Customer Reviews

Defying Gravity: A Celebration of Late-Blooming Women

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Defying Gravity is one of the few books about midlife that combines realism with inspiration. Author Boyle interviewed twelve women who were determined to follow their dream, as we are so often advised to do. They didn't win lotteries or buy themselves new careers. They made choices, worked hard and won.

Perhaps most famous is the 70-year-old Mesa AIrlines flight attendant, who's been profiled in AARP magazine. She'd always wanted to fly and now that weight and vision restrictions are relaxed, she's up there having a ball. She began with a position as a gate agent, using those contacts to reach her ultimate goal.

Ironically, another woman had been a flight attendant, but realized she couldn't complete her college degree while flying. One person's dream is another's past life.

Rejected from the Peace Corps in her twenties, another woman finally made it to Eastern Europe as a business consultant. She describes in (literally) wrenching detail her struggle to meet the Peace corps health requirements, going so far as to have three healthy teeth pulled.

Academic dreams ranged from law school to a Seven Sisters college. They may have had to apply more than once, but once there, they excelled and rejoiced.

Twelve diverse dreams, all achieved by persistence, determination and sacrifice. They knew exactly what they wanted and remained focused. And they're all winners.

Author Boyle intersperses the stories with her own journal of writing the book. Rejected by fourteen publishers, she and her agent persisted. As a writer myself, I find these reports a little too close to home, but I'm very glad she persisted. And as a career consultant, I suggest that these women will be role models to those who can cling to a dream.

However, we shouldn't be too quick to say, "If they can do it, anyone can!" Women who find themselves adrift, whether through layoffs or their own internal shifts, rarely have a sense of what they want to do. Dreams can't be created in a workshop or even several months of coaching. They have a life of their own.

And women who have enjoyed successful careers often want to keep going rather than find new adventure or meaning. They aren't necessarily ready for sacrifice, yet when a job goes away and you're over-fifty, the system offers little help.

However, Defying Gravity does suggest a new way to think about the rest of a life: Soar to a dream. Reframe your next move as a great adventure. And, if you really want adventure, go for it!

"Defying Gravity" is a must read for any women "of a certain age" who yearns for a new career but thinks she's over the hill. Each chapter is a different story about a late blooming woman who went on to live out her dream. The author's ability to find the voice of each "late bloomer" as well as her own journal entries at the end of each chapter makes the book easy reading.

These are ordinary women, who after raising a family, working at other jobs, created careers beyond their wildest dreams, at forty, fifty even sixty years old.

Who should read this book? Anybody who has ever thought I'd love to... but I'm too old. Or anybody who just wants to read a good book.

As a perennial late bloomer, I now have documentation that my own dreams can come true, if I work for them.

I loved Defying Gravity because it had all the elements of a terrific book. It was a great read. I was moved to cry and laugh and most of all it inspired me! Prill's journal entries intertwined between the first person accounts of women's lives and accomplishments tied the whole thing together for me. Prill's honest account of her own life experiences is courageous and touching. Her ability to capture the sprit of these 12 women and share their stories is amazing. It's a beautiful book that I can't wait to share with my Mom, my sisters, and my cousins, friends and colleagues.

I would highly recommended this book to anyone regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, etc...

This is an incredible book about dreams, hope and struggling to achieve a better place in life. This is a book about real life women, who did not necessarily have the means or clarity initially in life to achieve or even conceive their dreams. It is a book of women who struggle like the rest of us to make sense of things and when they finally realized what it was that they wanted to achieve, they proceeded albeit slowly and late in life toward achieving their dreams.

The women that Boyle writes about and Boyle herself are all a true testament to what anyone in life can achieve if you follow your dreams, despite obstacles, age, circumstances or background. This is a wonderfully inspiring and motivating book!

I just finished reading Defying Gravity, A Celebration of Late-Blooming Women by Prill Boyle. It is a must read!! I loved every word. Prill Boyle interviewed wonderful women who actually did bloom, later in life than one would think possible. I was captured by the way the author presented the women. I laughed, I cried and I was given go power by her presentation of the fact that it is never to late to pursue your dream. Intertwined in the women's stories is Ms Boyle's journal of her growth while writing the book. I just cannot stress it enough. READ THIS BOOK!! You will be so glad you did.

As inspiring as all of the women are in her book, Prill Boyle openly shares herself with her readers throughout this wonderful book. This book could not have come at a better time in my life (or my sister's). At 43 yrs old I struggle with procrastination, fear, lack of focus (all that human stuff) as I work to develop a charity from scratch, get a degree in film and video production and learn to understand who I really am.

"Defying Gravity" - I defy anyone not to love this book! People's personal stories are always fascinating but when they are all gathered together in a common thread, such as this book, I am reminded how truly amazing we all are. This is a book of hope, of fulfilling your dreams, no matter at what time in your life. What a beautiful thing Prill Boyle has done to help people break the age barrier and just get on with living - at any age.
Reading about these fascinating, brave women, I felt as if I knew them all. The only reason I did not give this book five stars is because I didn't think Prill's own journal entries interspersed between these womens' stories were long and detailed enough. I wanted to hear more from her; about her own journey in writing this book and about her life. The bits and pieces she did share were beautiful. Thank you Prill and I hope this book hits the bestseller lists. It deserves to be.

Prill's expert interviewing skills and honest writing gives us a glimpse behind women who are successful. Who would know the struggles they have had, the obstacles they climbed over? Here women with very different dreams - from being a doctor to a writer to a peace corps volunteers - chart in detail how they achieved them. We are left with a blueprints that give us guidance, but most of all the courage to live our own dream.

In this eclectic collection of interviews and stories of "late blooming" women, the reader hears from across the spectrum about women who have pursued a dream, in spite of their age. Prill Boyle's writing style is friendly and the pages fly by, as she chronicles the juice she gets from her interviews. Between stories, her journal entries add perspective and sentiment as they serve to usher the reader between one person and the next. This book of true life tales is good for reading aloud.

Prill Boyles' book, "Defying Gravity" is inspirational and a must read for women of all ages. The women portrayed had courage, strength and a spirit to move forward in their lives, no matter what the obstacle. Ms. Boyle's gift in this book is to speak in their authentic voice, bringing out the true essence of the woman, a most difficult task. Ms. Boyle's writing flows and develops the character and story in a marvelous way. Hopefully the author will write about more powerful late bloomers soon!