Surviving the Seasons - Softcover

Kupfer, Fern

Softcover

ISBN 10: 044050189X ISBN 13: 9780440501893

Publisher: Laurel, 1989

Synopsis

“Funny, sad, and familiar, from the anguish and delight of early love to its wistful repetitions in old age. Surviving the Seasons is very moving, and absolutely true.”—Belva Plain

These are the golden years, under the Florida sun. Now, released from the pressures of working and problems of raising a family, down South they come, still with their quick New York ways and the baggage from the past, unpacked, displayed like treasures in their new homes. 
 
The marriages, good and bad, have survived the seasons. It is a time made more precious, coveted, because there is the awareness that this is the end of something. Not a gloomy thought, but a realistic one. This is it. When one of us dies . . .
 
But could you ever start again? Could you start now, with someone whose history you do not share? With someone who has not known the smooth-faced girl or boy you used to be? Even given the chance, would you ever want to?

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Jake and Sara Pearlman are spending their twilight years in Palm Beach, where bridge, golf and close analysis of the problems of children and grandchildrentheir own and their friends' substitute for the busyness of youth. Flashbacks to their Bronx beginnings and later, more elegant surroundings, flesh-out a portrait of solid family life, not always smooth but never at risk, that will build toward graceful old age and compatible retirement. Jake is a fine creationwitty, warm and thoughtfulbut when he suddenly dies Sara copes admirably, wasting no time on self-pity, thus endearing herself to friends, family and, in rather short order, to Harry Elkind, whose wife June has died too. Sara is so much more resourceful and independent than June that the reader waits impatiently for the clearly ordained meeting of the newly widowed pair. While the plethora of characters and the intimate glimpses of couples interacting and tackling their troubles undeniably reflect the human condition, vast stretches of dialogue are trivial and the events recorded predictable. But Kupfer's accurate rendering of ordinary daily life possesses a validity that will keep many readers engrossed. First serial to Ladies' Home Journal; author tour.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

This sensitive examination of the joys and sorrows of older adults focuses on two couples. Jake and Sara Pearlman have had a passionate, loving relationship for over 40 years. Harry and June Elkind have, on the other hand, lived together more out of habit than love during most of their long marriage. Both couples have moved to Florida where, in the sun-drenched artificial world of retirement communities, tragedy brings their lives together. Kupfer's empathetic treatment of older couples, her loving characterizations, and her unerring ability to illuminate those small episodes that make life meaningful combine to make this book a memorable depiction of the ordinary made universal. Highly recommended for public libraries. Andrea Caron Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, Kan.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Laurel
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 044050189X
• ISBN 13: 9780440501893
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336