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I won‘t stoop to calling her a “windbag” like one reviewer did. She was 89 when she wrote this. She‘s entitled to a bit of a droning on. My disappointment was in the lack of sharing about her editor days and bookish tidbits. But that fault lies with me; the book never promised that. Overall, glad to have read it. Yet, I can‘t quite recommend it. Left it in a Free Library stand with the hopes someone else loves it more than I did. ⬇️

A thought provoking memoir written just before the author‘s 89th birthday. Interesting takes on aging, feminism, and relationships.

Thank you @MrsMalaprop . Once again the right book at the right time. A delightful reassuring read for me. I would have loved to have met her. Such a delightful positive honest outlook. Reassuring for me right now at this stage of my life.

I discovered this memoir in a Little Free Library a year or so ago. At the time, with my own parents aging, I felt it may resonate. My dad has since died and my mum has been diagnosed with dementia.

It was written in 2008 when the author was 89. She reflects on her life & the losses and the gains that old age brings.

When I finished it today I looked her up & discovered she died in January this year at the age of 101!

I stayed up much too late finishing this book but did not want to continue it into another day. In about the last chapter she states: There are no lessons to be learned, no discoveries to be made, no solutions to offer. This is not surprisingly her view of herself upon reaching 89; makes me sad for her. The problem, IMO, is her poor insight into herself. She‘s 100 now. Hopefully, she has dug deeper,learned more & can now share her wisdom. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have been bailing on quite a few books lately. Its been hard to find books to compare to my philosophy books. I was excited, at first, about this one. Unfortunately, though, I do not agree with many of her life views. I think I am going to read it until the end though...unless, I get too disgusted. (Sigh)

Day 1 - #riotgrams #readingselfie @bookriot
It's Friday...hair up, jammies on, book in hand. Do I know how to party or what?

Love the straightforward no-nonsense voice in Diana Athill's memoir. Old age isn't written about all the much, so it is fascinating to read this account. Though I picked this up for research, I continue to find #insights on #life that keep me #reading.

A friend gave me this jewel of a book for my birthday. I liked Athill's wit and clear-eyed view of life in her eighties. Most of all I appreciated her message that despite the vagaries of aging, it's possible to be in the present moment and squeeze out every bit of joy life still has to offer.

A book that starts with a pack of pugs has got to be good, right? 😉 #firstlineofcurrentread #aprilbookshowers