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Fear of Dying by Erica Jong

Fear of Dying

by Erica Jong

  • Critics' Consensus (0):
  • Readers' Rating (13):
  • Published:
  • Sep 2015, 288 pages
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There are currently 13 reader reviews for Fear of Dying
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MDF

Fear of Dying
It doesn't surprise me Erica Jong has written a satire and aimed it directly at what she feels is a pressing issue of our human plight. Death... As in Fear of Flying she has aimed her arrows at truth and the ability to laugh while we crying and see as we are blinded and believe while we run for our lives. Ok, she stands up and puts out there for all to see... Her fear! What else did you think she was going to say... "Death is fun?" No, it's hard and confusing and very very messy. Yes, at 60 we all find ourselves toying with our demise... And at the same time we are seeing it all around us. We are human and so wemore
Shirley L. (Norco, LA)

Like a reunion with an old friend
Erica Jong is a great writer. When she and I were much younger I marveled at her adventures in Fear of Flying. We both have matured and I loved her words of wisdom about grower older and facing death. Her story was poignant, funny, sad and hopefully...just like life itself. I marked numerous passages to reread. A marvelous read.
Barbara G

What Haunts Many of Us
For women of a particular age, Erica Jong’s Fear of Flying was the naughty, titillating book that fearlessly spoke of sexual yearnings and escapades. Forty-two years later she returns with, if not quite a sequel, a novel in which many women will be able to see themselves and their current stage of life—sandwiched between aging, dying parents and newly adult children, often with sex on the back burner for now. (Not that she isn’t contemplating it.) She’s a savvy enough writer that she references with a sly implicit wink that earlier book by making the narrator of Fear of Flying the narrator of the current novel’smore
Virginia B. (Foster, RI)

Sex at 60
Fear fuels Erica Jong's latest book and sends Vanessa, her main character, spinning into several unpredictable situations. Jong ably expresses Vanessa's concerns and love for her dying parents and an aging husband. She is so convincing I sometimes thought I was reading a memoir, not fiction. However, Vanessa's fear drives her to seek sex outside her marriage as a way to dissolve her fear and this response seemed immature and unbelieveable.

I did appreciate reading an author whose character is closer to my age in a market where authors are often much younger and usually don't "get" older women. As expected, Jongmore
Carole

Fear of Aging
I was scheduled to review this until so many evidently found it not worthy. I kept reading to determine why so many had negative thoughts about this book. Yes, I read "FEAR OF FLYING" in that day and age. Personally I did not dislike "FEAR OF DYING" to the extent others apparently did.. As I read I would share passages or thoughts with those in both book clubs and other "reading" friends. The comments were interesting and perhaps in line with the other Book Browse readers. I felt they all had a fear of aging and the issues that arrive with the process. The book was interesting - not the best ever - but hey ...more
Carolyn

Fear of Dying
In Fear of Dying, we get the same sexual Erica of old, but now she is dealing with the death of her parents. It is not a new theme, nor does she handle it well. Sex at sixty is not as funny as when she was young.
Mary S. (Springville, AL)

Fear of Dying for the Rich and Famous
This was an interesting book, and I would have enjoyed it more had the main character not been a celebrity, with famous parents and a rich husband; she had so much that it was hard to empathize with her as an aging woman. Erica Jong is a good writer, but not every problem can be solved with sex. While the subject of aging is one that I can relate to, I wish this story had been told with a little more reality.
Power Reviewer
Joan P. (Owego, NY)

Fear of Dying
Having read "Fear of Flying" as a young woman, I was anxious to see if Erica Jong had interesting insights on the loss of youth and dying. She does. As we age we deal with the death of our parents and ultimately with our own mortality. I found some parts of the book much like the experiences we all have facing life's challenges, and then there were some parts I found outrageous and typically the old sexual Erica. As with all of her writing, you are left with food for thought.
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