I bought this book about two years ago and I've come back to it again and again. Every time I pick it up I'm struck with a new piece of wisom it offers.
I thought I would never suffer from empty nest syndrome -- I'm a college professor with a Ph.D. -- I thought only pathetic women with no life beyond their kids had problems with this. But empty nest syndrome hit me hard when my older daughter was in high school, while the nest was still very full! I searched for information to help me through, but the vast majority was silly ("now the frig stays full longer"), or simplistic ("take up gardening"). I'm so thankful that I finally found Shelley's book. Her book is written with great sensitivity and compassion, and offers much insight from women who have experienced empty nest syndrome, as well as from psychologists who have dealt with it professionally. A primary thesis of the book is that, for many women (and some men too), children leaving home constitutes a major loss in life, and needs to be grieved, just like any other life altering loss.
This book must have taken Ms. Bovey years to research, but in doing so she has given us a priceless gift. This is one of the few books I will always keep.