Seasons of Her Life [Mass Market Paperback]

Fern Michaels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 1995

Ruby is determined to have a better life when she leaves her bitter childhood behind for post-World War II Washington, D.C. A job as a Navy secretary soon blossoms into love and marriage. The life of a military wife turns out to be harsher and lonelier than Ruby bargained for, but though it destroys her illusions, it cannot overcome her determination to succeed and find happiness. She raises two children, creates a home, and begins baking cookies in hope of starting a business. After years of struggle, her cookies start to bring in more money than she ever dreamed of. But closest to her heart is the memory of the man she longs for in her soul, a man no cookie can replace . . .

--This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In pleasant prose fortified by good plotting, prolific author Michaels ( Texas Sunrise ) tells the story of Ruby Connors, who bolts from her hometown of Barstow, Penn., as soon as she graduates from high school, happily leaving behind her abusive father, servile mother and brutalized sister Opal. She gets a civil service job in post-WW II Washington, D.C., where she initially lives with her sister Amber and falls in love with serviceman Calvin Santos. Unable to believe in her feelings, insecure Calvin decamps after a trivial misunderstanding, and Ruby marries Marine Andrew Blue. She bears him two children, but he is a hostile, stern husband and father. Myriad years and countless plot developments go by; Ruby survives various crises, maintains a strong female friendship and uses money left by her beloved grandmother to help friends and sisters. Her final "season" finds her wealthy and free, but lonely and still searching for life's meaning until, in the closing pages, she decides to make herself useful to others. Though Ruby is not always likable and the author passes too quickly over some vital events in the narrative, readers should enjoy this bustling tale.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

With five million copies of her "Texas" series (e.g., Texas Sunrise , Ballantine, 1993) in print, Michaels needs no introduction to romance fans. Here, she traces the exceptional life and loves of Ruby Blue.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing (May 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517145790
• ISBN-13: 978-0517145791
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,063,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Fern Michaels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Fool Me Once, Sweet Revenge, The Nosy Neighbor, Pretty Woman, and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over seventy million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unsatisfying and UN-romantic, June 5, 2006

By 

Awesome America "Life is good!" (Spokane, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seasons of Her Life (Mass Market Paperback)

While best-selling author, John Grisham, can write books depicting tough and hardened characters in dangerous situations with nary a cuss word, Fern Michaels seems unable to express any type of emotion without cussing. In this book, Ms. Michaels packs in every four-letter word she knows and proceeds to overuse them in every one of her characters' diologue (except the priest at the homeless shelter). Makes the reader feel your mind has been drug through the sewer.

Although this book is touted as "romantic", the truth is that Ruby, the main character, never understands or discerns true love at all. Her relationships with men, relatives and women friends are all precarious and superficial. I found the love scenes to be so shallow and unemotional that I wonder if Fern Michaels has never experienced deep love in her own life?

Ruby begins life a victim of an abusive father. I found myself hoping she would rise above her past -- but her choices backfired and left her emotionally destitute. Instead of forsaking a life maimed by the vices of her parents, Ruby plunged into a whole new set of vices and reaped the consequences.

The end of the book strives to leave the reader on a happy note -- that Ruby has found new vision for her senior citizen years as an animal rights activist -- but it is a real stretch to believe this newfound "cause" will bring her lasting fulfillment. What Ruby was looking for -- and never found -- was love.

Several times, Ruby began to reach out to God, but never quite made the jump. Unrealistically, Fern Michaels has Ruby (who is a smoker and a bucket mouth, separated from her husband, estranged from her daughter and sisters, in a five-year affair with a married man) begin to teach a weekly Sunday School class. Throughout the book, Ruby is portrayed as knowing next to nothing about God and the minute she returns to church after a 40-year hiatus, she is immediately qualified to teach others???

This book had potential, but proved very, very disappointing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passionate real-life story but could have been better-writen, June 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Seasons of Her Life (Mass Market Paperback)

Seasons of Her Life is a beautiful story with an equally brilliant concept but the plot itself could have been better. The story at times seemed to be dragging and deppresing because of it's exageration of emotions and dwelling on insignificant points of the story. It definately would have been a better book if some parts were left out but overall it is a beautiful, realistic tale fit for women of all ages. If there is one thing I must say about the author's talent is that THE PROLOGUE IS BRILLIANT, A WONDERFUL PIECE OF LITERATURE THAT WAS THE ONLY REASON I STARTED READING THE BOOK AND KEPT READING TILL THE END.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Passionate Life Story, February 5, 2008

By 

H. Thompson "crazy4books" (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seasons of Her Life (Mass Market Paperback)

"Seasons of Her Life is a very moving story about Ruby Conners journey through life. The book is about the seasons of Ruby's life, where she finds true love and true friendships only to lose them and find them again later. It is a very touching story that will make you forget about your own problems for a little while and appreciate everything and everyone you have in your life."