Crazy Age: Thoughts on Being Old

by Jane Miller

Ever since I have inhabited old age, I have looked and listened, mostly in vain, for news of what it is like for others who inhabit it too. Naturally, I'm interested in its well-known depredations, the physical and mental ones that people in their forties and fifties so publicly dread. And who would not delight in the theatrical props of old age - the pills and sticks, the shrieking hearing aids and the tricks for countering the loss of names and threads and glasses. But that's not all. I have a fond hope that in old age there may be new kinds of time and of pleasure, perhaps even new kinds of vitality, and that, though we forget and muddle and fail to hear things, there may be moments when we truly understand what's going on for the first time. But then I've always been a late developer.'

Deeply thoughtful, wry and resilient, this fascinating and absorbing book about growing older is a life-enhancing look at what all of us - if we are lucky - can aspire to.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This is Jane^Miller.

Reviews

[Deborah J]

Very mild. A bit self-regarding - what a name dropper - and not as good as Athill or Barnes on old age and dying.

[Wilde Sky]

This book contains a collection of musings on the ageing process / dying.

I found this book rambling / self-indulgent – there were a few good sections (mainly in chapter 11), but overall it was a bit disappointing.

[Ian]

Very well written in many places and quite often thought provoking, however sometimes it just feels like its a review of books about other books which talk of old age

[Sharen]

A rather sobering look at what happens as we age, which will appeal to those who prefer the forthright approach. I found the author's sense of humour a touch too mordant.

[Anne Green]

Although Jane Miller points out a "statistic from nowhere, or nowhere I remember, but it has the ring of truth: if most of us can look forward to living for about 10 years longer than our parents, we can also expect to spend the equivalent of eight of those years in hospital or doctors' waiting-rooms", there is nothing gloomy about this short collection of essays on ageing. On the contrary, she's enjoying this passage of her life, more perhaps than others. It's amusing and elegantly written, rich with literary allusions, and with the sharply perceptive and discriminating eye of the academic, without being in the least stuffy or pretentious.

[Mary Karpel-Jergic]

I enjoyed Jane Miller's book - maybe because I'm ageing. There was such resonance for me in her words and I really liked the way she delved into her wide knowledge of literature to present various views of ageing and of dying. Of course, ageing, like everything else will be shaped by the socio-cultural milieu that we each find ourselves in and Millar certainly recognises her own sets of privileges, not least the one which has her living in Kensington. An interesting life and a realistic perspective on ageing that provides a personal narrative for herself and a sense of recognition for the reader.

[Heather]

Jane gives a remarkable perspective of old age through her writing. She answered all of my questions about getting into that final season of life, including questions of time, friends, perspective, and death. I suppose if we're lucky, old age is inevitable, so it's worthwhile to appreciate and understand this phase of life.

There were a few parts of the book where the chapters seemed to run long, and at these times I would skip forward.

[Katy Kelly]

3.5 stars I think.
Some great insights into an intelligent, thoughtful woman's ideas and stories on ageing and dying.
A few parts I skipped - almost book reviews of books she likes on the subject that just didn't interest me.
Lots to digest, and I now am thinking about how I will be using my (hopefully decades long) retirement years.