Reakcia človeka na pokutu za parkovanie, stúpnutie do psieho hovna, meškajúci vlak a umierajúcu včielku vám o ňom veľa prezradí. Mám osemdesiatjeden rokov a za ten dlhý čas, čo som na tejto zemi, som prišla na jedno: ak si v živote naozaj zaslúžite, je to sloboda a odvaha povedat neviem.

Najlepšou postavou knihy však nie je hlavná hrdinka, ale Cricket, s ktorou sa zoznámi počas robenia rozhovoru. First of all, to be fair to the author, she doesn’t go down the whole probably won’t have children, but might just save it at the last minute (! If I could put those things aside it would be a 5 star read for pure entertainment (and a few emotional tears). I am not sure if my words are doing justice to how much I loved this book but I loved this book and everything about it.

Friends that I used to have but don't have anymore and didn't even think about them for years until today and all I remember is all the fun that we used to have and nothing else. Landing a job writing obituaries, Nell meets the fabulous Cricket, an 80-something widow with challenges of her own. An excellent quality audio; it's always refreshing to pick up the book and look forward to the voice, as well as the story as it continues. Man gan vēl ir tikai trīsdesmit ar kaut ko, bet kā f**k up (neveiksminiece būtu adekvāts latviskojums? This is the one book I’ve found which is supposed to be about women like me, only to find out that it isn’t.

Roky nás presviedčali, že na tridsiate piate narodeniny ženská plodnosť vyletí von komínom, a ak sa dá veriť všetkému, čo sa píše, v päťdesiatke sa máme tešiť z nevďačných tínedžerov alebo začať gúgliť darcovstvo vajíčok. Na jednej strane "experti" varujúci, aby sme sa príliš nesústreďovali na kariéru a našli si čas založiť si rodinu, na druhej strane pranierujeme slobodné matky na sociálnych dávkach. Laugh-out-loud funny and painfully relatable, Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up is a celebration of friendship and a reminder that while life doesn’t always go according to plan, it doesn’t mean you can’t find happiness. Pentru că, din postura ei de ”fată bătrână”, Nell își invidiază toate prietenele măritate și cu copii, cu case aranjate ca în reviste, cu petreceri elegante și cu vieți care par mai așezate decât ale ei, însă podcastul ei scoate la iveală faptul că, dedesubtul strălucirii, se ascund aceleași îndoieli, anxietăți, depresii, sentimente de ”nu sunt suficient de bună”, ca și în cazul lui Nell. When her business goes bust and her fiancé with it, Nell’s happy ever after in California falls apart and she moves back to London to start over.Together they begin to help each other heal their aching hearts, cope with the loss of the lives they had planned, and push each other into new adventures and unexpected joys.

But things slowly begin to look up for Nell, who is determined to gain the upper hand over her changed life arrangements. But this book definitely reminded me of the things that I had laid out and thought back to where I used to think I'd end up ten years later and then ended up laughing because now I can't even imagine going by that plan. Yorkshire born and raised, Alex currently lives in South-West London with Mr California and their Bosnian rescue dog and when she’s not spending time writing or travelling, she’s spending far too much time on Instagram being reminded that she should be exercising regularly, drinking enough water, practising mindfulness and feeling blessed. It’s probably no surprise (if anyone’s still with me :)) that I found the ending disturbing and symbolic. As an Asian woman who’s suffered from anxiety for several years, I’ve experienced all kinds of prejudice throughout my life.Yeah, they patched up and everything but it was unfair to Nell and I was mad on her behalf I guess because Nell forgave too quickly. I wish this was more focused on the podcasts and what she actually says on them; we are told that she's getting these insane amount of followers but it's barely mentioned apart from as an anecdote and just doesn't feel well thought out. je plný križovatiek, alternatív a rozhodnutí, a vyvíja sa na nás veľkž nátlak, aby sme robili tie správne. Nell’s life feels like it is going absolutely nowhere fast and the perfect social media feeds she follows makes her feel even worse. Výborné sú aj pasáže kde sa rozoberá postavenie ženy a tlak spoločnosti na to, aby žena plnila rolu matky lebo to by mala byť jej “najvyššia ašpirácia”.

I also loved Nell's relationship with her family especially her father and that bit towards the end scared me to bits.I could sympathise with Nell’s lack of confidence and sheer dissatisfaction with the direction of her life. Alexandra Potter has created a wonderful character in Nell Stevens someone women of any age can identify with.