Biography

Memoir

I bought this book on a whim because I thought it sounded light and I was in the mood to laugh. I mean, the misadventures of a retired grandma going on lots of blind dates? Shouldn't that be comical? Like, the female version of Grumpy Old Men or something? In actuality, this is a pretty heavy book and not for the reasons you might think (or not JUST for those reasons). The author had a rough life and a good portion of the book is spent documenting her most painful experiences.

So, not the beach read I thought it was. A better title for this book would be: A Round-Heeled Woman: My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance AND My Mid-Life Adventures in Alcoholism and Depression. ( )

rounded up from 2.5 stars...
It was OK, but I guess for me it didn't feel true somehow... it would not be the first book to deal with true sex that was not all true, although it is mostly irrelevant whether it is true or not. It didn't feel true to me.
I did not "get" why she decided that she was looking for sex and not love, especially after long years of therapy, some of her motives must have been questioned in that process. Mildly uplifting, for her at least, but not something to emulate for me. ( )

rare treat: A rare treat, there isn't much I can say that other reviewers haven't already...Save read it.(And buy a copy; she says the royalties help immensely.) Jane Juska's an inspiring find. Her courage, wit and warmth will stay with you long after the book's finished.

"Before I turn 67 - next March - I would like to have a lot of sex with a man I like. If you want to talk first, Trollope does it for me". So reads the eye-catching & intriguing personal ad Jane Juska put in the New York Times.

This is a memoir, not only of those dates, some good, most absolutely dire. But Jane intersperses her search for a man who will stimulate her mind as well as body (and offer accommodation while she falls for New York culture) with recall of her childhood, years as an inspired teacher, in school and prison, and her lousy mothering skills.

She is a talented, funny, self-deprecating writer, brutally honest and rather vulnerable, and seemingly a glutton for punishment flying from California to her New York dates and pursuing terrier-like some very odd guys.

I would be interested to find out what her analyst makes of her (and yes, she'd like a date with him too). ( )

I liked the sequel better. I think Juska learned about writing by writing this book. A lot of background history that didn't do much but take up space. It was interesting, but mostly whiny and sad. Maybe if I had read them in order, I would have been happier. ( )

Interesting concept. Older woman advertises for sex and then writes about her experiences - just didn't like her style of writing. She tried to be light-hearted about it but just didn't pull it off. I wonder if she told the men she slept with (or tried to sleep with) knew they were going in a book?

Memoir of a 66 year old woman looking for good sex and possibly and relationship. Funny and poignant. ( )

In which a middle-aged woman advertises for sex, gets some, goes through a lot of disappointment. Somehow, as we learned more about her earlier life, which was pretty bizarre in places, I became less interested in the whole thing. Now, if she’d been a more mundane character in the first place who then, in her 60s, decided to advertise for sex – that would’ve been a story. ( )

An interesting look at sexuality from the point of view of an adventurous woman approaching 67. Frank and thoughtful, although I think the author gets a little naive about other people's reactions toward the end. ( )

I would never have actively searched for this book but I found the subject intriguing and it kind of fell into my hands. Fast read, a bit sad, poor woman wanted sex and a relationship but she got a lots of sex but no real commitment. Kind of funny in parts. ( )

Not quite the book I'd hoped to read, alas. I thought I was gonna get a randy romp without a care. Instead I have to read about a failed marriage and a son who ran away to be homeless, as well as all the hurt feelings that can get bruised out there in the dating meat market. Ouch. All that quite quashed my randy for this read.

So the adventure (when she got to describing it) was fun, the writing was pretty good. Off to the Goodwill with this one.

outrageous and hugely entertaining antidote to women's ageing process, regaining sex and dating life, meeting new men - maybe getting boring, lacking in adventure . Not always completely believable but who cares. ( )

At age 66, after decades without sex the author runs a personal ad soliciting sex. This book is an honest, wide eyed and sometimes naïve look at what happens before and after the ad runs. This is not quite a full biography, but it is a memoir that covers the author's entire life with the order dictated by events, not chronology. Sometimes the discussion of sex is fleeting, and sometimes it is in explicit detail, but the book is best at the romance the author encounters both in both in the men she meets and in her interests in life. Her teaching, her singing, her discovery of New York are so beautifully described that I am jealous not to have such a passion for something. The honesty of the title gives you an idea of how open the discussion is within the book. ( )

This witty memoir recounts the tales and woes of a woman in her late sixties who puts an add in "The New York Times Review of Books" for sex
and gets more than she bargained for.

Not quite a Catherine M in her exploits, but surprisingly sweet and touching. ( )

An entertaining glimpse into the love life of a mature woman, but one that left me feeling somewhat saddened after I finished it. Surely it is possible to find love and companionship without so much heartache, but I felt for the author throughout and truly empathized with her plight. An enjoyable read for a summer's evening. ( )

Jane Juska, at a late age, decides to explore the sexual life through personal ads. It was a funny, but sometimes sad story that I really enjoyed. ( )