What do readers think of Women Rowing North by Mary Pipher? Write your own review.

As I'm turning 65 this year I thought this would be an appropriate book for me to read and hoped it would provide a kind of "roadmap" or instruction manual for the years to come. Instead I found it somewhat depressing and not very relatable for my own journey. I think some women might find the personal vignettes helpful for coping with the inevitable difficulties that come with aging. For myself? I think I'll hope that "Grace and Frankie" continue to be role models for my senior years.

I am in the target age group (above 65) for this book about women dealing with their declining years. I had hoped to find great revelations, instead I found familiar ideas told with kindness and wisdom. The book is full of her examples of "real women," not those who have a lot of money or a wealth of options. What saves most of them is love. Each chapter opens with a quotation or two, which I especially liked, especially those by Eleanor Roosevelt. I found it sweet almost to the point of insipid.

This book is a summary of many other advice and how to books on aging and does not offer any unique ideas.

I was thrilled to receive a copy of this book! Started reading it with an open and hopeful mind. The first few chapters were worth sharing with my sister who is, like me, in her seventies. Even underlined several thoughts, happy that I had my own book to mark in. I loved that she and her friends were distraught when Trump was elected. Then it started going downhill and I couldn’t identify with any of the characters. I don’t know that the average older woman can afford to take trips, get massages, and pay for therapy. Instead of this book going to my sister, it will go into the library sale.

This book tells the stories of a cross section of "older" women who have experienced many of life's ups and downs. Most were fortunate to have strong support systems. I was inspired by the stories and clearly saw my need to recognize the importance of caring for myself.

Given that I'm a fan of Dr. Pipher's earlier work, and that I am well into the "river" that she references in her title, I anticipated the opportunity to review this book with enthusiasm. Sadly, it was not my personal cup of tea. I don't consider my life experience particularly unique, yet I was able to relate to very little. That said, I would love to discuss it with the active, involved later-in-life ladies in my book group as I'm sure it would make for a lively conversation!

The title, Rowing North was interesting. Are we rowing toward our true North? Do we feel we are rowing upstream? I was ultimately disappointed in this book. I am of the age she is speaking of and have found the changes in my body, life, family and work difficult. She discusses all these life events as we age, using real people as case examples. These were interesting but not anything that I didn't know already. I know women that seem to be able to continue to do it all as they age. I ended up not finishing the last 1/4th of the book because I was bored with it. I had previously read and loved her Reviving Ophelia. I appreciate the publisher providing an advanced reader's copy.

Psychologist Mary Pipher shares observations and insights from her career of working with women, especially dealing with sexism, ageism and trauma. As a female exactly Pipher's age, I found much of this book's content to resonate with my life experiences. Filled with anecdotal examples from women she knows well and has interviewed extensively, the book tells of many women who have managed to survive some pretty serious illnesses, family dramas or life tragedies. I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. There is really very little new or surprising in these pages, and I can't imagine that reading this book in our senior years will have any lasting change on our life patterns. Most of the women I know are making the best of it, despite the difficulties that come with aging. They already know that maintaining their faith, their friendships, their family and a sense of purpose are the only ways to remain sane and relatively happy, as they row against the current. It's good to reflect on the things for which to have gratitude at any stage in life, and if Pipher's book reminds us of this, it's a good thing in general. I do think that women's book clubs will find a lot to discuss using this as a springboard.