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A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman [Paperback]

Joan Anderson
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Book Description

1 Jan 1920
Now available in paperback, the entrancing story of how one woman's journey of self-discovery gave her the courage to persevere in re-creating her life.

Life is a work in progress, as ever-changing as a sandy shoreline along the beach. During the years Joan Anderson was a loving wife and supportive mother, she had slowly and unconsciously replaced her own dreams with the needs of her family. With her sons grown, however, she realized that the family no longer centered on the home she provided, and her relationship with her husband had become stagnant. Like many women in her situation, Joan realized that she had neglected to nurture herself and, worse, to envision fulfilling goals for her future. As her husband received a wonderful job opportunity out-of-state, it seemed that the best part of her own life was finished. Shocking both of them, she refused to follow him to his new job and decided to retreat to a family cottage on Cape Cod.
At first casting about for direction, Joan soon began to take plea-sure in her surroundings and call on resources she didn't realize she had. Over the course of a year, she gradually discovered that her life as an "unfinished woman" was full of possibilities. Out of that magical, difficult, transformative year came A Year by the Sea, a record of her experiences and a treasury of wisdom for readers.
This year of self-discovery brought about extraordinary changes in the author's life. The steps that Joan took to revitalize herself and rediscover her potential have helped thousands of woman reveal and release untapped resources within themselves.


Product details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Broadway Books (A Division of Bantam Doubleday Del; 1st Broadway Books Trade Pbk. Ed edition (1 Jan 1920)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0767905938
  • ISBN-13: 978-0767905930
  • Product Dimensions: 13.5 x 1.2 x 20.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 265,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

More About the Author

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Product Description

About the Author

Joan Anderson is the author of numerous children's novels as well as Breaking the TV Habit. This is her first venture into narrative non-fiction and her most personal work to date. She lives with her husband on Cape Cod, where she conducts her popular Year by the Sea workshops. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
The decision to separate seemed to happen overnight. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring! 5 May 2001
Format:Paperback
A truly inspriing and envigorating book. Joan Anderson writes honestly, openly and from the heart about her year spent searching for herself alone in her cottage by the sea. She is brave in her honesty about herself and her life and her struggle to make sense of it and find something better for herself. It is a genuine and heartfelt journey through a year in one woman's life and the messages she gives us offer hope and inspiration for anyone who has ever felt that they were stagnating or stuck, and especially those who have spent a lifetime putting the needs of others before their own. It is never prescriptive and Anderson's tone never gets that 'holier-than-thou' edge that some 'self-discovery'-type writers can - she is open about her own failings in a really refreshing and encouraging way. She makes it clear that this is not about being super human in some way; she is an ordinary woman who took a chance, followed her heart and did something wonderful with and for her life.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Self absorbed and rather boring book 4 Jan 2003
Format:Paperback
I was disappointed that this book wasn't more original or thought provoking. It tells of a year in the life of a woman who is tired of her humdrum life and marriage, and bravely decides to go and live alone for a year to see if she can resurrect the "inner spark". I thought this was an interesting premise for a book, and hoped it would deliver some genuine insights into some of the problems faced by women today.

For me, however, it just didn't deliver. I thought much of the writing was cliched, and the author's observations seemed a bit obvious eg she writes that she is fed up by her realisation that she was too accommodating to her family, and always put their needs ahead of her own. So show me a woman with kids who doesn't feel like this!

So, I felt it was an interesting idea, but the book didn't hold my interest, had nothing radical or new to say, and just meandered along at a very slow pace. I couldn't recommend.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars A Year by the Sea 20 April 2003
Format:Paperback
I fell in love with the premise of a woman brave enough to make a break from her husband and go and live by the sea to discover the true inner woman.

However, although I liked the book it didn't really work for me and presented one or two cringe-making comparisons between nature and her marriage (shudder!!) and also became a bit whingy (with a some 70s feminism thrown in) in parts.

Having said that, I do feel that if this woman was brave enough to confont her hubby and grown up kids with the idea and see it though, I do believe the material must have been there!!! Bit weak for me!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational
A great book. It is enlightening and I enjoyed it so much that I bought a second copy for a friend. Recently I celebrated my 50th birthday, not without a mid-life struggle may I... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Lynne
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read.
This book is most informative and supportive for women. I recommend reading all four of this author's books.
Published on 13 July 2010 by Anne Phillips
3.0 out of 5 stars Editors are a problem
I read this straight through and there is something very moving in Joan's account of her decision to move away to her beach cottage. Read more
Published on 12 July 2004
4.0 out of 5 stars A rich addition to the memoir genre
Ms. Anderson embraces solitude and physical labor during a year away from her husband in order to take stock and decide the direction her life should take next. Read more
Published on 15 July 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars I THINK SHE MOVED TO THE SEA TO CALM HER SPIRIT!!
I loved the book......I guess because I understood all of her words.....her thoughts. I was actually there with her. A very compelling book. Read more
Published on 8 July 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars Pilgrimage to personhood invites readers along.
It is a rare gift to find a soul mate between the pages of a wonderful book. Joan Anderson's style is liquid gold. Read more
Published on 7 July 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars A year in the life of a mildly dissatisfied midlife woman.
I loved Joan Anderson's book, what she had to say and the honest, no-frills way she said it. Right from the very beginning where seals appear, I could almost hear the sound track... Read more
Published on 11 Jun 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars A must for women in their 50's in long term marriages
I can't remember when I've been so captivated by a book and an author. Was she somehow peering into my own marriage/life? Read more
Published on 7 Jun 1999
4.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for every 40+ woman.
Its a book that compels one to review their innermost thoughts and feelings. Its a story you read in one sitting and then realize you want to go back and re-read it. Read more
Published on 31 May 1999
3.0 out of 5 stars Yet Another Entry in the Personal Memoir Genre
Anderson's husband announced one day that they must move because he has changed jobs. She is fifty years old and refuses to move with him. Read more
Published on 28 May 1999
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