A wry take on getting older
A wry look at getting older, No! I don't want to join a book club is the diary of the 60th year of (fictional) Marie Sharp, a retired teacher. As she approaches her 60th birthday, friends and acquaintances give all kinds of advice about how she can productively spend her retirement years--learn a new language, travel, etc. Marie will have none of it--she's tired of being productive and ready to relax and enjoy being old. She is a bit taken aback when she learns she is to be a grandmother, but her fears that she might not love this child prove groundless--she adores this little one and (like most of us grandmothers) bore her friends silly with her stories.
Both amusing and sad (when her good friend, Hughie, must cope with serious illness), London author Virginia Ironside has provided an entertaining yet thoughtful take on aging and death in our culture. Thoroughly enjoyed the book, even though I love my book club.
