No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club - by Virginia Ironside (Paperback)

About the Book

This wonderfully astute novel based on the author's own experiences is the funny--and often poignant--fictionalized diary of an older woman a decade or two past her prime and content to leave it all behind her.

Book Synopsis

Read Virginia Ironside's posts on the Penguin Blog.

A screamingly funny and poignant story about embracing life beyond middle age

Marie Sharp is heading toward sixty and is just fine with it. She's already had plenty of excitement in her life: sex and drugs in the freewheeling sixties, career and children, marriage and divorce. Now she's ready to settle into a quiet, blissfully boring routine. No Italian classes or gym memberships or bicycle trips across Europe, thank you very much! Marie just wants to put her feet up and "start doing old things."

She's even sworn off men! But as it turns out, life still has some surprises in store, the biggest of which is a new grandson on the way. What's more, Archie, her old childhood crush, suddenly reenters her life, and her closest friend falls seriously ill. Armed with a biting sense of humor, Marie wrestles with a life that refuses to follow her plans--and may still offer more possibilities than she realizes.

Review Quotes

?[Ironside] has done her readers a wonderful service in giving us the fictional Marie Sharp.... "No! I Don?t Want to Join a Book Club" is, in fact, a perfect choice for book clubs. It takes on the biggest issues?our lives, loves, deaths?in acerbic, tender, thoughtful ways. Perfect for clubs, perfect for (almost) everybody.?
?"The Washington Post"
?Screamingly funny?reads like an AARP-issued "Bridget Jones? Diary"?.This is the kind of book you gobble up, then re-read so you can hoot out loud all over again.?
?"USA Today"
?Marie's wicked sense of humor makes this a fun read. . . . This novel is more than a light romp. Marie shows great heart and wisdom as she experiences joys and sorrows.?
?"The Herald Sun"
?So funny and human, so full of cranky wisdom and plucky resistance to the ordinary ways of facing old age. I?m thinking of reading "No! I Don?t Want to Join a Book Club" once a year from here on in to cheer myself up. If you?re over fifty, you s

a[Ironside] has done her readers a wonderful service in giving us the fictional Marie Sharp.... "No! I Donat Want to Join a Book Club" is, in fact, a perfect choice for book clubs. It takes on the biggest issuesaour lives, loves, deathsain acerbic, tender, thoughtful ways. Perfect for clubs, perfect for (almost) everybody.a
a"The Washington Post"
aScreamingly funnya]reads like an AARP-issued "Bridget Jonesa Diary"a].This is the kind of book you gobble up, then re-read so you can hoot out loud all over again.a
a"USA Today"
aMarieas wicked sense of humor makes this a fun read. . . . This novel is more than a light romp. Marie shows great heart and wisdom as she experiences joys and sorrows.a
a"The Herald Sun"
aSo funny and human, so full of cranky wisdom and plucky resistance to the ordinary ways of facing old age. Iam thinking of reading "No! I Donat Want to Join a Book Club" once a year from here on in to cheer myself up. If youare over fifty, you should read it, too.a
a"The Buffalo News"

[Ironside] has done her readers a wonderful service in giving us the fictional Marie Sharp.... "No! I Dont Want to Join a Book Club" is, in fact, a perfect choice for book clubs. It takes on the biggest issuesour lives, loves, deathsin acerbic, tender, thoughtful ways. Perfect for clubs, perfect for (almost) everybody.
"The Washington Post"
Screamingly funnyreads like an AARP-issued "Bridget Jones Diary,"This is the kind of book you gobble up, then re-read so you can hoot out loud all over again.
"USA Today"
Maries wicked sense of humor makes this a fun read. . . . This novel is more than a light romp. Marie shows great heart and wisdom as she experiences joys and sorrows.
"The Herald Sun"
So funny and human, so full of cranky wisdom and plucky resistance to the ordinary ways of facing old age. Im thinking of reading "No! I Dont Want to Join a Book Club" once a year from here on in to cheer myself up. If youre over fifty, you should read it, too.
"The Buffalo News"

About the Author

Virginia Ironside is a journalist, agony aunt, and author. She served as an editor for Woman and the Sunday Mirror for many years, and has regular columns in The Independent and The Oldie. She has written books in children's and adult fiction, nonfiction, self-help, and memoir, and is published worldwide. She lives in London.