I am delighted to share my review today for an absolutely brilliant and also rather humorous book. Older and Wider by Jenny Eclair is a book that I read at just the right time, it is a book about going through and finding ways of dealing with the menopause.

If you’re after an in-depth medical or psychological insight into the menopause, I’m afraid you’ve opened the wrong book – I’m not a doctor . . . However, I am a woman and I do know how it feels to be menopausal, so this book is written from experience and the heart and I hope it makes you laugh and feel better.’ JE

Older and Wider is Jenny Eclair’s hilarious, irreverent and refreshingly honest compendium of the menopause. From C for Carb-loading and G for Getting Your Shit Together to I for Invisibility and V for Vaginas, Jenny’s whistle-stop tour of the menopause in all its glory will make you realise that it really isn’t just you. Jenny will share the surprising lessons she has learnt along the way as well as her hard-won tips on the joy of cardigans, dealing with the empty nest (get a lodger) and keeping the lid on the pressure cooker of your temper (count to twenty, ten is never enough).

As Jenny says, ‘I can’t say that I’ve emerged like a beautiful butterfly from some hideous old menopausal chrysalis and it would be a lie to say that I’ve found the ‘old me’ again. But what I have found is the ‘new me’ – and you know what? I’m completely cool with that.’

Purchase Links from Amazon UK – Paperback – Audio – Kindle – Hardback (these are affiliate links)

Oh my goodness what an absolute hoot this book was. As someone who is starting to go through the menopause, there were so many things I could absolutely relate to in this book.

Jenny has brought her own unique and individual comedic style to a subject that used to be such a big taboo. I can remember hearing women muttering in hushed tones about “going through the change” and looking slightly embarrassed about it. I am so thankful that we now live in a society where a natural process that women go through is being discussed.

Jenny explores all aspects of the menopause, what worked for her and what other alternatives there are. She also makes some very valid points about growing older and being middle-aged. I love her advice about owning up to your age, as she says “own it” so, therefore, don’t let it own you.

This is such a fabulous book and in some ways should come with a warning that it shouldn’t be read in public as you may get some strange looks. I snorted, sniggered and laughed out very loudly as I was reading it. In fact, scrap that, yes read it in public and when someone asks you what you are reading you can tell them its Jenny Eclairs book all about the menopause!

This is a book that came along at just the exact right time for me. Yes, I am menopausal and there are times when I can really relate to some of the symptoms.

What I liked about Jenny’s approach was that not everyone is the same, that people will experience different things and some options work better for some than others, hence me and my fluoxetine. She also mentions a few times that if you are unsure about any symptoms or things don’t feel quite right then you should seek advice.

This is a great book to read and it should be something that anyone coming up to “that age”!!!! should take the time to read, as well as those like myself who are going through (whispers dramatically) “the change”!!!! or those that have been through and survived the “Big M”!!!!

The menopause happens, you deal with it and find the best course of action for you. So if you are feeling stressed, furious, or sobbing maniacally in a dark corner then instead of picking up a large bar of chocolate or a bottle of (insert name of favourite alcoholic tipple), or a large stabby knife, pick up Older and Wider by Jenny Eclair and you will soon realise that you are not alone, millions of women have done it and survived it.

A brilliant book that I would absolutely recommend.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx