Reviews

Diane Magazine

Summer 2007

From Boomer Women's World Newsletter:   What happens when a beautiful, 50-something OB/Gyn specialist discovers her husband of 26 years is leaving her for another man? Her world crumbles before her very eyes.

Now what? This wasn't supposed to happen. She's finally reached "midlife" where the years are supposed to give back, to be the best ones of her life, however, she has to divide her emotions and time between a father who's in the throws of Alzheimer's, and an ex-husband who is constantly in need of her forgiveness. To top it off, she's single after 26 years of marriage.

After two years of hiding out from life, and of deep reflection, Gywneth realizes she is an empty nester, has money, a thriving OB/Gyn practice, good friends, and a beautiful apartment. The only thing missing is Mr. Right. It's time to move on.

And move she does! With the help of her two zany, yet lovable friends, Fleur and Kat, she takes us through each adventure and each misadventure struggling to reinvent her life, learning to trust again, and also learning how to let go, and ultimately, to forgive. While coming to terms with different kinds of loss is a part of the theme within the pages of this wonderful book, it's certainly not the dominant one. I found much love, laughter, and hope in every chapter. In my opinion, these three mismatched friends, each with a secret side, bring this midlife story to life from the get-go.

My advice is to pick up this book, read a chapter, cry, laugh hysterically, moan, whatever . . . then call you best friend and read it to her. Repeat daily. It wasn't hard at all to love each character. What was hard . . . was leaving them.

You owe it to your Boomer self to read, My Favorite Midlife Crisis - Yet. You'll be so glad you did!

Reviewed by Georgia Richardson

Publishers Weekly

2006-05-15

Still recovering from the discovery two years before that her husband of 26 years is gay (a revelation referred to as "The Treachery"), 54-year-old gynecologic oncologist Dr. Gwyneth Berke is resigned to a life of scientific pursuits, sulking in her luxury downtown Baltimore apartment and helping to care for her ailing father. Enter her best friends, widowed artist Kat and voluptuous entrepreneur Fleur, who coax Gwyn into dating again, a venture made easy by her looks, money and accomplishments. Though the men she meets at first are flakes, sexy lightning strikes at a medical conference when Gwyn meets Simon York, a renowned British gynecologist and researcher who doggedly woos a receptive Gwyn into the kind of torrid relationship that only two gynecologists can have. But Gwyn can't help wondering if Simon really is who he seems. He's too good-and too busy-to be true. More than light fare for the menopausal set, Devens's wise and witty debut is a distinguished addition to a crowded field.(Sept.)

Booklist

June 1 & 15 2006

Devens, Toby. My Favorite Midlife Crisis (Yet). Sept. 2006. 352p. Sourcebooks/Landmark, paper, $14 (1-4022-0747-6).

Gwyneth Berke is about as fulfilled as a woman can get. She’s a prominent doctor with a Baltimore OB/Gyn practice, specializing in gynecologic oncology. She has a beautiful apartment, money, and two wonderful grown sons. Like most of us, she also has a few crosses to bear. Her ex-husband left her for another man, her father has Alzheimer’s, and now in her mid-fifties, finding a good man is like finding a needle in a haystack. It’s not as though Gwyneth is actively looking, but her two best friends, also single, are anxious for her to join them in the dating pool. We get to go along for the ride as Gwyneth and her friends make their way through the slim pickings of available men. While this seems to be the main theme of the book, Deven’s novel is really about women successful in life, in friends, and in their chosen profession, realizing what’s really important as they reach middle age. Wonderful characters make this humorous and heartwarming tale a pleasure to read. *Maria Hatton