[.ca] A Year by the Sea (ISBN 0767905938)

Proud to be an "unfinished woman":
This is the best book I've read in a long time. I was feeling a little lost the week that I happened to find this book and it totally changed my attitude. So many pages had at least one sentence if not more, that echoed exactly how I felt. I no longer feel alone in my thoughts and I am now proud to be an "unfinished woman." Thank you to the author for sharing her experiences!

Thought Provoking:
How many of us have wished for a year of solitude with Nature in order to reflect, learn and grow. By reading this little book, we can at least share Anderson's experiences. So many of her thoughts and emotions reflect what many of us feel, especially at that age and point in life. Kids are grown and have become independent, our traditional role in life is over and we're not quite sure where we belong anymore. Excellent read!

Put YOUR oxygen mask on first before helping someone else!:
Though some reviewers have focused their ridicule of this book on the author's opportunities, economic status, and the fact that she doesn't linger on any catastrophes in her life (jealousy, no doubt), I find her honest memoir to be very useful to my own life--one very different to her's. I'm a happily married, penny pinching, thirty something with a young child, and trying to balance my home, family and love life with my efforts to start a business. There is no shame in any woman admitting that she has neglected her personal needs, and deciding to commit herself to a more fulfilling life. Her attention to her own needs only benefits those whose life she touches. Much like exercising creates more physical energy, renewing oneself creates more energy for giving to others. What the other reviewers neglect to observe is that it is only by attending to one's own need for renewal--whether one hour, one day or one year--that we can give well and fully to others. Joan was in the fortunate position to allow a year for her reflection. Why do flight attendants tell caregivers to put on their OWN OXYGEN mask first before placing the mask on a child or elderly person? Because you can not help someone else if you're passed out from smoke inhalation or lack of oxygen. Apparently, some other reviewers do not understand this concept. This book is about ONE WOMAN'S time of renewal. She does not suggest that you follow her path. It's a memoir. Her story. However, I would suggest that reading her story can help open up a reader's thoughts about her own renewal--a path only she can find for herself. Another GREAT book about renewal for women is Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Timelessly pertinent.

A n Enlightening Journey -- for Every Woman:
A true and empowering story of a woman's inward search for independence and automony during a period of unhappiness with herself and her marriage. Joan Anderson shares the personal and intimate details of her struggle to find meaning in her life, and takes the reader along on her journey of spiritual and physical self discovery. This book forces the reader to think about her own life and offers insight on taking risks, and evoking changes within yourself. A year by the Sea is a book for every woman to read, and for every woman to share with other women in her life.

A Book For All Women to Enjoy and Relish Each Chapter!:
I loved this book. It is so "real". I wish I could go away for a year to "find myself". Swimming with sea lions, working in a fish market to earn $ to fix her hot water heater, I could only dream about this adventure! After reading this book - I rushed out in search of her second book - An Unfinished Marriage. I cannot wait to read all 3 of her books! I own all of them and will begin the second book as soon as I have some free time. I wish we could have a book discussion at *Bucks on these books!