No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club

If you've ever wondered whether aging has any pluses, this is a must listen. Sian Phillips's throaty British accent portrays Marie Sharp, who is rapidly approaching 60 and is "infatuated with aging." She wants to avoid book clubs, living with the Masai, taking up paragliding, or taking on a young lover. She's delighted by free prescriptions, eye exams, and being a granny to little Gene. Memories of her path to maturity are interspersed with her growing wisdom, such as her developing appreciation for funerals, the celebration of lives lived well. Phillips has a strong, confident tone that captures Ironside's wry wit. Both author and narrator make listeners wonder at the fascinating perspectives herein and laugh aloud at the humor. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

December 11, 2006
In her first American release, London journalist Ironside slices
\t\t through the hullabaloo about reclaiming youth. On the cusp of 60, Marie begins
\t\t keeping a diary, and the approximately 18 months' worth of entries that make up
\t\t the narrative offer blunt appraisals of the state of the world, matters of
\t\t health and family, and the good and bad aspects of the Internet age (cut and
\t\t paste is good; booking travel online is bad). The major development is the
\t\t thrilling news Marie's going to be a grandmother, and plenty of smaller crises,
\t\t squabbles, life events and drama are contributed by her posse of goofball pals.
\t\t Widower Archie, whom Marie had a crush on when she was a teenager, is still
\t\t around, and Marie's friend Penny is on the brink of a fling with a man 30 years
\t\t her junior. After grandson Gene is born, Marie, of course, fawns over him,
\t\t though that happiness is mitigated by a friend's illness. Both humorous and
\t\t poignant, this will appeal to its target boomer demographic and should pull in
\t\t a few younger readers as well.