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1st out of 15 books
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24 voters
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake
In this irresistible memoir, the New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Pulitzer Prize Anna Quindlen writes about looking back and ahead—and celebrating it all—as she considers marriage, girlfriends, our mothers, faith, loss, all the stuff in our closets, and more.
As she did in her beloved New York Times columns, and in A Short Guide to a Happy Life, Quindle...more
As she did in her beloved New York Times columns, and in A Short Guide to a Happy Life, Quindle...more
Hardcover, 182 pages
Published
April 24th 2012
by Random House
(first published 2012)
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At age 60, Anna Quindlen has already had plenty of candles and birthday cake, but she wants more. A lot more. Her own mother died in her early 40s, when Anna was just nineteen. That early loss has made her grateful for every additional year she gets that her mother was denied.
Anna's gratitude is the common ingredient that ties together these ruminations of an aging feminist baby boomer. She seems amazed, even somewhat astonished, at how fortunate she has been. She has reached an age where she c...more
Anna's gratitude is the common ingredient that ties together these ruminations of an aging feminist baby boomer. She seems amazed, even somewhat astonished, at how fortunate she has been. She has reached an age where she c...more
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What is it like to be a Mother, a woman, a working woman, a feminist, a baby boomer...or someone who's aging, who is at the end of their life with little options? What is faith, motherhood, marriage, work, being a woman, friendship, love, life, or God forbid, death? What in our life are absolutely not necessary or important?
I used to read Anna Quindlen's column religiously, not because we have a similar life as other readers claimed (her kids are older, her career is more successful, she's happ...more
I used to read Anna Quindlen's column religiously, not because we have a similar life as other readers claimed (her kids are older, her career is more successful, she's happ...more
12 likes · like · see review
Quindlen, the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and novelist presents a candid and whimsical personal account that explores what matters to middle-aged women and how they regard life stages.
Quindlen infuses her recollections as a baby-boomer facing late middle age (currently 60) with relentless optimism-and humor. Whether she's discussing marriage, raising children, or lessons learned as a beneficiary of the societal transformations brought about by the upheavals of the '60s and '70s, particularl...more
Quindlen infuses her recollections as a baby-boomer facing late middle age (currently 60) with relentless optimism-and humor. Whether she's discussing marriage, raising children, or lessons learned as a beneficiary of the societal transformations brought about by the upheavals of the '60s and '70s, particularl...more
Although the book is a "memoir" it seems much more a compilation of musings and essays about life and aging. Quindlen addresses many issues that I have often contemplated. Her life perspective is interesting, she puts a positive spin on aging. One can't think too much about the book because what's next? Many of the passages in the book are worthy of discussion.
This was outside my usual reading range. I was looking at it because I'd come across some enthusiastic reviews and I thought it might be a nice gift for a sibling. I can see why Quindlen is a popular writer: she articulates those things about her life (our lives) that are peculiar and noteworthy and sometimes stressful and talks about them with us. It must be a great relief for some folks to discover that here is someone who thinks exactly like them.
However, I may be a bit of an outlier. I have...more
However, I may be a bit of an outlier. I have...more
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When I was in my thirties I read and loved Anna Quindlen's two collections of columns, Living Out loud and Thinking Out Loud. I felt like she lived at my house. This collection of essays, written at 60, touches on all the issues that are real and important to me now, and she's still right inside my head. She discusses children, parents, possessions, body image, disease, death in a way that is sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, and always with a view toward both the past and the future that rea...more
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It's a rare day when I give a book five stars. In this case, I picked up a personal, poignant reflection on womanhood at just the right moment in my life. Anna Quindlen, who writes reliably excellent books, shares her thoughts on materialism, kids, girlfriends, work, body image, religion, growing old and so much more.
I very much appreciate Quindlen's down-to-earth style. Her experiences are highly relatable, told with stories that both made me laugh and rang sometimes all too true.
A couple of m...more
I very much appreciate Quindlen's down-to-earth style. Her experiences are highly relatable, told with stories that both made me laugh and rang sometimes all too true.
A couple of m...more
I like Anna Quindlen a lot. I think she's a very good writer who writes about important subject.
However, it turns out that she is a better read for articles. An entire book is too much to read all at once.
The difficulty lies in getting to know her too well. She is actually younger than I, and espouses a heightened consciousness about working women. But the privilege is very hard to take in large doses, and her feminism is just too tinged with lack of discernment about class and race issues. I'm...more
However, it turns out that she is a better read for articles. An entire book is too much to read all at once.
