Rating: 
Summary: Not your sweet Grandma
Review: "Humor and beauty"? "Rebellious," "cynical," and "depressing" seem to me to describe these selections more accurately. Oh, I suppose a few of them are all right. But this is definitely not like the light stuff my grandma found so appealing in Erma Bombeck. After reading about half a dozen of these pieces, I'd had quite enough, thank you.
Rating:
Summary: Not your sweet Grandma
Review: "Humor and beauty"? "Rebellious," "cynical," and "depressing" seem to me to describe these selections more accurately. Oh, I suppose a few of them are all right. But this is definitely not like the light stuff my grandma found so appealing in Erma Bombeck. After reading about half a dozen of these pieces, I'd had quite enough, thank you.
Rating: 
Summary: Afraid of Growing Old? Read this book...Don't read this book
Review: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" the opening line from "A Tale of Two Cities" could well describe this book. If you are afraid of growing old, read this book. If you are afraid of growing old, DON'T read this book. I loved it! It made me laugh (Especially the short story "The trouble was Meals" I hated it! It was depressing, well, maybe poignant and sad would be better choice of words.It is an anthology, a collective from different contributors. Some are great, some did not suite me. At times it made me feel how hard it will be to grow old and the difficulty of life as an older woman. Then again, I found it wonderful when I found the message... " Lighten up and enjoy life while you are still able and healthy" And yes I agree with another reviewer that "...women of all ages can and should enjoy life to the fullest; but at times it will make you sigh. More often it will make you think, and I guarantee it will make you smile! I sent the book to my intellectual 50+ sister, I knew she would love it. I didn't send it to my sensitive younger sister, I knew it would upset her. I gave a copy to my well-read best friend on her 50th and she loved it. I would NEVER give it to my 80+ mother, she'd be depressed for weeks. If you give it as a gift, read it first! As for me, since I read it, I find my 52-year-old self, wearing a little more purple!
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful poems and stories of elders
Review: As a gerontology professor I use this as a text for classes in aging and personality. It is exquisite. Provocative. The students think about aging - grapple with its many dimensons, and most importantly find themselves in this part of life. Poignant, humorous, sad, and magical poems and tales of our elders. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: Don't buy it as a present...
Review: I bought this for my Mom based on the recommendations here and elsewhere. She accused me of trying to convince her to suicide. Apparently the tales are not particularly uplifting, but rather talk about the difficulty of life as an older woman. Whoops!
Rating:
Summary: I shall wear purple as My Badge of Experience
Review: I first found this provacative, yet accessible collection at a local book store when I was 19. Now, I am 26, and I still cherish the prose and pictures of women's life cycles and women's power. I only hope to live to grow so gracefully bold.
Rating:
Summary: I shall wear purple as My Badge of Experience
Review: I first found this provacative, yet accessible collection at a local book store when I was 19. Now, I am 26, and I still cherish the prose and pictures of women's life cycles and women's power. I only hope to live to grow so gracefully bold.
Rating:
Summary: Recognizing the Changes in the Lives of Women
Review: I found this book to be an important anthology of the changes that woman face as they grow older. Poignant stories and poetry make this book a must for those who enjoy the more philosophical side of the aging process as it pertains to women. It is not for those who are looking for a "good read" but, more for those who are willing to put some thought into what they are reading.
Rating:
Summary: My mother looks great in purple.
Review: I gave this book to my mother on her 75th birthday - she will be eighty soon, and refers to the title everytime she does something out of the ordinary, like gardening in the rain, line-dancing, wearing jeans while watching the sun set in Key West, riding in my convertible with the top down right after she had her hair "done", etc. I just bought two copies for my aunts who are in their eighties, and would never dream of doing what their "baby sister" does. Maybe they'll lighten up and enjoy life while they are still able and healthy. This book encourages women of all ages to enjoy life to the fullest.
Rating:
Summary: This book helped me deal with the loss of my mother.
Review: I loved the poems and stories in this book. They seemed to capture so accurately the way I feel about growing older. Sometimes I feel sad or angry or frightened but then, just like some of the women in the stories, I feel like I am so much freer than when I was younger. I especially love Jenny Joseph's poem. My mother always loved purple. We read this poem at her funeral and everyone laughed and cried at the same time. I keep this book by my bedside and refer to it over and over.
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