I'm Too Young To Be Seventy: And Other Delusions (Hardcover)

by Judith Viorst (Author), Laura Gibson (Illustrator) "Instead of "old,..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The beloved bestselling author of Forever Fifty and Suddenly Sixty now tackles the ins and outs of becoming a septuagenarian with her usual wry good humor.

Fans of Judith Viorst's funny, touching, and wise poems about turning thirty, forty, fifty, and sixty will love this new volume for the woman who deeply believes she is too young to be seventy, "too young in my heart and my soul, if not in my thighs."

Viorst explores, among the many other issues of this stage of life, the state of our sex lives and teeth, how we can stay married though thermostatically incompatible, and the joys of grandparenthood and shopping. Readers will nod with rueful recognition when she asks, "Am I required to think of myself as a basically shallow woman because I feel better when my hair looks good?," when she presses a few helpful suggestions on her kids because "they may be middle aged, but they're still my children," and when she graciously -- but not too graciously -- selects her husband's next mate in a poem deliciously subtitled "If I Should Die Before I Wake, Here's the Wife You Next Should Take." Though Viorst acknowledges she is definitely not a good sport about the fact that she is mortal, her poems are full of the pleasures of life right now, helping us come to terms with the passage of time, encouraging us to keep trying to fix the world, and inviting us to consider "drinking wine, making love, laughing hard, caring hard, and learning a new trick or two as part of our job description at seventy."

I'm Too Young to Be Seventy is a joy to read and makes a heartwarming gift for anyone who has reached or is soon to reach that -- it's not so bad after all -- seventh decade.

About the Author
Judith Viorst has written many books for children, including the classics Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and its sequels, and If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Stories. She is also the author of Just in Case, illustrated by Diana Cain Bluthenthal. She lives with her husband, Milton, in Washington D.C.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1 edition (September 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743267745
• ISBN-13: 978-0743267748
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,173 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The woman in the mirror is not the real me.", December 5, 2005

By	E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Can Judith Viorst actually be in her seventies? Where have the years gone? I Googled her and, sure enough, Viorst was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1931. Therefore, she is eminently qualified to write this lively book of poetry called, "I'm Too Young to Be Seventy and Other Delusions."

Although I haven't reached seventy yet, I can certainly appreciate Viorst's clever and amusing poems. In "Body Heat," Viorst claims that she and her husband squabble about how hot or cold the house should be. She and Milton are "thermostatically incompatible." I can relate to that. "As Time Goes By" deals with how fast time flies as one grows older. Yes, that's true. In "Teeth," Viorst admits that frequenting the offices of a periodontist and an endodontist is so costly, that dentures would probably be more cost effective. Can't argue with that. In "They May Be Middle Aged, But They're Still My Children," the author decries the fact that her offspring have outgrown their need for motherly advice. What nerve!

Viorst's poems are topical and fun. The author has always been able to laugh at herself, and as we read her poetry, we laugh along with her as we nod in recognition. Judith Viorst gets the fact that, although most people are reluctant to grow old, they desperately want to enjoy the perks of reaching their golden years in good health.

I enjoyed this slim volume and I hope that I will be privileged to reach seventy someday with a smile on my face and a poem in my heart. "I'm Too Young to Be Seventy" would make a fine gift for the beloved septuagenarian in your life.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comical, August 2, 2006

By	Audrey H. Dubay (Connecticut) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I purchased this book to give to a friend who was retiring at 70. I am glad that I "went through" it before wrapping it. It is a comical book, but does not work for a lady who is not married, has never been married, and has no grandchildren, otherwise a cute gift. Now, I have it in my "gift giving" pile and will wait to find the right person to give it to. In the meantime, I need to find another "funny"for the retiring lady.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's Been A Pleasure Growing Old With Judith Viorst, January 21, 2006

By	Mel Wacks (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My wife and I have enjoyed her books since It's Hard to be Hip Over 30. Time has flown by. Her poems are funny and poignant. She tells it like it is. I hope she and we will be around for the 80's and 90's.