Alas, I had no illustrations to accompany my Kindle edition of this delightful book. Regardless I still enjoyed it immensely. Ms. Viorst has written one of these poetry/essay books for each of her decades of life. This one is full of sweet reminiscence and tender feelings for her husband of 60 years. If I should be fortunate to near ninety than I hope my life will be as rewarding as Ms. Viorst's. A lovely book that can be read in an afternoon, only 96 pages, and then savored whenever one is feeling down about aging.

Nearing Ninety by Judith Viorst is a delightful, inspiring collection of poetry, quotations, cartoons and reflections about the foibles, pitfalls and joys of aging. Viorst is a realist who knows the fear that each day might just be her last day, and the importance of savoring every precious moment. She is relentlessly but gently funny about physical changes, friendship, love, and family. In the space of the less than two hours it took to read this uplifting volume, I smiled, teared up, and laughed out loud. This is a book to savor, no matter how old you are.

Apparently, I am the last to know that this is the latest volume in a series of books by Viorst, celebrating the decades. I plan to reach back a few decades and see what she had to say about where I am now. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful addition to decades of amazing poetry.

I’ve always enjoyed how Judith Viorst had the pulse on life and what it means as we age and change. I loved the small sketches throughout the book. The collection was a jewel from the beginning to the very last entry her wished for legacy.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.

udith Viorst continues her aging book series. Nearing Ninety contains poems, sketches and astute reflections. Some had me laughing out loud with delight, some were more somber, all were relatable no matter what the age of the reader.

Her work reminds me of that of Erma Bombeck; always full of heart, never shy about taking a pointed look at herself, finding the humor in life around her, regardless of the situation. This is the mark of a resilient person. I hope we have Judith Viorst with us for a long time to come!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expresses here are my own.

In Nearing Ninety, bestselling author Judith Viorst candidly shares the complicated joys and everyday tribulations that await us at the age of ninety, all with a large dose of humor and an understanding that nothing—well, almost nothing—in life should be taken too seriously. While she struggles to make it to midnight on New Year's Eve, while she’s starting to hear more eulogies than symphonies, while she’ll forever be disheartened by what she weighs (and forever unable to stop weighing herself), there is plenty to cherish at ninety: hanging out with the people she loves. Playing a relentless game of Scrabble. And still sleeping tush-to-tush with the same man to whom she’s been married for sixty years.

Accompanied by Laura Gibson’s whimsical illustrations, Nearing Ninety’s amusing and touching reflections make this collection relatable to readers of all ages. With the wisdom and spunk of someone who’s seen it all, Viorst gently reminds us that everybody gets old and that the best medicine at any age is laughter.

Such an amazingly wonderful book! A hilarious take on life and aging in 90! Everyone needs this book. Actually
ALL of Judith Viorst books. I was laughing so hard, I had to read the humor to my husband. We have been married 45 years and some is ringing true now. What a gem and delight!!

*** Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to have an advance copy for review***

I am new to reading the adult genre work of Judith Viorst. Now that I have read her latest book, Nearing Ninety, I shall eagerly travel with her through all of her earlier writings about living in each decade.
I liked her wise yet mirthful perspective shared as she reaches the conclusion of her life. Her prose is lighthearted yet contains grounding wisdom that I found comforting, imagining - and hoping - how I shall feel about life should a I make it to late 80s.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and, honestly, was surprised and pleased to find that Judith Viorst is still publishing. Her children's book, "The Tenth Good Thing About Barney" is my all-time favorite. Viorst is one of three domestic goddesses/writers I remember from childhood (Shirley Jackson and Erma Bombeck are the others) - each able to make the mundane and often frustrating aspects of marriage and family hilarious. Viorst has a series of "decade" poetry books, beginning with "It's Hard to Be Hip Over Thirty" and continuing more than 50 years to this one. Here she writes movingly and humorously about being at a time in your life when you can't help but know that time is limited. She writes about losses (parents, siblings, friends) and gains (grandchildren), about things she knows now she'll never do (ride a camel across the desert) and things she still enjoys (watching the fit young man mow her lawn), about the pleasures and frustrations of being married to the same man for almost 60 years, and about looking back and enjoying what time is left. Her voice is as strong as it ever was and this collection was a delight. Now I'm off to reread the Viorst books I inherited from my 95-year-old mother, who would surely have enjoyed this collection, if dementia wasn't robbing her of herself.

