Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake
Publication Date: April 24, 2012
Pages: 208
I want to be Anna Quindlen when I grow up.
Seriously. Have you ever sat and listened to her speak? After reading her new memoir I made it a point to listen to her on
NPR's Fresh Air yesterday and by the end of the segment I wanted to move East and live in her shadow. Seriously. This woman is everything I could hope to be.
Her new book,
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake (love that title!) is a memoir about growing old gracefully. She covers all sorts of topics that could relate women of all ages. From "late in life" motherhood, to caring for ill and/or aging parents to her relationships with her girlfriends she shares with us her thoughts on life and what it means to be a woman on the brink of 60 in today's society. She even hits some harder hitting topics, like her decision to stop drinking and when her and her husband recently left the Catholic church. But every chapter, every topic is written with such honesty that it feels as if you are just two women sitting on a couch enjoying a cup of tea.
What I took away from this memoir is that now I know what wisdom looks like. Ms. Quindlen has certainly experienced a lot in her life and has learned a lot along the way. She was a pioneer in women's journalism and a best selling author while raising a family. While reading
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, I thought of my own mother who is close in age to Ms. Quindlen and of a similar background. And both women seem to have the same effect on me, being in their presence (if only on paper) makes me want to strive for more. How can that be a bad thing?
I wish I had heard her on that radio interview. I know that the audio version of the book, rad by Anna Quindlen, is being reviewed on The Book Report radio show(www.bookreportradio.com) on mothers day. I think that this book will sound great when read by the author
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