 | By: Judith Viorst Binding: Hardcover Publisher: Simon & Schuster ISBN: 0684832372 ISBN-13: 9780684832371 Released: 24 Sep 1996 RRP: Average Rating:  |
Each poem deserves its own comment, but I would exceed my word quota if I did that.
Let me see if I can group them a bit for you. Some of the poems focus on how things have changed with age. "Wild Thing" is a good example, which lists a lot of things the author does when she's feeling wild -- like "I didn't bother flossing before bedtime." "Second Marriage" is the tale of a widow & widower whose family situations keep them from following their hearts. "To a Middle-Aged Friend Considering Adultery" advises the woman in question to give up the idea of a young male lover. It won't last & it's not worth it.
She also finds plenty to be pleased about in being 50. In "Exercising Options," she skips alll of the strenuous exercises in favor of floating on her back in a pool. In "Happiness," many simple blessings like good health turn out to be the most enduring sources of happiness.
Children are never far out of the picture. The brief joy of the empty nest quickly evaporates as they alll return to stay (some with spouse or children in tow) in "They're Back." "How Can People Want to Bring Children into This Terrible World" is a poetic discussion with a daughter-in-law about the author's desire to have a grandchild. There's always an edge of unsettled concern in these. For example, in "You Say You Want to Know How the Children Are Doing" is a litany of superficial updates on great numbers of children ending in the lament, "But what does it mean?" She has advice for her son in how to answer his wife's question about does he love her in "Some Advice from a Mother to Her Married Son."
Other poems are filled with hope & are forward looking. In "Before I Go," she tells how she'd "like to make things better." She aspires to be a "Sexy Old Lady" in the poem by that name at 80 with "my sexy old husband nestled beside me in bed."
The book's tone is perhaps best captured by "Pleasures of an Ordinary Life" in which she praises having "a long history & connections" with other people.
Judith Viorst is as gentle a guide as you can find into the land of the 50s. You'll enjoy your birthday & the decade more if you read & draw upon her wit & wisdom. It'll help you overcome your misconception stallls about what's next.
Each poem deserves its own comment, but I would exceed my word quota if I did that.
Let me see if I can group them a bit for you. Some of the poems focus on how things have changed with age. "Wild Thing" is a good example, which lists a lot of things the author does when she's feeling wild -- like "I didn't bother flossing before bedtime." "Second Marriage" is the tale of a widow & widower whose family situations keep them from following their hearts. "To a Middle-Aged Friend Considering Adultery" advises the woman in question to give up the idea of a young male lover. It won't last & it's not worth it.
She also finds plenty to be pleased about in being 50. In "Exercising Options," she skips alll of the strenuous exercises in favor of floating on her back in a pool. In "Happiness," many simple blessings like good health turn out to be the most enduring sources of happiness.
Children are never far out of the picture. The brief joy of the empty nest quickly evaporates as they alll return to stay (some with spouse or children in tow) in "They're Back." "How Can People Want to Bring Children into This Terrible World" is a poetic discussion with a daughter-in-law about the author's desire to have a grandchild. There's always an edge of unsettled concern in these. For example, in "You Say You Want to Know How the Children Are Doing" is a litany of superficial updates on great numbers of children ending in the lament, "But what does it mean?" She has advice for her son in how to answer his wife's question about does he love her in "Some Advice from a Mother to Her Married Son."
Other poems are filled with hope & are forward looking. In "Before I Go," she tells how she'd "like to make things better." She aspires to be a "Sexy Old Lady" in the poem by that name at 80 with "my sexy old husband nestled beside me in bed."
The book's tone is perhaps best captured by "Pleasures of an Ordinary Life" in which she praises having "a long history & connections" with other people.
Judith Viorst is as gentle a guide as you can find into the land of the 50s. You'll enjoy your birthday & the decade more if you read & draw upon her wit & wisdom. It'll help you overcome your misconception stallls about what's next.
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