Publishers Weekly
★ 05/24/2021
Russo (They’re Your Parents, Too!) delivers a heartfelt and insightful primer to finding love in middle age and beyond. After being widowed twice in a decade, Russo opened herself up again to love in her late 60s and became a “part of this wave of later life coupling” with her current partner, Michael. She plumbs her own hard-won experience to lend encouragement to those who’ve also been widowed or divorced, offering advice on, respectively, healing before moving forward and accepting one’s role in a breakup before wading into the dating pool. “Credit yourself for having come though one of life’s hardest trials,” she writes, “and you can confront whatever comes your way.” She also guides readers through the online dating world (“Ignore people who say only ‘Hi, Gorgeous’ ”); gives tips on how to “Date as a Realist” (“Feeling pessimistic? No good! You’re bound to undermine yourself”); and tackles such critical topics as sex during the senior years (“don’t expect old bodies to act like young ones”) and the possibility that one partner might need long-term care in the not-too-distant future. For those looking to start a healthy relationship in their later years, this is invaluable. (July)
From the Publisher
"A heartfelt and insightful primer to finding love in middle age and beyond... [Russo] plumbs her own hard-won experience to lend encouragement to those who’ve also been widowed or divorced, offering advice on, respectively, healing before moving forward and accepting one’s role in a breakup before wading into the dating pool... For those looking to start a healthy relationship in their later years, this is invaluable.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This is a great book, a practical excellent guide for finding love when you're older. I love the emphasis Russo puts on emotional connection, and knowing yourself, and being brave enough to look for what you really need. She also describes the red flags to look for to avoid relationship disasters. Russo has been through it herself and reflected on her experiences, so this book is also personal."
—John Gottman, author of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work
"A terrific, optimistic book for those moving into new territory dating and (re)partnering over 50. From on-line dating, to marriage and other forms of relationships, to managing adult children and aging as a new couple, here is clear, sensible advice and wonderful stories of people who have made it work. For anyone over 50 and starting over, this is the book to own, and to reread at all the different stages of your new relational life."
— Ellen Berman, MDClinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania
"Francine Russo's Love After 50 promotes positive, realistic expectations for choosing a partner rather than overpromising a perfect person and relationship. She motivates and empowers divorced, widowed, and single people to create a healthy relationship."
— Barry McCarthy, Ph.D., author of Contemporary Male Sexuality and Couple Sexuality After 60
"Francine Russo has written the book I wish was available when I got divorced at 50. It covers everything from widening your preferences for a partner to sex to whether to live together or marry. Now, as a dating and relationship coach, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for love after 50!"
— Sandy Weiner, Coach at LastFirstDate.com and author of Becoming a Woman of Value
"Francine Russo’s upbeat book is full of stories from the many she interviewed plus the gem of this book— her candor about her own loves and losses. Whether it’s for love, companionship, marriage, or sex—or all of this—this book is essential reading for the over 50 crowd. Russo lived it, provides helpful information, and gives you hope."
— Pauline Boss, PhD, author of The Myth of Closure
"Russo asks all the right questions. She has a clear personal grasp of love and integrity. You will reflect, process and be ready for love." — Mark T. McGonigle, Director, Wisemind Therapy