The difficulty lies in getting to know her too well. She is actually younger than I, and espouses a heightened consciousness about working women. But the privilege is very hard to take in large doses, and her feminism is just too tinged with lack of discernment about class and race issues. I'm...more
8 likes · like · see review
I just love the way Anna Quindlen writes about her perceptions of her life and life in general. As she stated in this book many women have written to tell her that she writes what is in their mind and for me this is true as well. I concur with her philosophy about family, religion, partners, mortality and death. This book is a gem!
1 like · like · see review
Yeah, I'm so excited. I won an Anna Quindlen book in a First Reads giveaway. I can't believe it. I'll be watching the mail for it and let you know how great it is. She is a wonderful writer. I used an essay by her as an example of good writing when I taught Freshman comp back in the late 80's.
My book arrived and I read the first three short pieces and now am going to get busy and read more.
Reading this book was delayed by bronchitis, but I have finished it and can recommend it to women in the 5...more
My book arrived and I read the first three short pieces and now am going to get busy and read more.
Reading this book was delayed by bronchitis, but I have finished it and can recommend it to women in the 5...more
9 likes · like · see review
I will begin this review by stating that if you are approaching sixty, or have already passed that golden age, this is a must read book. Well, must read if you are a woman. I suppose this will sound sexist, but we all know men don't think and feel the same as we do. I have always loved this author and she does me proud once again. You will cry and laugh, but mostly you will connect with most everything she says. And in its own way her writing can bring you solace and peace.
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This was my first real experience with an audio book and I think I'm hooked. This was the perfect kind of book to listen to since it was a collection of separate essays and I found that I could get my dish washer emptied, my laundry folded and my floor swept all while enjoying one of Anna Quindlen's well written essays. I found myself looking around the house for additional chores so I would have an excuse to finish some of he essays. Other essays did get the pause button here and there so I can...more
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I checked out this e-book somewhat randomly. It was recommended on the same magazine page I'd torn out to remind myself to look up another book (not sure which one now). When I was perusing the EBRPL's Overdrive site I searched for this one and it was available: check out!
Because it's labeled "memoir" I thought I would love it no problem. I love reading people's personal stories -- I'm nosy that way and I just love a good story. But I wouldn't classify this as a memoir at all. It's a collection...more
Because it's labeled "memoir" I thought I would love it no problem. I love reading people's personal stories -- I'm nosy that way and I just love a good story. But I wouldn't classify this as a memoir at all. It's a collection...more
Feb 16, 2013
Ruth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
bio readers and the curious
Recommended to Ruth by:
Janet (Friend)
Anna Quindlen's book "Lots of Candles..." was a very enjoyable writing. It is simple,straight-forward and very well done. In essence she is visiting the future by reliving the past. All of the truths of the youthful years are no longer valid and she is searching and looking to a new future that is now going into the second and down-side part of life. "When we were in college there was bumper sticker which read:"QUESTION AUTHORITY"....."today we have fuller, more satisfying sense of the meaning o...more
Anna Quindlen is a very reflective person and this memoir was fun to read because of that. Written at the time of turning 60, Anna takes the time to deeply contemplate her life so far and her upcoming life. She covers the topics of family, career, changes in society and aging to name just a few. I describe her writing as verbal meanderings filled with meaning.
As a fellow feminist, I appreciated this observation:
"It's not that all the problems of gender disparity have been solved--far from it. T...more
As a fellow feminist, I appreciated this observation:
"It's not that all the problems of gender disparity have been solved--far from it. T...more
This was my story. I could relate to her descriptions on: marriage-"soul mates"....suggests two people who have a lot in common. But our gender, with all the differences it implies, divides us. ....Abigail Adams once wrote in her habitual harsh fashion, "All men would be tyrants if they could." I'm just realistic: we're not two hearts that beat as one. (In any marriage I've known in which two hearts that beat as one, the one is his. Here's to you Abigail Adams.)
Girlfriends-Perhaps only when we'v...more
Girlfriends-Perhaps only when we'v...more
In this collection of essays Anna Quindlen reprises key themes from throughout her career: motherhood; the joys of friendship among women; feminism; the inevitability of loss (first experienced by her as a young woman called home from college to care for her dying mother, fictionalized in her novel ONE TRUE THING); the centrality of work to a happy life. Now an empty-nester and in her sixth decade of life she discusses such things as how to navigate changing relations with one's adult children;...more
Anna writes about her life, and life in general---past, present and future with candidness and humor, and much thought.
