I was excited about receiving and reviewing this book – so obviously intended for me – an avid reader, eighty-five years old, hoping to find NEW perspectives in living the best life possible, looking for new ways to use my time wisely and happily. I didn't find what I hoped for. My disappointment began on page 25 - the incident of the author's pricking her finger with a cactus thorn and offering the resulting blood to her ancestors. This resulted in an epiphany that her "…soul would expand." She kissed the cactus.

Then, there are the aphorisms: We should not "…make negative remarks about aging or appearance." "It is important to have in place medical powers of attorney…" "Books are great companions." Don't most women my age, those for whom the book is intended, already know those basics? Last, the repeated case studies: personal stories specifically illustrating every single topic, seemed too appropriate, so perfectly illustrative of the author's point that they must have been invented.