Forward From Here: Leaving Middle Age--and Other Unexpected Adventures

Additional Forward From Here: Leaving Middle Age--and Other Unexpected Adventures Information

Age is only one of many subjects that Reeve writes about with perception and insight. In northern Vermont, nature is an integral part of daily life, especially on a farm. Whether it is the arrival and departure of certain birds in spring and fall, wandering turtles, or the springtime ritual of lambing, the natural world is a constant revelation.

With a wry sense of humor, Reeve contemplates the infirmities of the aging body, as well as the many new drugs that treat these maladies. Briefly considering the risks of drug dependency, she writes that "the least we [the "Sixties Generation"] can do for ourselves is live up to our mythology, and take lots of drugs." Legal drugs, that is -- although what sustains us as we grow older is not drugs but an appreciation for life, augmented by compassion, a sense of humor, and common sense.

And of course there is family -- especially with the Lindberghs. Reeve writes about discovering, thirty years after her father's death and two and a half years after her mother's, that her father had three secret families in Europe. She travels to meet them, learning to expand her self-understanding: "daughter of," "mother of," "sister of" -- sister of many more siblings than she'd known, in a family more complicated than even she had imagined.

Forward from Here is a brave book, a reflective book, a funny book -- a book that will charm and fascinate anyone on the journey from middle age to the uncertain future that lies ahead.

What Customers Say About Forward From Here: Leaving Middle Age--and Other Unexpected Adventures:

And by the way, I think I'm in love with your husband. I also enjoyed the humor especially in Chapter 17, "Living With the Dog". So true and the very last page of that chapter had me in tears from laughing so hard.Well done, Reeve. Thanks to the author for making me at least consider leaving middle age an unexpected adventure. What a jewel. These well-written essays about one person's life observations are very comforting, enjoyable and optimistic. That point of view will take a bit of getting used to, I'm afraid. I can relate to many of her experiences and thoughts and appreciate her sharing them.

It continues not abstractly but intimately, and it continues forever. upon this discovery,she then went to meet them--discovering that her new extendedfamily was far more complicated than she had ever imagined. as she entersthe period her mother once described as "the youth of oldage," the author details the many unexpected surprisesshe has encountered.Her observations were amusing at times, yet also oh-so-insightful--such as this one:* As I grew older and older, I got more used to the idea that death would happen to everybody, including me, but that in my case it would not happen for a very very very very long time. Helen Wolff came in without commotion and then sat quietly and drank her tea, like the well-behaved guest that she was. I usually try to read at least one book per week and, also, listento one book on tape or CD.

The dog came over to greet her, eventually, sniffing her hand and wagging his tail, probably grateful for her good manners. This is not quite true yet, but again, I think I may be getting there. She told me once that she felt it was better to let animals or children come to her, if they wished to, rather than the other way around.The part of FORWARD FROM HERE that most caught my attentionwas Lindbergh's account of how she discovered thirty years afterthe death of her father (famed aviator Charles Lindbergh) that he had three secret families in Europe. My experience has also made me understand that loss is inevitable, and that loss, too, continues forever, right along with love.I also liked what the author had to say about pets of all kinds. however, it was this observationabout her dog that especially caught my attention:* Many of our visitors, seeing that we had a dog, entered the house with loud voices and waving hands, making a noisy fuss over him.

it was difficult to find the time todo the listening while away, so this past week I instead managedto read a second book. I hope it takes me a while longer. This kind of behavior just caused the poor dog to slink off into a corner and stay there until the visitors left. its review follows:Turning sixty is something I can relate to, in that I'll be celebratingthat birthday next June.Anne Morrow Lindbergh in FORWARD FROM HERE describeshow she went through a similar experience. shedevotes two chapters to birds. I have learned over the years that I can do this, that love continues beyond loss.

By the time it happened, I hoped, I would be so old that it wouldn't bother me. There's no need to rush.As I journey on, I carry my lost loved ones with me: my sister, my mother, and all the others.

I've ordered others for my friends. This is one of the best books that I've ever read.

Of course this long-hidden aspect of Charles Lingbergh's otherwise much-celebrated life might well be the subject of a complete and probing book of its own, written not out of prurience but with the intent to better understand the puzzling psychological and emotional temperament involved. I found her UNDER A WING more tightly focused and thus, to me, more engaging; and NO MORE WORDS more frank and moving. --you want to know a bit about Reeve's reactions to her father Charles Lindbergh's three secret simultaneous mistresses and families. The book deals honestly but cheerfully with a generous handful of the standard challenges of ageing.

FORWARD FROM HERE will delight you if:--you remember with great fondness the writings of Reeve's mother, Anne Morrow. But Reeve Lindbergh will not, I think, be the one to write such a book. (The "Lone Eagle" indeed). Making allowances for the generational differences, their styles and subjects are similar: family, nature, the written word per se, etc.

We are also offered time-tested insights on matters such as parenting, reading, writing, and modern drugs(pro and con). --you have read and enjoyed Reeve's other books. But FORWARD FROM HERE has much of the charm of a lovely, simple dessert,what Anne Morrow Lindbergh called "something sweet at the end of the day." I was happy to have this book waiting at my bedside table for several nights, and only wished it a little longer.--you are actively engaged in "moving forward" from 60-plus.

I, too, am a woman of a certain age, a mother, grandmother, potential (me, not her) writer. What a pleasure to read. I'm recommending this for all my friends and if they don't buy it, they're getting a copy for their birthdays or Christmas/Chanukah. Her perspective on life, the natural world, her family just drew me in and I found myself wishing she were my friend.Thank you, Reeve, for a lovely reading experience. I am not quite finished with this Kindle book and the more I read it, the more I'm enjoying it. Lindbergh is a sensitive, thoughtful, writer and I can relate to her experiences on so many levels.