As We Are Now: A Novel (Paperback)

by May Sarton (Author) "I am not mad, only old..." (more)
Key Phrases: Miss Spencer, Richard Thornhill, State Hospital

Editorial Reviews

Review
A brief, strong statement. . . . A convincing record of evil done and good intentions gone astray. . . . A powerful indictment. (Ellen Douglas -New York Times Book Review )

May Sarton has never been better than she is in this beautiful, harrowing novel about being old, unwanted, yet refusing to give up. . . . The problems of old age have been detailed by sociologists but only a novel as searching and deeply felt as this one can bring them so close to the bone. (Margaret Manning -Boston Globe )

Product Description
A novel in the form of a diary, this story tells of Caroline Spencer, a 76-year-old retired schoolteacher who has suffered a heart attack and been deposited by relatives in an old people's home. Subjected to subtle humiliations and petty cruelties, she fights back with all she has, and in a powerful climax wins a terrible victory. "I shared the anger and the righteous indignation which I felt behind every line."--Madeleine L'Engle. Reissue.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (October 17, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393309576
• ISBN-13: 978-0393309577
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,216 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dignity Within, March 8, 2002

By	"naia1" (HI, United States) - See all my reviews

I have long admired May Sarton's willingness to tackle tough subjects that deal with the inner reality of her characters as they face issues or things about themselves that are not always pleasant. One of my favorite works for example is A Reckoning, in which a woman comes to terms with her own premature dying. Here in As We Are Now, however, Sarton pushes past even her own limits to probe an issue that festers behind the scenes of our youth-obsessed culture - the relegation of the elderly to rest homes, nursing facilities and sanitariums; any place in short where the rest of society doesn't have to see or think about them. What makes Sarton's book such an achievement is how she is able to depict the sordidness and relentless oppression experienced by her main character Caro, while infusing her at the same time with a dignity and strength of character that transcends the worst the situation can dish out. The triumph of the novel is that in the end, we come to see Caro not as an elderly woman, but as a woman infused with a light of her own making.

The story begins with Caro being placed in a rest home by her older brother. Caro has had a heart attack and can no longer live in her own home, and the older brother's younger wife can't handle having Caro live with them. Unfortunately, or perhaps predictably, the rest home is little more than a holding tank where the residents are treated like mentally deficient children, and any attempt to buck the system results in punishment. The most disturbing aspect of the whole thing, however, is that Caro is perceptive, bright and very much alive. A former teacher with students who still write her, she reads and studies poetry, observes and comments astutely on her fellow residents, and replays her favorite music in her mind to keep herself busy. As a reader you want someone to do something, for some long lost relative to appear, a former student to offer a haven, or the visiting minister to report the abominable conditions. Only slowly do you, like Caro, become resigned to the fact that this is what happens to the elderly in our society, and come to realize that the only escape will forged within and by herself.

That Sarton has managed to give her character dignity, that the novel stands as a testament to the strength and beauty of the human spirit rather than a condemnation of society, is remarkable. This book should be read by anyone who has or will be faced with the issue of aging - in other words by everyone.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and moving, March 10, 2002

By	"blissengine" (Norfolk, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Caroline Spencer is an aging schoolteacher who gets placed in a caregiver's home by her family. She is soon faced with the fact that her caregiver Harriet Hatfield is not unlike a jailer, though she probably means well. Caro is subjected daily to petty cruelties and subtle humiliations, and she almost succumbs to actually taking the tranquilizers she's brought. She keeps a journal to retain her faculties and as a last defense against infirmity. When a married woman temporarily helps out around the home, Caro learns the true nature of love, late in her life. Harriet finds Caro's journal and nearly destroys Caro's morale, but this only drives Caro into a last act of defiance and release. This is the second Sarton book I've read; the first being "Mrs Stevens Hears The Mermaids Singing" (#95 of the 100 Best Lesbian & Gay Novels). Her writing is superb and so beautiful. "As We Are Now" is her indictment against the treatment of the elderly and a brilliant book about growing old and struggling to cling to the world. Kate Millett's memoir "Mother Millett" also deals with the treatment of the elderly in this country, and it's sad to see that it hasn't changed much.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gifted and talented writer, January 20, 2002

By	M. E. Gallant (Maine) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: As We Are Now: A Novel (Hardcover)

May Sarton's protrayal of an elderly schoolteacher entering a nursing home, stripped of her dignity and privacy is heartwrenching. I loved the book and found myself questioning the way we ignore our aging population. The author pointed out that people spend years in nursing homes and become shells of what they were. They retreat into despair and decline only because they are ignored from others. It is so sad and yet there is so much truth to the way we shune our elderly population