Will I love Sandwich?

Newman delicately explores the tumultuous journey of mothers going through the rigors of menopause and how this affects the way they deal with their adult children.

I thought she handled that awful sense of “what is happening to me?” while at the same time her main character needs to be the same woman she’s always been to keep her family together.

This is a beautiful story.

I'm normally a fast reader--which can be both a blessing and a curse. I can speed through books, but sometimes I miss out on the scenery along the way. As soon as I started Sandwich, I wanted to slow down so I could thoroughly enjoy Catherine Newman's hilarious and moving story of a woman "sandwiched" between her mostly-grown kids and her aging parents, and filled with love for both. The narrator's memories of early parenthood echoed my own--the exhaustion! the exhilaration!--while her descriptions of life nearing menopause had me laughing out loud (my favorite: a relatable mishap during a conversation… show more.

Family life doesn’t get easier as you age. Having older parents and young adult children who all need something from you can be exhausting. Throw in your own changing body and a well-seasoned marriage; even a week in Cape Cod can’t fix it all. 

This book is funny, sad, and slightly too realistic. (It's especially so since the daughter in the book has the same name as my daughter!) But reading can give a different perspective, and reading really great writing can give you something else altogether.