This is a warm, comfortable and comforting, interesting book. Maybe I say that because I am in the age- range of Pillemer’s study group but I think it’s more that it makes sense, that it represents my own thinking and expresses it elegantly. It’s like having a wonderful meat and potatoes meal rather than a light salad – tasty, filling, nourishing and satisfying.
My initial though on being asked to read the book was “How boring will this be? Like watching paint dry?” Mark me down as absolutely wrong. There was nothing boring about this book and I found that I picked it up every chance I had so I could get another tasty bite or two. And there were places that I simply couldn’t put it down and lingered with it much longer than I had planned.
I found myself shaking my head yes in agreement a lot and often saying to myself, ”Oh, why didn’t I think of that?” There was very little that I didn’t savor or agree with as I read. It was like reading about a group of dear old friends whose wisdom I cherished and whose words I could count on.
Pillemer writes with warmth, respect and love about those he interviewed and his style invites you to stay awhile and savor the memories, the charm and the honesty of these new friends. He helps you share the joy as well as the sadness as they tell their stories and you marvel at the strength of character revealed in their words and actions. He brings you have to admiration for their willingness to share some of their most intimate thoughts with such transparency.









