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portcitykt's review against another edition
5.0
I had never read anything by May Sarton before and this moved me so much. Sarton creates Miss Spencer a character that has been placed in a nursing home and is dealing with the emotions that come with loss of freedom and humanity. My heart broke for Miss Spencer and what she was trying to come to terms with. Whether real or imagined issues, anyone who has had a loved one in nursing care will feel what life is like from their perspective. The value of a visit, kind words, human contact and small tokens mean so much. A must read by anyone who loves seniors and for those who care for seniors.
suvata's review against another edition
5.0
So, last night I was listening to some podcasts when I came across the latest episode of "The Readers" (http://bookbasedbanter.co.uk/thereaders/2015/12/30/ep-143-thomas-simon-recommend-seven-books-to-each-other-and-you/). One of Thomas' choices was As We Are Now by May Sarton. It sounded like something I would enjoy and couldn't believe that I had never heard of it before since it was published in 1973.
So, I went to Amazon.com to check for the title only to find that I could read it for free since I am an Amazon prime member. BONUS! Serendipity?
Since it's such a short book at about 120 pages, I finished it in a day. And I absolutely adored this book. So much so that I went back to Amazon.com and ordered a hard copy. This is a deliciously dark novel that will give you a lot to think about and even give you something to laugh about now and then.
What's it about you ask?
From the publisher:
"I am not mad, only old. . . . I am in a concentration camp for the old."
So begins May Sarton's short, swift blow of a novel, about the powerlessness of the old and the rage it can bring. As We Are Now tells the story of Caroline Spencer, a 76-year-old retired schoolteacher, mentally strong but physically frail, who has been moved by relatives into a "home." Subjected to subtle humiliations and petty cruelties, sustained for too short a time by the love of another person, she fights back with all she has, and in a powerful climax wins a terrible victory.
It's great to start off a new year with a five star read. Thanks to Thomas and Simon for recommending it.
So, I went to Amazon.com to check for the title only to find that I could read it for free since I am an Amazon prime member. BONUS! Serendipity?
Since it's such a short book at about 120 pages, I finished it in a day. And I absolutely adored this book. So much so that I went back to Amazon.com and ordered a hard copy. This is a deliciously dark novel that will give you a lot to think about and even give you something to laugh about now and then.
What's it about you ask?
From the publisher:
"I am not mad, only old. . . . I am in a concentration camp for the old."
So begins May Sarton's short, swift blow of a novel, about the powerlessness of the old and the rage it can bring. As We Are Now tells the story of Caroline Spencer, a 76-year-old retired schoolteacher, mentally strong but physically frail, who has been moved by relatives into a "home." Subjected to subtle humiliations and petty cruelties, sustained for too short a time by the love of another person, she fights back with all she has, and in a powerful climax wins a terrible victory.
It's great to start off a new year with a five star read. Thanks to Thomas and Simon for recommending it.
adammck's review against another edition
4.0
Almost certainly one of the most harrowing novels I've ever read. The most important author of my early adolescence was Stephen King, but no killer clown or undead pet could come close to conjuring the fear I have for declining in a ghastly nursing home, and being "subjected to subtle humiliations and petty cruelties" as the description here says. I feel emotionally ambushed.
finii's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
mmmmm's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
jamieml's review against another edition
5.0
As you are now, so once was I;
Prepare for death and follow me.
The epigraph of May Sarton’s novel As We Are Now reads frightening after fully witnessing its despair. The novel exposes the devastating isolation and deprivation of aging in a retirement home, a “concentration camp for the old” (9). Caro, the narrator, records her outward experiences and inward reflections in a journal, which exists as Sarton’s novel. Caro, an abandoned, physically weak woman, agonizingly craves comfort.
I found Caro's story a compelling and difficult study of empathy. The blatant abuse and neglect inflicted on the old, the subsequent self-hate, and the ultimate burning anger reveals how Sarton sees the decline of human compassion. I love this novel because it faces that rage.
It is not an easy read. It is short, yes, but Sarton's writing packs a heart-breaking punch. Heart-breaking because it's true.
Of my own unique experience of As We Are Now, I found Caro similar to myself. We are both animal lovers, readers, and thinkers. We even love the same artist, Pieter Bruegel. Relating to Caro makes this book much more frightening. Will I have a similar end?
I couldn't help but notice conclusions made about silence and empathy in the novel. As a shy person who often lives in silence, I hoped to find some comfort there. You can read my thoughts on the subject here.
I think this novel is my favorite, and I will read it when I am old. Hopefully, I will be better off than dear Caro.
stefhyena's review against another edition
5.0
I bought this book years ago and I hesitated to read it because I was very young and thought the ramblings of an old woman locked up would make tedious and depressing reading. I thought I ought to read it but I couldn't make myself.
I am glad I read it. Caro reflects on old age, powerlessness, agency (she is a resister and fighter to the end), friendship, love and what it is to be a human being. It was depressing. It made me think of the asylum seekers (some at the very beginning of their life) locked up in horrible centres by our government subject not only to passive-aggressive violence (like Harriet inflicts on Caro) but outright violence too and the same sort of lies and insincerity (though increasingly not even that as our society averts it's eyes.
Invisibility is dangerous, it brings out the worst in people. Transparency allows for safety. The book is a bit classist, but seems self-critical at that anyway and there is a passing thought about low wages and hard, unrewarding work not bringing out the best in people.
The passion, critical thought and above all resistance that is possible even by Caro in her horrible home, and the humanity she finds in some people (meanwhile the emotional sloveliness of others) makes this a book about being human.
I am glad I read it. Caro reflects on old age, powerlessness, agency (she is a resister and fighter to the end), friendship, love and what it is to be a human being. It was depressing. It made me think of the asylum seekers (some at the very beginning of their life) locked up in horrible centres by our government subject not only to passive-aggressive violence (like Harriet inflicts on Caro) but outright violence too and the same sort of lies and insincerity (though increasingly not even that as our society averts it's eyes.
Invisibility is dangerous, it brings out the worst in people. Transparency allows for safety. The book is a bit classist, but seems self-critical at that anyway and there is a passing thought about low wages and hard, unrewarding work not bringing out the best in people.
The passion, critical thought and above all resistance that is possible even by Caro in her horrible home, and the humanity she finds in some people (meanwhile the emotional sloveliness of others) makes this a book about being human.
yeahdeadslow's review against another edition
5.0
May Sarton, the more I read of you the more impressed I become. With this brief novel you successfully and brilliantly broke my heart, and filled me with hope and despair at the same time. I am at a loss at how to end this. Giving you a virtual thumbs up, while fitting, seems indubitably strange, so I shall just awkwardly trail away.....
janettesleaf's review against another edition
I never thought the philosophy of Fanon could go together so seamlessly with a book about nursing homes to create such an explosive ending. <3 Intersectionality.
dilan11's review against another edition
5.0
Haunting. Beautifully rendered 1st person account of old age in a wretched nursing home. I dislike the fake "found this diary" ending, but the narrative itself is beautiful although bleak and dark and filled with despair.
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