Single Woman of a Certain Age: 29 Women Writers on the Unmarried Midlife - Romantic Escapades, Heavy Petting, Empty Nests, Shifting Shapes and Serene Independence by Jane Ganahl (Editor)

From the Publisher

An intriguing look at life and love in the over-forty lane. Spinsterhood never seemed so sexy or so smart. Autumn Stephens, Editor, Roar Softly and Carry a Great Lipstick

In Single Woman of a Certain Age Jane Ganahl assembles a chorus of sophisticated and witty voices for this revealing anthology about flying solo in midlife. Joyce Maynard and Dakota Cassidy try online hookups, Debra Ginsberg brings up the M-word, Cameron Tuttle goes on a date (with herself), Susan Griffin finds joy in solitude, and Rachel Toor finally finds companionship the four-legged kind.

Reflecting on the (mostly) ups and (sometimes) downs of women cruising past 40, these writers address the challenges and rewards of growing older as a single woman: sex, loneliness, motherhood, learning to live alone, financial struggles, blossoming careers, menopause, and more. Contributors include April Sinclair, Cameron Tuttle, Spike Gillespie, Laura Fraser, Susan Griffin, Jane Juska, Joyce Maynard, Sunny Singh and more.

Library Journal

Ganahl presents 29 different takes on being not so young and single in today's world. By turns funny and poignant, these essays are grouped into sections about dating, giving up societal myths, trying new things, maintaining independence, and differentiating the various types of soul-satisfying love. Ganahl, a relationship columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, has a keen eye for good essays, and the contributors she's chosen for this volume include Cameron Tuttle, author of "The Bad Girl's Guide" series; Kathi Kamen Goldmark, who founded The Rock Bottom Remainders (an all-author rock band that has included Stephen King and Amy Tan); and "Ask Isadora" sex columnist Isadora Alman. (Ganahl also contributes a piece.) These essays cover not only the general exploration of singlehood but also online dating, being the only person of color in an otherwise homogeneous neighborhood, intimate relations in middle (and old) age, empty nest syndrome, and coming to terms with one's body. The collection is uniformly well written and is sure to appeal to its older female target audience. Highly recommended for both academic and public libraries.-Audrey Snowden, Cleveland P.L. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

What People Are Saying

Jane Ganahl
Why not younger men? Why not recycle our exes? Why should a single mother not have an active love life? Why not go online? Why not, indeed.

Ronnie Caplan
It’s been thirty years since I sat across a dinner table from someone whose underwear I didn’t buy, and I don’t know the rules anymore.

April Sinclair
I could only shudder at the thought of how few romantic prospects awaited a single middle-aged black woman in a town of a little over two thousand.

Cameron Tuttle
Swaying to a sultry Aaliyah tune, I gaze upon my full-length, naked body. Wow. There is more of me than I remember.

Spike Gillespie
Single, I can now say with the authority of over twenty years of evidence, seems to be my lot. And single suits me fine.

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