From Booklist
If poetry is a subtle, hermetic art for an elite readership, there is no poetry in this book, for here are no nods to past masters, no obeisances to current styles, no words that hold back as much as they impart. If, however, poetry includes the effort to reach beyond words to move us to a more tender humanity, here is wonderful stuff. Chandler writes directly and passionately of her life as a woman of 85 in failing health. Eleven years have passed since her beloved husband died. She resides, when necessary, in nursing homes. And she falls in love, has a voluptuous affair, breaks up with her lover. She finds dignity behind the annoyance of frail and angry roommates. She lives. In sharing with us, she rises off the page to become a lively presence in our minds. Long may she write! Patricia Monaghan