Favorite quotes:
"We women today have more on the hard disc than any women at any time in history. Betweeen the stuff and work and the stuff and home, the appointments, and the news and the gossip and the rest, the past and the present and the plans for the future, the filing cabinets in our heads are not only full, they're overflowing." p 13
"I wasa never one of those women who t...more
Favorite quotes:
"We women today have more on the hard disc than any women at any time in history. Betweeen the stuff and work and the stuff and home, the appointments, and the news and the gossip and the rest, the past and the present and the plans for the future, the filing cabinets in our heads are not only full, they're overflowing." p 13
"I wasa never one of those women who t...more
I've enjoyed Anna Quindlen's novels and was looking forward to reading her reflections on aging, even though she is a few years younger than I am (ouch! that made me feel old). She touches upon themes of family, friendship, women's roles, parenting, work, fulfillment, in a very real way, and women can almost believe that she is "one of us," that we are all connected by the universal themes she expands upon in her book. I thought that some of her themes were redundant, such as the changing role o...more
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: A Memoir... is Anna Quindlen’s latest take on what women of different generations deem important in life. In the first pages, Quindlen talks about how reading makes “us feel as though we’re connected, as though the thoughts and feelings we believe are singular and sometimes nutty are shared by others, that we are all more alike than different.”
At “a good point in my life,” namely her late fifties, Quindlen speaks about her personal experiences and insights on sub...more
At “a good point in my life,” namely her late fifties, Quindlen speaks about her personal experiences and insights on sub...more
The last of August/beginning of September are traditional times of change...going back to school, moving to a new school, getting settled in before winter.
If you are in this situation and need a calming book, may I recommend Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: A Memoir. Anna Quindlen has a series of essays that just long enough to engage. She writes about her mother dying when she was 19 after a life of having babies and seeming immortal;
not attending the Catholic church but being steeped in the...more
If you are in this situation and need a calming book, may I recommend Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: A Memoir. Anna Quindlen has a series of essays that just long enough to engage. She writes about her mother dying when she was 19 after a life of having babies and seeming immortal;
not attending the Catholic church but being steeped in the...more
I can relate with aspects of this memoir as a woman who came to age in the feminist era, with limited role models or a guidebook.
We were the heriesses to a women's movement tha thad broken the world wide open. But we were completely making it up as we went along, at work, at home, in our own minds. That wasn't easy.
It was difficult to grow up with one se of expectations and responsibilities, then to live through a societal bait and switch.
Quotes Virginia Wolf: I have lost friends, some by deat...more
We were the heriesses to a women's movement tha thad broken the world wide open. But we were completely making it up as we went along, at work, at home, in our own minds. That wasn't easy.
It was difficult to grow up with one se of expectations and responsibilities, then to live through a societal bait and switch.
Quotes Virginia Wolf: I have lost friends, some by deat...more
I was a big fan of Quindlen's in the 1980s. Her NYT columns were among the first to chronicle, in real time, what is was like for working mothers struggling to balance it all, especially in male-dominated fields. She struck innumerable chords, and made our individual struggles, whether we had children yet or not, seem, if not noble, than at least normal. She was like a great travel writer, telling me about country I would someday visit.
Fast-forward 30 years, however, and Quindlen's work, while s...more
Fast-forward 30 years, however, and Quindlen's work, while s...more
I love Anna Quindlen. She is so wise. I'm not a big fan of memoirs. I get tired of authors blathering on and on about themselves, but this one was singing my song. Quindlen is a bit younger than me -- o.k. she's 7 years younger than me! But as a fellow baby boomer who came to adulthood in the crazy sixties, I felt she was writing the story of my life. It was all so familiar and also reassuring. I chuckled, I laughed out loud, and I cried. She had the women's movement with the dynamics between ou...more
I've always enjoyed reading articles by Anna Quindlin, but I found I enjoyed her articles more than I enjoyed reading this book. She was spot on with some of her observations, but then she always is. She writes of aging in this book. I could identify with much of what she said, and yet because she is just a bit younger than I, she a true baby boomer, while I was born just before the boomers, she seemed to spew baby boomer philosophy more than I would do when it comes to my observations of the wo...more
Although I only read half of this book - because after the first half it got reallllllly boring to me - I'll still give it 3 starts. I *do* like Anna Quindlen. Perhaps if I were 10-15 years older, I would have read and treasured this compliation of "life lessons" from the spunky and witty authoress. But her middle-age monologue about life as an upper-middle class or lower-upper class woman just wore on me a bit too much. Yes, I would love a summer house in New England and write for three months,...more
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Reflections at 60 by the columnist/novelist/essayist. Excellent writer, funny, has interesting takes on aging, child-rearing, body image, writing process, getting sober, taking up exercise, dropping Catholicism, being a baby boomer, living in New York, etc.
