May Sarton's honest and engrossing journal of her seventieth year, spent living and working on the Maine coast May Sarton's journals are a captivating look at a rich artistic life. In this, her ode to aging, she savors the daily pleasures of tending to her garden, caring for her dogs, and entertaining guests at her beloved Maine home by the sea. Her reminiscences are raw, and her observations are infused with the poetic candor for which Sarton-over the course of her decades-long career-became known. An enlightening glimpse into a time-the early 1980s-and an age, At Seventy is at once specific and universal, providing a unique window into septuagenarian life that readers of all generations will enjoy. At times mournful and at others hopeful, this is a beautiful memoir of the year in which Sarton, looking back on it all, could proclaim, "I am more myself than I have ever been."
"As ever, Sarton's journal entries provide a piquant immersion in the life of a graceful, astute writer and a gentle, vibrant woman. . . . This gracious sharing of private moments, critical perceptions, and excitement over work-in-progress will find a deeply appreciative audience."
Booklist
"Sarton has fashioned her journals, 'sonatas' as she calls them, into a distinctive literary form: relaxed yet shapely, a silky weave of reflection, sensuous observation and record of her daily round, with the reader made companion to her inmost thoughts. . . . It's a book rich in warmth, perceptiveness and reassurance."
