Making the Best of What's Left
When We're too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered
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Making the Best of What's Left
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Narrated by:
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Judith Viorst
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By:
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Judith Viorst
About this listen
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.
©2025 Judith Viorst (P)2025 Simon & Schuster AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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The Last Session
- A Novel
- By: Julia Bartz
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber, Allyson Ryan
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 16
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 16
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 16
From the instant New York Times bestselling author of The Writing Retreat, a white-knuckled locked-room thriller about a social worker who, after coming face-to-face with her dark past, must infiltrate a mysterious wellness center in the deserts of New Mexico.
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5 out of 5 stars
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So fun!
- By ACV on 04-09-25
By: Julia Bartz
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One Good Thing
- A Novel
- By: Georgia Hunter
- Narrated by: Eva Feiler, Georgia Hunter
- Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 60
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 57
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 57
1940, Italy. Lili and Esti have been best friends since they first met at university. When Esti’s son Theo is born, they become as close as sisters. While a war seethes across borders, life somehow goes on—until Germany invades Italy, and the friends suddenly find themselves in occupied territory. Esti, older and fiercely self-assured, convinces Lili to join the resistance efforts. But when disaster strikes, a critically wounded Esti asks Lili to take a much bigger step: To go on the run with Theo. Protect him while Esti can’t.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I loved it
- By helene vanderhoff on 04-28-25
By: Georgia Hunter
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Memorial Days
- A Memoir
- By: Geraldine Brooks
- Narrated by: Geraldine Brooks
- Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 199
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 190
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 190
Many cultural and religious traditions expect those who are grieving to step away from the world. In contemporary life, we are more often met with red tape and to-do lists. This is exactly what happened to Geraldine Brooks when her partner of more than three decades, Tony Horwitz–just sixty years old and, to her knowledge, vigorous and healthy–collapsed and died on a Washington, D. C. sidewalk.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Uninspired, mediocre writing.
- By C. Tyler on 03-04-25
By: Geraldine Brooks
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The Sirens
- A Novel
- By: Emilia Hart
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 139
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 137
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 137
2019: Lucy awakens from a dream to find her hands around her ex-lover’s throat. Horrified, she flees to her older sister’s house on the Australian coast, hoping she can help explain the strangely vivid nightmare that preceded the attack—but Jess is nowhere to be found. As Lucy awaits her return, the rumors surrounding Jess’s strange small town start to emerge. Numerous men have gone missing at sea, spread over decades. A tiny baby was found hidden in a cave. And sailors tell of hearing women’s voices on the waves.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I felt like I was there
- By Kait D on 06-04-25
By: Emilia Hart
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My Friends
- A Novel
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,499
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,456
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1,456
Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an artist herself, knows otherwise and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures. Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their difficult home lives by spending their days laughing and telling stories out on a pier.
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5 out of 5 stars
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How can he keep doing this? Another masterpiece!
- By Blue on 05-08-25
By: Fredrik Backman
Her voice
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Viorst’s Unflinchingly honest comments and perspective about old age.
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The honesty of this book is enthralling, exciting, wise and inspirational. Thank goodness we have Judith Viorst.
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Great insight into aging with wisdom and humor.
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