Customer Reviews

The Juicy Tomatoes Guide to Ripe Living after 50

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

 

 

There is something especially rewarding about reading a non-fiction book that has you just nodding your head in agreement throughout. The book jacket says it's about life after 50, a point I haven't reached yet, from the female perspective, a point I'm not aiming at. It is that, but it's more. It's about life in general, and you'll want to read it straight through, guaranteed. Honest, wise, humor which is totally unforced, and a very easy-to-read style that only comes from a writer who works as hard as possible to ensure the reader isn't aware she's worked at all. I've been assembling a little "reference shelf" of books that I won't sell to the local used bookshops. This book is on that shelf.

I'm not quite fifty yet, but I knew I had to read this book after Susan interviewed me for her chapter, Take Care of Those Tootsies. The chapters dedicated to medical problems in women over fifty are short, smart and funny. Susan Swartz is able to bring humor to difficult subjects. "Make the Damned Appointment" is how she starts these chapters and this tone is carried throughout her book. I love the short chapters, the tips listed in the columns and the humor injected into the absurd things women deal with throughout life. I would recommend this book not only to ALL women over fifty, but also to women approaching fifty.

Here's a new image of the 50+ age woman: someone who enjoys her lushness and gets the most out of life. Here experience is an asset and women's power is touted as a strength, not something to be ashamed of. THE JUICY TOMATOES GUIDE TO RIPE LIVING AFTER 50 uses the biographical sketches of women who live this ideal to demonstrate how the best years can be lived after 50.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

This is the kind of practical, fun to read and inspiring book that reminds us of our ripe side.

In sharing it with friends and suggesting it at associations of professional women when I speak at their annual conferences I always suggest that they find a good woman friend and read sections out loud to each other (been such a rich experience for me)- to reinforce in each other that we can all be scouts (and share what we discover) for the adventures and contributions we can create for these next chapters of our life stories - as we choose to live them.

Kudos to Susan... and when is your next book coming out?!

I really wanted to like this book, but it was a bit too cutesy for me. I felt a bit patronized, not inspired, by the tone. That said, there is some great advice and inspiration in here, and so I did take a few good thoughts out of it. But I felt I had to cruise the produce aisles (ie, pages of the book) so to speak, to squeeze out the gems. Get it from the library or a friend if you can; save your money and spend it on something else to make you feel fab after 50.

This is a fine book to read in in small bites in waiting rooms, on a lunch break, or in a cafe. Upbeat and sensible advice about mastering middle age is offered in short, chapters and sidebars, a lot like web-page layout. Swartz manages to make aging sound like fun, a rare treasure when so many books bum me out with their third-trimester-of-life, winding down for the big ending approach.

This was a fun, ego boosting read. I actually bought three books in anticipation of my 50th birthday and they were all good but this one made me laugh out loud.

It also made me realize that 50 is just the second chapter of my life, not the ending.

This is an entry level book into the world of aging for women. A little more science and a little less warm and cuddly would be better.

This book was purchased as a gift for a woman turning 50 this year. She received it just before her birthday and loves what she's read so far. She said it gave her a wonderful perspective on turning 50.

I haven't had a chance to fully review the book yet, it's something I purchased that my group of now-over-50 ladies can share together. The only thing that was a bit of a disappointment is though the book is new, the spine was somewhat bent. I've had this problem with other books I've ordered before, from various sellers. It's only a big problem when I buy the book to give as a gift; it's not to classy to give a damaged book. This has occured even when the books are shipped in sturdy boxes.