions of her gardens and lunches with friends, are a surprising number of pro-Israel comments that I was joyed to read. So there was that.
August 3, 2024
A diferencia de otros suyos , he alargado su lectura , para que me durase más . Me encanta esta escritora . Este libro a pesar del título , me ha parecido mas optimista que otros . Me encanta sus reflexiones y cómo nos cuenta su día a día . Una delicia. Comparto frases:
“¿ Por qué las personas incapaces de mostrar sus emociones suponen que eso es una fortaleza y no una debilidad?¿ Por qué la ética humana tiende a admirar la reserva , la contención del ser, y no la apertura y la voluntad de entrega?Mostrarse vulnerable siempre está bajo sospecha”
“El futuro acude a nosotros para encontrarse con nuestro pasado a cada momento del presente inmediato. (..) Supongo que por eso nunca dejamos de pensar en nuestros padres, y llegamos a conocerlos mejor mucho después de su muerte que cuando ellos están vivos .”
“Siempre he creído - o al menos, eso me parece-que debemos vivir como si estuviéramos muriendo, porque entonces las prioridades se vuelven claras .”
“ El otro día le dije: ‘ Contigo me siento en paz .’ Hay mucha gente con quien me gusta estar , pero a muy pocos les diría eso. “
“ Las personas desfavorecidas lo son porque nunca han encontrado sus dones, o bien porque se encuentran con que sus verdaderos dones no son aceptados.”
“Todos debemos perder la inocencia para crecer, aunque esa pérdida conlleve dolor y , a veces, remordimiento. No nacemos para ser ángeles, sino seres humanos.”
“Siento que ahora tengo la cara mejor , que me gusta más . Al fin y al cabo , soy una persona más compleja y rica q a los veinticinco, cdo la ambición y los conflictos íntimos me dominaban y una capa superficial de sofisticación contradecía el interior. “
“Un rostro sin líneas , sin trazas de lo que ha vivido en su larga vida sugiere un vacío, una carencia vital.”
“Ahora mi interior se refleja en mi aspecto y estoy más a fuego conmigo misma . En cierto sentido , doy más joven porque puedo asumir la vulnerabilidad, y más inocente porque no tengo que fingir .”
“ Mi padre tenía la teoría de que las mejores obras del mundo suelen ser cosa de los patitos feos, que al final se vuelven cisnes, pero tardan en arrancar .”
“A veces , un pequeño detalle puede cambiar el color un día entero .”
“ Cuando una tarea se nos antoja imposible, hay que emprenderla de inmediato, sin dejar que el miedo o el pánico se apoderen de nuestros esfuerzos.”
¿ Por qué es tan mágica la luz que atraviesa las hojas ?
“ La falsa modestia es tan mala como la arrogancia.”
“ Creo que nuestra principal responsabilidad consisten cambiar para mejor no a los demás , sino a nosotros mismos .”
“El perdón no se alcanza sin comprensión, y la comprensión requiere, en primer lugar , una honestidad dolorosa y , en segundo, la capacidad de despegarse de nuestro yo para mirar con dureza y sin autocompasión la causa de un comportamiento violento .”
¿ Y cómo es posible manejar esa violencia que llevamos dentro? De un modo u otro, debemos hallar el camino, religioso o no, para volver a santificar la vida. Sólo de esa modo será posible enfrentarse a lo peor, y aun así, soportarlo y sanarlo en nuestro interior.”
“Puede que las aventuras sean para los aventureros, pero la casa es el lugar donde las cosas reales se siembran y cosechan; donde, en última instancia, suceden.”
“¿ Por qué las personas incapaces de mostrar sus emociones suponen que eso es una fortaleza y no una debilidad?¿ Por qué la ética humana tiende a admirar la reserva , la contención del ser, y no la apertura y la voluntad de entrega?Mostrarse vulnerable siempre está bajo sospecha”
“El futuro acude a nosotros para encontrarse con nuestro pasado a cada momento del presente inmediato. (..) Supongo que por eso nunca dejamos de pensar en nuestros padres, y llegamos a conocerlos mejor mucho después de su muerte que cuando ellos están vivos .”
“Siempre he creído - o al menos, eso me parece-que debemos vivir como si estuviéramos muriendo, porque entonces las prioridades se vuelven claras .”
“ El otro día le dije: ‘ Contigo me siento en paz .’ Hay mucha gente con quien me gusta estar , pero a muy pocos les diría eso. “
“ Las personas desfavorecidas lo son porque nunca han encontrado sus dones, o bien porque se encuentran con que sus verdaderos dones no son aceptados.”
“Todos debemos perder la inocencia para crecer, aunque esa pérdida conlleve dolor y , a veces, remordimiento. No nacemos para ser ángeles, sino seres humanos.”
“Siento que ahora tengo la cara mejor , que me gusta más . Al fin y al cabo , soy una persona más compleja y rica q a los veinticinco, cdo la ambición y los conflictos íntimos me dominaban y una capa superficial de sofisticación contradecía el interior. “
“Un rostro sin líneas , sin trazas de lo que ha vivido en su larga vida sugiere un vacío, una carencia vital.”
“Ahora mi interior se refleja en mi aspecto y estoy más a fuego conmigo misma . En cierto sentido , doy más joven porque puedo asumir la vulnerabilidad, y más inocente porque no tengo que fingir .”
“ Mi padre tenía la teoría de que las mejores obras del mundo suelen ser cosa de los patitos feos, que al final se vuelven cisnes, pero tardan en arrancar .”
“A veces , un pequeño detalle puede cambiar el color un día entero .”
“ Cuando una tarea se nos antoja imposible, hay que emprenderla de inmediato, sin dejar que el miedo o el pánico se apoderen de nuestros esfuerzos.”
¿ Por qué es tan mágica la luz que atraviesa las hojas ?
“ La falsa modestia es tan mala como la arrogancia.”
“ Creo que nuestra principal responsabilidad consisten cambiar para mejor no a los demás , sino a nosotros mismos .”
“El perdón no se alcanza sin comprensión, y la comprensión requiere, en primer lugar , una honestidad dolorosa y , en segundo, la capacidad de despegarse de nuestro yo para mirar con dureza y sin autocompasión la causa de un comportamiento violento .”
¿ Y cómo es posible manejar esa violencia que llevamos dentro? De un modo u otro, debemos hallar el camino, religioso o no, para volver a santificar la vida. Sólo de esa modo será posible enfrentarse a lo peor, y aun así, soportarlo y sanarlo en nuestro interior.”
“Puede que las aventuras sean para los aventureros, pero la casa es el lugar donde las cosas reales se siembran y cosechan; donde, en última instancia, suceden.”
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