This was a pleasant enough read, but didn’t really amount to much, I felt. Two elderly men reflect back on their lives, having moved into a Californian retirement community, called, rather bizarrely, Macrobia. They look back on their failures and successes, parenting and hobbies, careers and mistakes. Their conversations are important to both of them as they reflect on growing old. A gentle read but nothing original or special.

Being sixty-something myself, I was looking very much forward to reading this. Many of my friends and peer group are divorced, widowed and getting closer to retirement and villages such as Macrobia. I thought I would be able to relate. And I did. Not so much about the lifestyle in Macrobia, but reflecting back on the meaning of life, putting it into a meaningful perspective. .

The development of the whole concept of retirement as a lifestyle is interesting.

Jerry and Walter explore the meaning of life, keeping busy with the seeking of self, but it is more reflection from Jerry's side, with very little dialogue, which made the pace slow. You never get to know Walter from an objective point of view.

Sometimes I felt the ramblings reminded me a of a stream of consciousness, which is just perfect for a man in his position.

Than you for the arc copy from NetGalley.

With all due respect to the author and his life and time in the retirement village, this book is nothing more than meanderings of an old, lonely man, with nothing to do, left to his own devices by his family, community and country, to die amongst a place full of strangers. Makes for a very claustrophobic, depressing read.

I think it's because I believe people, young and old, should remain in and be a part of normal populations instead of bundled off to 'special centers' because it's a loss to community, to neighborhoods. While it is also true that households are unable to take care of health needs of senior citizens who require medical care, and old age homes / hospice care is best for them, especially if family cannot afford daily care at home, but still to be surrounded by old people only, with not another soul in sight, was for me, a horror-like scenario, irrespective of how pleasing and life-affirming it may have been for the author.

All the best to and for him. The book has a great title.

Sorry. I could not finish this book. I tried several times, but it was, to be honest, just not interesting. Rather than an insight into aging, it was just a series of anecdotes that just went nowhere. Rather than penalizing the author for my inability to finish it, I will not be leaving a review at any of my review sites.