What a delightful 30 minutes of my life, spent devouring Voist’s amazing down to earth, delightful prose. I laughed and I cried (no lie) and enjoyed reading poems about life and death and everything in between. My favorites were Charlie Beerman, about a very special cocker spaniel, Sightings, that proves that we are still alive - no matter our age, My Father, The Age I am Now, that depicted my own father so well, and A Warning (or Maybe A Love Song) For My Husband, a poem I cannot wait to read to my husband, if only he would hurry up and wake up.

I loved all of the Alexander books as a child, and if you did too, it’s time to hurry up and read the books she has written about each decade of life (30 and beyond.) I loved this one and now, must quickly go and read all the others!

Bravo, Judith Voist, you have done it again!

If there’s anyone who has leveraged life, it is Judith Viorst. She has written about herself, her age(s), children’s books, science books and lots of charming poetry. This latest in a lifelong series on the state of her age is called Nearing Ninety.

Some things change, and some do not. Mostly, there is less to complain about, even though nothing works properly any more. There is an appreciation, particularly of her husband, but generally of the simple pleasures of people watching, nature, old friends and things that are dependable.

This is not to say Viorst doesn’t retain her perspective:

Man Mowing The Grass

Maybe you haven’t noticed that bare-chested fellow,
That flat-bellied, slim-waisted fellow mowing the grass,
The one with the black curly hair, and the tattooed shoulder,
And the low-slung blue jeans lovingly molding his ass.
He’s bobbing his head to the music that streams through his earbuds.
He’s mouthing the words to some seethingly sensual song.
You think I’m out here on the porch just reading my novel?
You are so wrong.

It is a charming little book, and maybe importantly, informative.

David Wineberg

This is the perfect book for anyone who has achieved a certain age, anyone who expects to achieve a certain age, or anyone who knows someone who has achieved a certain age. NEARING NINETY by Judith Viorst is filled with pearls of poetry and short essays that provide a sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant but always refreshing look at what it is like to have lived almost nine decades. This is the seventh in a series of short books heralding each new decade, starting with It’s Hard to Be Hip Over Thirty.
Although I am not quite on the brink of eighty, many of the pieces in this book struck a chord in me. Reading it will have you shifting from laughing out loud one minute to being nostalgic the next. Her feelings about ageing, dying, being widowed, and more echo much of the feelings I have rolling around in my head from time to time.
It’s the perfect gift for that friend who is ageing, gracefully or not, as they come to terms with their feelings and experiences. It’s refreshing to know that as you age you are not alone. As for younger people who might pick this up, there are bits of wisdom that can go a long way in fostering understanding of those who have more past than they have future. The humor is honest, warm and undeniable. The dips into serious or wistful remembrances are just enough to add weight to the book and make it one of substance.
I highly recommend you take some time and read this book. The individual pieces are short and won’t require a substantial commitment to complete. As for what thoughts they may generate, that probably depends on the reader and where he or she is in life at the moment, but I expect everyone will find at least one or two that reflect exactly what they think or feel.
My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing an advanced digital read copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

What a hilarious take on life! Viorst’s poems tackle things that we all think as we get older, but with a common theme of “don’t sweat the small stuff” because when you reach ninety, you live each day as though it were your last. Viorst pairs each poem with a quotation that adds another depth to the wisdom shared in this book.

I loved all the poems including in the collection, but three stood out for very different reasons. The first, The Graduation Brunch, made me laugh because Viorst describes all the different family members and personalities in such a way that makes you think of people you know. There was the mom who ignored the request to not bring her children, the political and business go-getters, the one who doesn’t want to be there, and the ninety year old who loves every moment that everyone can get together.

The second poem, A Most Viable Widower, tells a sad tale about a man who comes back from his wife’s funeral to find food and well-wishes on his doorstep, and a plethora of women waiting in the wings to be his wife. As Viorst says in her poem, “And a little too soon he’ll remarry, which is no sign of disrespect to his lost, late wife, but because time’s running out – he’s in the November of his life, and because, in those sweet years they shared together, he has learned how to be a husband, not a widower.” I just find this one so true, yet so few consider being a widow or widower from their perspective.

My last favorite poem, My Father, the Age I Am Now, is very touching. The father in the poem, married young (as so many men in the 20s and 30s did) and kept his family through the depression. The Depression changed a lot of people. The fear of going without. The fear of failure. The fear of not being able to take care of others. In the poem, the father was, during his life, “nothing more than an accountant” and often the butt of his family’s jokes. Only when he made sure that all his affairs were in order, his last act of taking care of his family and responsibilities, did his daughter see that taking care of his family was his greatest achievement and one thing he was proud of. It doesn’t take much to have children, but it takes everything to take care of them.

This is a great read for all ages!

Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.