Others have reviewed this book, and I second everything they said. This is a lovely book -- well-written, smooth-reading and it has an engaging story.
It also has a very good message, one I needed to hear and am very ready to put to use.
Joan's story is about how she re-evaluated her life when physical problems gave her a big head's-up. Her friends and family had been trying to tell her to slow down, but it wasn't until she got a wake-up call from a very real physical problem that she listened.
A successful writer, she suffered from the typical catch-22 of anyone experiencing success: Success is, in and of itself, a problem. There are many demands on your time and the more successful you are, the more you are expected to share your time. Being successful at something almost paints you into a corner ... to continue to succeed in that endeavor, you almost have to lose yourself!
I am experiencing that same sort of problem. I'm no famous author, but I have achieved a little success in my chosen field: running a small animal rescue. My name is well-known in certain circles, my contact information is out there for anyone who knows how to look, and I have tried to be available in order to help the animals I love. Added to this is the rather heady semi-fame of being included in a PBS special about ferrets (Ferrets: Pursuit of Excellence). Achieving a little recognition as actually being effective at my calling has created a bit of a monster: I am occasionally recognized on the street (PBS keeps re-running that special!), I get calls for advice from people in the western part of the US (from people who apparently who don't realize I'm in the eastern part and it is much later here than where they are), and I am being asked to give talks here and there. Nothing huge but very flattering. At least until it all piles up and I realize I've just over-spent my energy and I haven't had a moment to myself in months.
I am at a point in my life where I have to tone it down (or find a cloned body!) and I just don't know how. I quit doing several things I liked to do, but now seem even more busy than before (maybe because I took that time and put it toward running the rescue).
Joan's solution to figuring out what she really wanted was to spend 3 weeks in a little cottage on an island called Iona. It sounds like it was a mystical journey and I desperately wish I (a) had the time and (b) had the money to do something like that. But perhaps I can manage to find myself on a pilgrimage a little closer to home.
Joan's discovery of herself, and the journey getting there, makes for a very beautiful story. Her style of writing is comfortable -- it feels like chatting with an old friend -- and offers advice via her own journey. It never gets preachy or overly mystical or any of those things that can turn me off a book. I probably need to check out some of her other books and/or workshops to get the step-by-step guide I expected. While this book didn't quite offer me the recipe to get my life in order I was expecting, it certainly wasn't a waste of time.
Reading this book, I felt transported to a realm of introspection and peace that I'd forgotten existed. I was not left with a step-by-step guide, but with a general attitude that I can change my life without blowing up this one (something I'd been wondering if it might be necessary to do).
My harshest criticism of this book is that the publisher chose to make it a cute little book with small print and very thin italics. Even with my best reading glasses, I had some trouble seeing the print. I found that annoying (This WAS written for people over 50, right?!?) but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story.
I'd recommend this book for anyone over 40 (with good reading glasses). Perhaps an earlier warning might help someone else avoid the pitfalls of being a successful woman before they need a wake-up call. Joan's wake-up call was physical, mine is mental, but maybe someone else can manage to avoid hitting the wall at full speed and do a re-evaluation just a little earlier in life.
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Hyperion (April 29, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1401303390
ISBN-13: 978-1401303396
Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
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Comments: 6