Time's Bounty
- Philip Weinstein
- 22 hours ago
- 2 min read
Read an excerpt below:
“I call the materials of my book "dramas of the old," and I need to say why drama is the right term. Drama rather than lament or complaint about where we old ones are; drama rather than fantasies that pretend we are not where we are. Drama functions here as an umbrella-term for the sudden arrival and expression of late-stage thoughts, feelings, and actions--the range of unanticipated life-moves made by the elderly. "Unanticipated" because we never before knew we would make such moves--and this because we never before had to make them. Surprise runs through these pages: do we ever get used to what life puts in our path? Each of my five chapters narrates one such "drama of winter." Although all five draw on my arrival into a territory that old age seems to mark out as its own, these are not the predictable stories you might anticipate. No complaints run through my chapters (no "organ recital" is on offer). No sentimental sweetness gets indulged either (the kind of thing that Hallmark cards specialize in). Those seeking to commiserate with a litany of old age's problems--or longing for a Mr.-Chips-like transcendence of them--will need to look elsewhere. Rather, my aim is to press hard on familiar scenarios, hard enough to make them reveal their surprises. I may go to expected places, but I come upon unexpected findings."
This book and others by Philip Weinstein are available for purchase on Amazon.
Editorial Reviews
"Time's Bounty is wonderfully rich, combining reflections on aging's unexpected vistas with insights drawn from great literature. Deeply humane without ever being sentimental, this book suggests the gift that can come from a clear-eyed apprehension of both the new limits and new freedoms that arrive in life's late years."
Adam Haslett, author of Mothers and Sons.
"This is an exquisite book, full of unanticipated moments of discovery and lightness. It is also a brave book, for here Philip Weinstein brings himself, his 'quick' as a professor, to his experience of life in his seventies and eighties, and finds that this winter season holds new potential: 'the pure enjoyment of time.' Give this book to everyone you know."
Carol Gilligan, author of In a Human Voice
"Few among us want to dwell on aging. But Time's Bounty is a delightful meditation on growing old. And as this sharp, well-written book, infused with wisdom fromauthors near and ancient,makes clear: It's not all bad."
Evan Friss, author of The Bookshop
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