Out to pasture : but not over the hill

The first of four books about Hattie McNair and her senior citizen cohorts at FairAcres Home. Hattie’s life seems to be echoing the experiences of octogenarian first time author, Effie Leland Wilder, through the poignant realities of aging and the sweet sense of humor required to age gracefully.

Charming little book about the joys, laughs, and heartaches of the last part of life. The story is thinly disguised as fiction, but the incidents ring all too real, and it is obvious Ms Wilder is using her own life at a retirement home as grist for her story mill. She draws her characters with a

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fine brush, and we care about them all. Short and sweet - easily readable in an evening.

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Written by Effie Wilder, 85 at the time, this is billed as a first novel, but I suspect it is largely autobiographical. Told in the form of journal entries by an elderly resident of a retirement home in South Carolina, the book consists of a series of vignettes spotlighting various residents and

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their experiences. Always charming, quite often funny, and often poignant without being maudlin, the main thrust of the book seems to be that while old age does not necessarily change a person from their younger self, there are aspects of it that cannot be ignored, and are best handled with grace, humor, and the help of good friends. Hattie, the main character, is compassionate, active in her community of friends, graced with good humor and the energy to perform good works. Near the end of the book, she organizes a fundraising evening in which the residents share their favorite recollections. Two of them, on pgs 167 and 170, are a real hoot. In this book, old age is to be respected, but not feared.

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Fun, humorous book about senior citizens who live in Fair Acres Home. a retirement community in South Carolina.

Charming little collection of fictionalized reminiscences about the goings-on in a retirement home, written by a first-time author who does in fact live in one. The characters are crisply drawn, and there are many smiles as well as a few poignant moments.

This was our book club pick for September. While it was an enjoyable book, I found the humor wonderful but a very basic read.