Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake

A Memoir of a Woman's Life

By: Anna Quindlen

Narrated by: Anna Quindlen

Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

In this irresistible memoir, the New York Times best-selling author and winner of the Pulitzer Prize Anna Quindlen writes about looking back and ahead - and celebrating it all - as she considers marriage, girlfriends, our mothers, faith, loss, all the stuff in our closets, and more.

As she did in her beloved New York Times columns, and in A Short Guide to a Happy Life, Quindlen says for us here what we may wish we could have said ourselves. Using her past, present, and future to explore what matters most to women at different ages, Quindlen talks about:

Marriage: “A safety net of small white lies can be the bedrock of a successful marriage. You wouldn’t believe how cheaply I can do a kitchen renovation.”

Girlfriends: “Ask any woman how she makes it through the day, and she may mention her calendar, her to-do lists, her babysitter. But if you push her on how she really makes it through her day, she will mention her girlfriends. Sometimes I will see a photo of an actress in an unflattering dress or a blouse too young for her or with a heavy-handed makeup job, and I mutter, ‘She must not have any girlfriends.’”

Stuff: “Here’s what it comes down to, really: there is now so much stuff in my head, so many years, so many memories, that it’s taken the place of primacy away from the things in the bedrooms, on the porch. My doctor says that, contrary to conventional wisdom, she doesn’t believe our memories flag because of a drop in estrogen but because of how crowded it is in the drawers of our minds. Between the stuff at work and the stuff at home, the appointments and the news and the gossip and the rest, the past and the present and the plans for the future, the filing cabinets in our heads are not only full, they’re overflowing.”

Our bodies: “I’ve finally recognized my body for what it is: a personality-delivery system, designed expressly to carry my character from place to place, now and in the years to come. It’s like a car, and while I like a red convertible or even a Bentley as well as the next person, what I really need are four tires and an engine.”

Parenting: “Being a parent is not transactional. We do not get what we give. It is the ultimate pay-it-forward endeavor: We are good parents not so they will be loving enough to stay with us but so they will be strong enough to leave us.”

From childhood memories to manic motherhood to middle age, Quindlen uses the events of her own life to illuminate our own. Along with the downsides of age, she says, can come wisdom, a perspective on life that makes it satisfying and even joyful. Candid, funny, moving, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake is filled with the sharp insights and revealing observations that have long confirmed Quindlen’s status as America’s laureate of real life.

©2012 Anna Quindlen (P)2012 Random House

Critic reviews

“A reporter by training, a storyteller at heart, [Quindlen’s] writing is personal, humorous, and thought-provoking.” ( Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

“Quindlen is an astonishingly graceful writer.” ( San Francisco Examiner)

“Thank goodness for Anna Quindlen. [She] is smart. And compassionate. And witty. And wise.” ( Detroit Free-Press)

Boy, can I relate!

Being a woman in her sixties, I can relate to everything Anna writes about in this book. She’s articulate, smart, and honest. I loved this book.

Mrs. Quindlen does it again!

What did you love best about Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake?

Honesty. Anna Quindlen has such a beautiful way of phrasing the most ordinary situations of life into a warm, loving way.

What did you like best about this story?

How relatable her stories are to my generation

What about Anna Quindlen’s performance did you like?

She sounds just like she is talking to me as a friend

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

From begining to end, every situation she writes about life was moving.

Any additional comments?

So happy to have found her books!

lots of candles, plenty of cake

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake was sam excellent audiobook. It kept your interest and was easy to listen too. Although I did not totally agree with some of the subject matter, I thought the audiobook was excellently done and performed. I really like Anna Quindilen's work and presentation that I would highly recommend this to everyone who wants to be informed and spend an enjoyable time listening to her.

Lots Of Tenderness, Plenty of Laughs

If you could sum up Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake in three words, what would they be?

Thoroughly enjoyable read!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Anna of course.

What does Anna Quindlen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Anna's narration adds an extra touch of her personality to the story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh and cry.

Like talking with my best friend!

Would you listen to Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake again? Why?

Anna Quindlen's voice is calming and so down to earth.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I couldn't wait to get back into the car to listen to her "talk to me". I related to so much of what she said.

Enjoyed!

I would definitely recommend to friends and family over 50. I have mixed feelings about Anna reading her audiobook. We are given an opportunity to be in the mind of Anna as she
wrote the book, yet her tone as she read somewhat muted the her humor. That being said, I still enjoyed her book and her point of view.

Beautiful story

I really loved this story.. it’s a reminder that growing older happens to us all and Anna Quindlen really manages to connect with aging in such an eloquent way.
The narration by Anna Quindlen is perfect because you can hear her NY accent and the love she pours into her words.

Worth a listen!

Bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Anna Quindlen now takes a realistic look at her 60th year in this memoir. Within, she talks of the past (growing up, parents, boys, dating, marriage, children..), the present (the importance of friends, not getting so worked up anymore, faith, loss) and the future (decluttering life, enjoying the moments...)

Anna talks to you in her memoir like she is talking to a friend hashing over the good, the bad, and the ugly while sitting in a sunny chair on her porch sitting ice-cold tea and the sampling of the occasional short bread.

I have not read a lot of Anna Quindlen. However, I know Anna Quindlen can write, and I know her name as an author upon hearing it.

While I am no where hear the 60th birthday mark, I was still intrigued by a life memoir by a woman who is known for writing about realistic life opportunities in ways that make you think and care. I knew that writing a non fiction for Anna, would be an honest, even if it was brutally so, look at the life lessons she has carried.

I for one felt I too would get something out of listening to this book.

I used to think that surrounding myself with trusting girlfriends was just my own personal way of dealing with so much loss in my life. I like, and need "Go To Girls". Listening to Anna, I am realizing that my need to hang out with my friends is not a unique thing, but really - a girl thing. As Anna points out, as we get older our girlfriends become all the more important to talk about everything, and to talk about nothing. I like that.

From dating to marrying to children of our own, Anna Quindlen covers all the topics with a matter of fact and confident tone. I enjoyed listening to her life lessons, smiling and laughing at times.

All in all, this book is not just for nearing or over that 60 years old mark. It is a read for any woman who feels they have lived much, but have more left to do.

Vintage Quindlen

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Having read several of Anna Quindlen's other non-fiction works, I was accustomed to her literary voice and tone of writing, her turn of phrase and her ability to bridge the common experience. I'm not married and dont have kids, but we are the same age, share much the same background and pretty much the same politics, so reading/listening to her is always a good read. I'd recommend this to anyone of like mind or experiences.

What about Anna Quindlen’s performance did you like?

Love her turn of phrase.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. More like sisters of the same experience.

This was my first Anna Quindlen book. WOW!

This book is so full of incredible observations and insight about life from a "boomer" woman's perspective! I laughed out loud...I shed tears...I saw some new light. Anna writes so many quotable passages...I had to get the Kindle version as well to re-enjoy the highlights!