Older, Wiser, Fiercer: A Celebration of Wisdom and Experience - Virginia Wilde - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Virginia Wilde

GENRE: Humour, Quotes.

RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A humorous compilation of quotes and one-liners by older women for older women. If you are on the higher side of the ‘young’ spectrum *wink, wink*, this offers an entertaining ride.

Who defines what counts as ‘old’? Over the last few decades, the definition of ‘old’ has changed with every subsequent generation. Forty became the new thirty. Then sixty became the new forty. While maths went for the toss and took logic along with it, the fact is that ageing today is a much different experience than it was a century ago. With improved medical facilities and better standard of living, the average life expectancy of people the world over has increased, and so has the number of “senior” citizens.

At the same time, people (especially but not only women) don’t want to age naturally. Ironing out wrinkles through Botox, avoiding greys through incessant hair dyes, wanting to be slim through fad diets – it’s like everyone wants to be stuck in their twenties or at the most, their thirties.

This book offers a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the benefits of ageing well and wisely. It contains multiple topics such as dating, health and fitness, technology, grandparenting, and so on. Each segment begins with a fun write-up, and then presents many witty quotes and funny one-liners related to that topic. The quotes, wherever they have an attribution mentioned, are by famous older women celebrities.

While the intended audience is definitely women of a certain age and beyond, the book might also help those in their late twenties and early thirties to see the amazing freedom that comes with age. When you finally learn to ignore what people say and do what you want to do. When you say no without guilt-tripping yourself. When you go out with only those friends you genuinely want to stay connected with. Of course, the content is a bit too optimistic about old age, but including the downside of aging would have defeated the purpose.

I would have loved to see some quirky illustrations rather than plain text. Humour quotes work so much better when accompanied by cartoons. Something on the lines of John Wagner’s Maxine would have been perfect for this collection.

I also wish the cover had indicated the genre better. The cover art might represent how the tigrine fierceness of women only sharpens with age, but it doesn’t highlight the fun element, nor catch much attention with its dull colour tone.

On the whole, this is a nice light read that would make a great birthday gift or mother’s day gift to older women. As we all grow older and wider… oops, sorry… older and wiser, such funny compilations can help us see the brighter side of the increasing age count.

A note of caution: If you are buying this as a gift, make sure the recipient is genuinely a senior citizen, else you might risk getting your head bitten off!

My thanks to Michael O'Mara Limited and NetGalley for the DRC of “Older, Wiser, Fiercer”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.