Making the Best of What's Left

When We're too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered

By: Judith Viorst

Narrated by: Judith Viorst

From the bestselling author Judith Viorst comes a witty and poignant exploration of the joys and sorrows of life’s twilight years—one that leaves us laughing, pondering, and grateful for the moments we have left.

In a career that has spanned more than fifty years, Judith Viorst has captivated readers with her bestselling children’s books and collections of poetry reflecting on each decade of life. Now in her nineties, Viorst writes about life’s “Final Fifth,” those who are eighty to one hundred years old. Her signature blend of humor and vulnerability infuses personal anecdotes and observations, drawing you into her world of memories and candid conversations.

She confesses, “I never ever send a text while driving, and not just because I don’t know how to text.” She discusses the afterlife (She doesn’t believe in it, but if it exists, she hopes her sister-in-law isn’t there). She complains to her dead husband (“I need you fixing our damn circuit breakers. I need you! Could you please stop being dead?”). And she explores the late-life meanings of wisdom and happiness and second chances and home.

With a wit that defies age, Viorst navigates the terrain of loss. It’s a poignant dance between grief and levity that will resonate with those in their Final Fifth as well as anyone who has parents, relatives, or friends in their eighties and beyond. This is Judith Viorst at her best.

Critic reviews

"Listening to bestselling author Judith Viorst narrate her own stories and poems—and share tales from others about life in the “final fifth”—is a special experience. Listeners will appreciate the bittersweet humor and candid reflections on the ups and downs of life in one’s 90s. Viorst shares her own journey, including moving from the home where she raised her children to a retirement community, and, most poignantly, the heartbreak of losing her beloved spouse. Her voice is perfectly suited to exploring both the joys of the happiness curve and the challenges of aging, including the body’s frailty. Viorst speaks with warmth, honesty, and wit, making this an engaging, touching listen. It’s a celebration of resilience, memory, and meaning—rich with life’s final lessons."

Her voice

She’s a grande old dam but someone else might have read it better. I winced too often

Viorst’s Unflinchingly honest comments and perspective about old age.

Viorst’s actual voice, her extensive scope of the challenges and blessings of old age, and her interviews.

Judith Viorst spoke straight to this new widow!

Entertaining and intimate description of the last fifth of our life by a Master observer!

Atheist view on death lacking hope

Heard about the book I believe from the wsj. Appreciate the perspectives on last fifth of life from someone in it. Shares atheistic views but to her credit as well those of some faithful friends. Just not an uplifting worldview imo. Would rather read CS Lewis and Tolstoy.

Don’t read your own work

The work was not one of Judith Viorst’s funniest but then her topics were not funny although touching at times. Don’t read it if you are under seventy since it would be much too soon. If you are the the final fifth you will smile and nod frequently and perhaps she’d a few tears.

I only wish someone else had performed the work.