No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club: Diary of a Sixtieth Year [Hardcover]

Virginia Ironside (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2007

A delightful novel about letting go of youth and embracing the sassy curmudgeon within

Don’t harass her about parasailing or taking Italian language courses. Forget about suggesting she join a gym. Marie Sharp may be a little creaky in the bones as she heads toward the big 6-0, but she’s fine with it. She would rather do without all the moving-to-Florida-bicycling-across- Mongolia-for-the-hell-of-it hoopla that her friends insist upon. She’s already led an exciting life: She came of age in the 1960s, after all. Now, with both a new grandchild and a new man on the horizon, all she wants to do is make the most of what she considers the most interesting stage of her life. In this wonderfully astute novel based on the author’s own experiences, No! I Don’t Want to Join a Book Club is the funny—and often poignant—fictionalized diary of an older woman . . . a decade or two past her prime and content to leave it all behind her. So don’t tell her to take a gourmet cooking class, and whatever you do, don’t you dare tell her to join a book club. Fresh and truly unique, moving gracefully on in years has never been more hilarious than in this forthright grandma’s take on the “third phase” of life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her first American release, London journalist Ironside slices through the hullabaloo about reclaiming youth. On the cusp of 60, Marie begins keeping a diary, and the approximately 18 months' worth of entries that make up the narrative offer blunt appraisals of the state of the world, matters of health and family, and the good and bad aspects of the Internet age (cut and paste is good; booking travel online is bad). The major development is the thrilling news Marie's going to be a grandmother, and plenty of smaller crises, squabbles, life events and drama are contributed by her posse of goofball pals. Widower Archie, whom Marie had a crush on when she was a teenager, is still around, and Marie's friend Penny is on the brink of a fling with a man 30 years her junior. After grandson Gene is born, Marie, of course, fawns over him, though that happiness is mitigated by a friend's illness. Both humorous and poignant, this will appeal to its target boomer demographic and should pull in a few younger readers as well. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Marie Sharp is about to turn 60, and unlike many of her peers, she has no interest in taking up paragliding or living for three months with a Masai tribe in Africa. She's intent on accepting this new phase of her life, which brings with it the freedom to do old things, such as getting a pension and free prescriptions and, as her neighbor helpfully points out, "tekkin' it eezee, man." Marie, in fact, has such an easygoing attitude toward aging that her friends are constantly inviting her out to dinner and on vacation. She's also excited about becoming a grandmother and babysitting for her grandchild, who has "the air of a very clean goblin" given to "laughing rather inappropriately." And though Marie has declared herself done with romantic entanglements, there's a very kind old friend, recently widowed, who has a crush on her. For Marie, old age is looking pretty wonderful. Ironside is pretty wonderful herself, offering a witty and, at times, poignant depiction of the challenges and freedoms that come with getting older. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (April 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670038180
• ISBN-13: 978-0670038183
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,118,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I'm old and I'm proud.", April 24, 2007

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club: Diary of a Sixtieth Year (Hardcover)

Londoner Marie Sharp is the irascible and sarcastic narrator of "No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club," by Virginia Ironside. Marie is a retired art teacher who lives alone and is about to turn sixty, an age that she embraces eagerly. The book, in the form of a diary, gives cranky Marie a forum in which to record her daily activities, thoughts, social encounters, and especially, her gripes. She has a great many gripes. She detests being told that sixty is young, and that it is the perfect time to go to university, try bungee jumping, and learn a new language. Why bother to learn a new language when you will have so few years left in which to speak it? What's great about being old is that it is too late to do much of anything. How liberating!

Marie can be nasty when she chooses, but she has a soft side, as well, which she is reluctant to show. She cares for her family and treasures her circle of friends. Although she has sworn off men, there is a small part of Marie that still years for male companionship. She is a multi-faceted individual: hilarious, profane, critical, and outrageous, but also kind, compassionate, and loving.

"No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club" is touching, witty, and often lyrical. It is a cathartic reading experience for those who are sick and tired of being pigeonholed because of their age. Old people come in all shapes, sizes, and dispositions. They may choose to vegetate or to stay active, to fuss about their health or to ignore it, to bond with friends and family or to retreat from society. There is no one-size fits all rule book for aging.

Ironside's secondary characters include assorted "girlfriends," a gay couple facing a medical crisis, a former crush whom Marie still fancies, and her adorable new grandchild. Marie faces grief, joy, and the inevitable changes that life brings with self-confidence, uncompromising honesty, and a down-to-earth sense of proportion that may stem from, well, growing old.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bridget Jones for the 60-somethings, May 6, 2007

By 

bookloverFLA (south of Sarasota FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club: Diary of a Sixtieth Year (Hardcover)

Finally a book I can read without wanting to throw it at the wall. I can't tell you how many books (new pubs)I've started and put down because they were just awful.
This one is real with good writing and even though I'm not almost 60-something it was highly enjoyable.
It didn't even have the requisite (lately) graphic sex scene, thank God.
When Hugh Grant gets to be 59 he can play Archie.
I'm not a great reviewer, let those who can write write. Just get the book and read it.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, humorous and upbeat, May 28, 2007

By 

ndenim (OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club: Diary of a Sixtieth Year (Hardcover)

diary of a woman, Marie Sharp, celebrating the pleasures of finally being 60 and all the perks that go with having arrived. The author even has a new acronym to go with it: SWELL (Sixty, Well Off and Enjoying Life). No bungee jumping, adventure travels or book clubs for Marie. She just wants to savor 'acting' her age and spending time with her first grandchild. This diary of her 60th year begins shortly before her 60th birthday and continues into the summer of the following year. Marie and her friends are a lively group and it is a pleasure spending time with them. An added bonus is that Marie lives in London and it is fun reading about her journeys around town. While this book is fiction, there is a lot of wisdom included as Marie shares her thoughts with us about the joys of being true to ourselves and where we are at in our life as she gracefully (yeah, right!) ages. Marie is feisty as can be and asking no forgiveness for it as age has its privileges. And, to add to the fun, she has decided that another advantage of age is to embrace celibacy -- so much less stress in her life not worrying about the dating scene. Not wanting to tell all, you will have to read the book to find out the ultimate resolution. This book needs a sequel. Recommended.