No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub [Import] [Paperback]

Virginia Ironside (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: Penguin; Open market e. edition (July 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014103114X
• ISBN-13: 978-0141031149
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,114,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 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
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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.

29 of 29 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.