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Summary: Yet Another Entry in the Personal Memoir Genre
Review: Anderson's husband announced one day that they must move because he has changed jobs. She is fifty years old and refuses to move with him. Instead she retreats for a year of inner exploration, to their summer cottage on Cape Cod. There she learns to take risks - swimming with the seals; spending a solitary night on a sand bar; working in a local fish market and learning to dig for clams in order to make money to pay for a new hot water heater for the cottage. Along the way she befriends a couple of locals, and learns the need for adventure, wonder and joy in her life. At the end her husband re-joins her in order to retire to the cottage on the Cape. But all I could think about was how nice and convenient that her husband was still there waiting for her, after her year of solitude. She tells us nothing about their interaction together during their year of separation, other than a Christmas visit and a couple of very brief phone conversations. Surely they must have spent time talking about their marriage and their future together. But we, the reader are given no inkling of it. The husband just reappears again at the end, ready to resume the marriage.(He is a very shadowy character throughout the book, never fully fleshed out) This omission from the book, of the process of re-ordering a long marriage was a disappointment to me, although I realize this was Anderson's story.
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Summary: provocative look at herself and her relationships
Review: Joan's style conveys images and thoughts that set me thinking and keep me coming back to my thoughts. She uses few words to establish an image that I could really relate to. The title "A Year by the Sea" gives the impression of a period of time that is long enough to provide a cycle of growth. She includes in her story the tidal cycle which is too short for the growth and understanding that she is seeking. She makes the reader get in her corner and want to get to know her.
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Summary: Lovely
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It showed that a woman during mid-life can change her attitude and her aspirations to become the person she was meant to be -not the one society tells her to be.
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Summary: A reality chk for women;a road map for the men who love them
Review: A wife immobilized by a marriage in crisis stops time in a self-prescribed year of isolation. The epiphany she experiences brings not only a solution but a life to be lived outside herself. A YEAR BY THE SEA is the story of a courageous woman; it is a fast read, a real page-turner. It is a reality check for women and a road map for the men who love them.
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Summary: Proud to be an "unfinished woman"
Review: This is the best book I've read in a long time. I was feeling a little lost the week that I happened to find this book and it totally changed my attitude. So many pages had at least one sentence if not more, that echoed exactly how I felt. I no longer feel alone in my thoughts and I am now proud to be an "unfinished woman." Thank you to the author for sharing her experiences!
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Summary: a must-read for women over 50
Review: Not to stereotype our group, but this was really a life-affirming book. I loved her style of writing and found much to think about even if I didn't get to spend a year in the Cape. (I only get a week each year!) I think we can all find our own solutions to fulfillment later on in life if we don't forget to be a little adventurous like Joan was. I gave this book to a couple of friends who loved it as well.
Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: This was a quick, quick, read. It took a matter of hours only. Could be done in one sitting. I enjoyed this, but I wanted to know more about the relationships she developed; especially the relationship with herself. I think we all secretly wish we could run away and do like she did - but it's so nice to live vicariously through her.
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Summary: This book made me long for a year by the sea myself...
Review: This autobiographical work describes a year's separation of a middle aged woman from her husband. She doesn't know if she wants to continue being married to him, but she does know that she needs some time to herself and that some changes are needed in their lives. She moves into the family cottage by the sea for a year, while he takes a new position at some distance (the fight that started the separation). She has some small income as a writer and he will pay the mortgage, but otherwise, she's going to be living simply on a small budget. She finds time to reflect on her self and her life and develop a better relationship with nature and herself.
I think this book is really written more for middle aged married women who have led traditional lives and long for more -- I don't fall in this category but I enjoyed it nevertheless. There are no profound insights but perhaps this will help someone make some changes in her own life (it's definitely a woman's book). The effect it had on me was to envy her the luxury of taking a year off and living in such a great place (Cape Cod), even if she did have to take some jobs to pay some bills. Still, she managed to make working in a shop sound like a great adventure.
This would be a great book for a discussion group, I think. It would certainly generate some lively conversations.
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Summary: Loved Joan Anderson's Writing!
Review: I do not agree with any negative reviews of this book. It is a short, easy read and I feel that Joan has put into words what many of us woman feel, especially during mid-life. I often wonder when my children are grown, what my role will be. As my children now are in school full-time, I felt the need to find my role during the day after the toddler stage was over. I am enrolling full-time in school myself to finish my degree! I understand and greatly appreciate Joan putting these confusing feelings into a beautifully written book. It let me know that as my life evolves and changes, it is okay to be a bit confused and take a breather to figure it all out! We are not expected to always know all the answers.
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Summary: Proud to be an "unfinished woman"
Review: How many of us have wished for a year of solitude with Nature in order to reflect, learn and grow. By reading this little book, we can at least share Anderson's experiences. So many of her thoughts and emotions reflect what many of us feel, especially at that age and point in life. Kids are grown and have become independent, our traditional role in life is over and we're not quite sure where we belong anymore. Excellent read!
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