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September Songs |
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The Good News About Marriage in the Later Years
Maggie Scarf - Author
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| Book: Hardcover | 9.25 x 6.25in | 256 pages | ISBN 9781594488504 | 04 Sep 2008 | Riverhead | 14 - AND UP years |
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An unexpected—and surprisingly positive— exploration of the benefits awaiting married baby boomers in their “bonus” years from the New York Times–bestselling author of Intimate Partners.
In September Songs, journalist and author Maggie Scarf finds that marriage has undergone some fascinating changes since she wrote her bestselling Intimate Partners. Over the course of the twentieth century, thirty years of life have been added to normal human life expectancy—what the author calls “the bonus years.” This means that couples will often live together for years after their children have left home, and perhaps well past retirement. This extra time is bringing change to our long-term relationships, especially marriage.
In a series of intimate interviews, Scarf delves into the lives of couples married for more than two decades and discerns encouraging new insights about marriage. Seen through the eyes of these baby boomers as they move into this new phase of life, we hear—in the couples’ own words—how they survived the bumps together and learned to balance their needs with those of their partners. Scarf reveals that, in many ways, men and women in long-term marriages are far happier and more fulfilled in their relationships today than when they were younger.
A compelling and human portrait of the long-term emotional, psychological, and physical benefits of a lasting commitment to another, September Songs uncovers the challenges and new opportunities couples find to love, cherish, and live alongside each other in the extra years they have together.
“[An] engrossing investigation into enduring marriage…[Maggie Scarf] is a gifted interviewer, knowing what to ask and when to back off. Her gently probing questions—about retirement, health, sexual activity, finances, children, religion, disappointments and regret—lead her subjects to some unexpectedly candid answers.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“A journalistic book…the clearest message, both from the research and the couples, is upbeat.”
—The Economist
“Scarf adroitly examines how they negotiate the challenges of marriages that have lasted more -- and sometimes far more -- than two decades. And Scarf is good…. a probing but tactful questioner, an active listener and even, on occasion, a quasi- therapist.”
—The Washington Post
“Living what she’s preaching…[Scarf] has been married for 55 years.”
—USA Today
“A fascinating overview of an unexplored topic that should appeal to couples of all ages.”
—Publishers Weekly
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Religion & Spirituality
The Invention of Air
Steven Johnson
Read a Q&A with Steven Johnson, author of The Invention of Air in our Religion & Spirituality special interest area.
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