Books for Prep | |
 - Grown ups have more funI loved this wise and witty book so much I give it to every woman friend or family member when she turns 40. That is the age when she needs to know that everything that went before - the anxiety, the insecurity - was preparation for the best of life, which comes after. Hang American advertising. Youth is not what is great, maturity is. Rating: - Succinct, Sage, Rational, and FunnyHow many books do you buy more than once? I give this book to my girlfriends who just need to relax and release the need for drama. It is an undaunting size and has layered in it wisdom that grounds you and puts you at peace with who you have become. I am a man, and I can tell this book was written with a woman in mind, but I believe it can teach/help/entertain any gender or age. So buy a few for you and the ones you love. Rating:  - Gentle, Playful, and PoeticWhen I first picked-up *The Art of Growing Up*, I randomly opened it and the first line my eyes fell on said "Decide once and for all never to apologize for your age". I knew then that I was going to like this book. A small and elegant little tome filled with gentle and playful reminders that there is poetry in ageing if only we use the wisdom of our years to accept it, as well as dance with it. The more we fret over the years we rack up, the harder we make things on ourselves. Just because you are a woman of a...ahem....certain age...doesn't mean you can no longer embrace whimsy, swathe yourself in color, seek out adventure, or dream big dreams. It is a time to write your own myths, savor your gifts, revel in your mysteries, and stop dwelling on clich?s. This book is sprinkled generously with lovely black and white photographs that include women of all ages and contains ten chapters all beginning with "The Art of....". Each chapter ends with a list, which thrills a consummate, and sometimes rather obsessive, list-maker like myself. A couple of my favorite lines are: "Use long words around short people. Teach a five-year-old to say 'facetious'" and "Be the designated observer of both grief and wonder". This would make an excellent gift for women friends, even those still in their twenties - give them a taste of what they have to look forward to rather than dread. Rating: - Encouraging!!!As so many other young women, I dread growing old and losing IT (if I have it, otherwise losing the possibility of ever getting IT). However, after reading this book I felt much calmer on the subject. The author speaks to the reader like a friend, and teaches that there are many ages in a woman's life, where different styles and attitudes are appropriate. Old can be chic! Young does not necessarily equal chic! Rating: - Will Read it Over and Over AgainThis is the first book I have read by Veronique Vienne and I will surley read more. I am 43 and many of the things Ms. Vienne wrote about I believe. It will be a book I will refer to often. I plan to give copies to my "40 and over friends" I'm not sure my younger then 40 friends will apprecitate just yet, or maybe its just that I want to keep this book special between the 40 and over crowd. The photography by her daughter Jeanne Lipsey is done beautifuly. I woud love to have some of her prints even. In association with Amazon.com | |