Sunday 2 March 2008

The Memories of Older Women

It seems that many of us feel compelled to publicly expose our lives when we hit our sixties.

The other day, Tammy gave me two books to read: A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas; and No! I Don't Want to Join a Bookclub by Virginia Ironside. I put aside Belonging by Isabel Huggan to read them. At Christmas, Orley gave me Wally's World by Marsha Boulton, another memoir by a dog owner.

Two Americans, a Brit and a Canadian, all in their sixties, all writing their lives.

The memoirs are very different from each other in style and the women focus their memories quite differently. Ironside is cynical and very funny, writing about growing old disgracefully. Both Boulton and Thomas centre their stories around tragedy. Their tragedies act as anchors for the writing; their dogs as their life preservers. Huggan's theme of coming home unifies this memoir of a traveler.

I find it a little disconcerting that I randomly picked Belonging off my shelf to re-read, and that Orley and Tammy gave me the books they did. In January I began writing in my blog about home, about dogs, and about aging. Was Tammy's choice subconscious? Was I influenced by Boulton? Or are these simply the themes of women in their sixties? Is this when we begin to consider these questions? Is this the age when our dogs become our partners in life, replacing men now that the blood is no longer rampaging?

Maybe this is when all our lives go to the dogs (or cats).

2 comments:

Tamarak said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tamarak said...

Hmmm...
I have always been interested in the memoir-type writings of older women (not sure why - not going to analyze that just yet!)
The two books I gave you the other day just happened to be two that I had recently read…so I’m not sure where the subconscious part lies!!! These types of books wind a loose, but constant ribbon through my book choices.
What was the one you lent me not so long ago…both the title of the book and the name of the author escapes me at the moment…it was about a woman dying of lung cancer.
Such cheery books we read!!!
Back in my 30’s I read and enjoyed "The Last Gift of Time. Life Beyond Sixty" by Carolyn G. Heilbrun – have you ever read that? I still have it – figured I would read it again when I was older. I remember at the time someone asked me why on earth I would read a book about life beyond 60 when I was only in my early 30’s myself – I can’t remember what I answered, but I know I have always been interested in older people, especially women.
That shows through now in my work – some of my favorite customers are my seniors!
Oh…and Oma…even though you qualify for the seniors discounts at the movies and such – I do not consider you a senior as such – when I refer to ‘my seniors’ I am thinking about my group of over 80’s!