My only small quibble is that I find the relentless joining/generalizing grating at times. I wish I had it on disk so that I could run a search and confirm my impression that the single most common phrase in the book is "we women". Her observ...more
My only small quibble is that I find the relentless joining/generalizing grating at times. I wish I had it on disk so that I could run a search and confirm my impression that the single most common phrase in the book is "we women". Her observ...more
1 like · like · see review
I was, I don't know, in a funk about my time of life when I downloaded this book onto my Kindle. I have never read anything by Anna Quindlen, but for some reason, I was drawn to this book. I highly recommend it to any woman over 50, and ESPECIALLY to any kind-hearted men who love their over-50 women. I don't know how she does it, but Ms. Quindlen entertainingly explains the wonders and pitfalls over women aging into their latter half of life. The book and it's stories are just so "relatable." I...more
You should know, up front, that I am a big fan of Anna Quindlen's writing style. I broke one of my cardinal rules by reading a New York Times review, before finishing this memoir; accidentally, that it is. I was looking for online cover pics and could't resist.
The reviewer, Judith Newman, also likes Anna Quindlen, but takes SOME issue with her latest....."therein lies the problem for those of us who have loved Quindlen but at this point are a bit exasperated: her verities, while deeply soothing...more
The reviewer, Judith Newman, also likes Anna Quindlen, but takes SOME issue with her latest....."therein lies the problem for those of us who have loved Quindlen but at this point are a bit exasperated: her verities, while deeply soothing...more
"Many of us find ourselves exhilarated, galvanized, at the very least older and wiser." As a woman of a certain age - over 50! (how did that happen so fast?), I really found myself nodding in agreement with Anna Quindlen. I felt like I was having coffee with a friend who has been through life with me. Some of her experiences and interpretations of faith and religion certainly left me, not nodding, but shaking my head in bewilderment, but aside from that, I concurred with so much of the book. I c...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live Video Chat with Anna Quindlen | 46 | 89 | Oct 13, 2012 08:26am |
Anna Quindlen is an American journalist and opinion columnist whose New York Times column, Public and Private, won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1992.
She began her journalism career in 1974 as a reporter with The New York Post. Between 1977 and 1994 she held several posts at the New York Times. She left journalism in 1995 to become a full-time novelist. She currently writes a bi-weekly colu...more
More about Anna Quindlen...
She began her journalism career in 1974 as a reporter with The New York Post. Between 1977 and 1994 she held several posts at the New York Times. She left journalism in 1995 to become a full-time novelist. She currently writes a bi-weekly colu...more
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“The thing about old friends is not that they love you, but that they know you. They remember that disastrous New Year's Eve when you mixed White Russians and champagne, and how you wore that red maternity dress until everyone was sick of seeing the blaze of it in the office, and the uncomfortable couch in your first apartment and the smoky stove in your beach rental. They look at you and don't really think you look older because they've grown old along with you, and, like the faded paint in a beloved room, they're used to the look. And then one of them is gone, and you've lost a chunk of yourself. The stories of the terrorist attacks of 2001, the tsunami, the Japanese earthquake always used numbers, the deaths of thousands a measure of how great the disaster. Catastrophe is numerical. Loss is singular, one beloved at a time.”
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43 people liked it
“One of the greatest glories of growing older is the willingness to ask why and, getting no good answer, deciding to follow my own inclinations and desires. Asking why is the way to wisdom. Why are we supposed to want possessions we don't need and work that seems beside the point and tight shoes and a fake tan? Why are we supposed to think new is better than old, youth and vigor better than long life and experience? Why are we supposed to turn our backs on those who have preceded us and to snipe at those who come after? When we were small children we asked 'Why?' constantly. Asking the question now is more a matter of testing the limits of what sometimes seems a narrow world. One of the useful things about age is realizing conventional wisdom is often simply inertia with a candy coating conformity.”
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