Girls with the Grandmother Faces: A Celebration of Life's Potential for Those Over 55

by Frances Weaver

Softcover

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1994

Reviews

[Karen Erdmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frances Weaver is a delightful writer. Her style is conversational and it was easy to find myself in her stories. Frances comes from the base of being a new widow and I wondered if I would feel outside the experience as I am not a widow but many women have had times of aloneness in our lives and from that base, I found a quick connection. Frances touches on the powerful feelings of having a life disrupted and disturbed by unplanned loneliness and loss of relationship and self but she does not let you linger long there because there is a life to be lived and she challenges the living. Having had my own time of aloneness and having taken similar steps, I felt validated in my own experiences. This book is about growth and it does not give a pass to linger in boredom and loneliness. I anticipated that I would read it over 2 weeks but joyfully read it in 3 days. The live affirming message carried me along. I truly enjoyed this book.

[RoseMary author · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book resounds. I bought it many years ago for my mother. I've read it twice since then and think any woman over fifty, any woman on her own, would get a lot of inspiration and uplifting from reading it.

Ms. Weaver was widowed and unsure of what came next in her life. She set about finding out!

In addition to being her journey, you meet the people she met and get good information for venturing out on your own without being alone. She's practical, easy to read and makes you realize: You can do this--whatever your new "this" happens to be.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this from a ninety something year old lady from church. Such a great book for opening your eyes about aging. It might be nice to be an old lady. :)

[B Sarv · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book about aging from the perspective of an upper middle class woman with plenty of money. As with most memoir/self-help books this one had a little something for everyone. I found the writing style straightforward and throughout the book I felt like I could have a really enjoyable conversation with this author. It was folksy and enjoyable.

This book, as with so many of my other books, ended up on my shelf after I inherited it from my late mother. Since she was a feminist, I kind of expected a feminist perspective in this book. Ms. Weaver really did not write from a feminist perspective. She did a great job, however, of encouraging older people (especially widows) to get active in their later years.

An interesting piece of trivia is that I could not find the edition I have anywhere on the Goodreads site. I tried searching with the ISBN as well. Nothing. So I am going to try to add this edition if I can. It was published by Price Stern Sloan of Los Angles in 1987 and has the ISBN 0-8431-2900-X.

Much of the book is geared toward older people who have plenty of money for leisure travel and purchasing extra properties. I am happy this happier life guide was written. I am glad to have had the opportunity to read it.

[Janna Agnello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being the eldest of four sisters and finding myself alone in life's third quarter, I could easily relate to the life-changing event that Frances faced, and was inspired by her gutsy and adventurous approach. I might not be flying kites yet, but I definitely picked up pen and paper! The inspiration runs all through this book, so stick with it to the very end!

[JoAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

copyright 1996
one person's ideas about aging and not allowing aging to define oneself.
Great reminders and can easily jump off Weaver's ideas to something more in line with my beliefs. For instance, Weaver says little about 'church' related matters. I find that there are many ways to be 'out and about' related to church. A good read.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Girls with the Grandmother Faces! What a fun book for an older woman to read! Frances Weaver presented so many creative ideas from flying kites to introducing specialty trips . . . all over the world, from China to trips down the Mississippi River. Read this book and share it with friends!

[Linda Galway · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Terry Abeline Carden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the humor in this book, because I feel that it's when you lose the ability to laugh at yourself, you lose happiness. It had a bit too much advice about how to live life in your senior years, and many seniors are not as fortunate (financially) as the author. I see too many widowed women who must return to minimum paying jobs just to pay their bills for everyday living, and may feel sadness while reading all of the travel adventures in the book. I do think that socializing with women in the same boat is beneficial, and many times, returning to work, gives a person a new set of contacts. Now, I am rambling.......good book, read it!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not what I expected. It is geared almost totally toward widows, and I am very fortunately not one. I know, however, that if I become one, I certainly will not be in a financial position to follow her life advice. There were a few behavior tips that anyone might find helpful.

[Pamela Nicolls]

I enjoyed this book. Even though I am getting older this book showed me I can live a life more full of adventure and learning by getting out to do and see more things. It also showed me how to enjoy my life by getting involved with new people.

[Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

A widow gives good advice for keeping busy and not depending too much on family and friends for our entertainment.