Women Rowing North

Women Rowing North by Mary Piper
Nonfiction
2019 Bloomsbury Publishing
Finished on July 10, 2020
Rating: 2/5 (Fair)

Publisher's Blurb:

The New York Times bestseller from the author of Reviving Ophelia--a guide to wisdom, authenticity, and bliss for women as they age.

Women growing older contend with ageism, misogyny, and loss. Yet as Mary Pipher shows, most older women are deeply happy and filled with gratitude for the gifts of life. Their struggles help them grow into the authentic, empathetic, and wise people they have always wanted to be.

In Women Rowing North, Pipher offers a timely examination of the cultural and developmental issues women face as they age. Drawing on her own experience as daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, caregiver, clinical psychologist, and cultural anthropologist, she explores ways women can cultivate resilient responses to the challenges they face. "If we can keep our wits about us, think clearly, and manage our emotions skillfully," Pipher writes, "we will experience a joyous time of our lives. If we have planned carefully and packed properly, if we have good maps and guides, the journey can be transcendent."

It's been over 25 years since I first read Mary Pipher's bestseller, Reviving Ophelia, which addresses the struggles of adolescent girls. At the time, my daughter was a preteen and I found the book informative and eye-opening, but it wasn't one I loved or kept on my shelf for a re-read. More recently, I went on to read Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders. Or should I say, attempted to read. I gave up on that book after a few chapters, finding it dull and full of repetitive anecdotes. When my book group selected Pipher's most recent work, Women Rowing North: Navigating Life's Currents and Flourishing as We Age, I thought maybe this one would suit me better than the other two and I looked forward to discussing it with my friends. I was encouraged after marking a few passages in the first chapter, but from there on, my interest waned. I read a chapter here and there, but the information wasn't illuminating and the abundant use of anecdotes became tiresome. I realized I wasn't enjoying the book when I found myself calculating how many chapters needed to be read each day in order to finish by my book group meeting. Women Rowing North is only 250 pages, so it shouldn't have taken me two weeks to complete. However, I did finish, unlike some of my fellow book group members.

So why did this book fail to elicit high praise from me? The main reason is that it didn't shed new light on issues I am facing. Although the author provides numerous stories to back up her ideas and beliefs, she tends to state the obvious. I grew bored with her message and tips on gratitude and on the need for friends to help weather life's storms and as a result, lost track of the various individuals referenced by Piper. They all blurred together and I had to flip back to earlier chapters to remind myself of who some were when a name was dropped into a paragraph three chapters later. 

I am 58 and am probably the correct target audience for the book and yet it still fell short of my expectations. The majority of readers in my book group are in their 70s and 80s and felt that they had already encountered all the issues presented by Pipher. As one reviewer stated on Goodreads, "If you’ve already figured out that exercise, healthy eating, community involvement, pursuit of a special interest and nurturing relationships with friends and families are the keys to happiness at any age, your time will be better spent in pursuing those activities than in reading this book." I couldn't agree more!