Reinvented Lives (Paperback)

This is poignant tale of lives changing. Eighty-year old Rae Hoffman shrugs off her forgetfulness. When she gets into a car accident and doesn't remember it, her three daughters know it's time to step in. Barbara, 56, Rae's eldest daughter who lives in a nearby suburb of New Jersey, freaks out at her mother's decline. Barbara is facing her own challenge of making a life for herself now that her children are grown and independent. Ellen, single and the youngest daughter at forty-eight, is a research scientist at a university in Iowa and too busy to deal with the situation. She's vaguely dissatisfied with her life. Rhoda, the middle daughter, a first grade teacher in Phoenix and the single parent of two rebellious teenage boys is pressured into taking care of the situation. Rhoda investigates senior living options for her mother, and invites Rae to visit. Rae moves into assisted living but hates it and threatens to return to New Jersey if Rhoda won't take her in. Rhoda, egged on by her sons, agrees. Barbara is concerned that Rhoda, who is not financially sound, will take advantage of their mother's money. Barbara and Ellen plot to get Rae declared incompetent but Rhoda trumps them by moving Rae to Arizona permanently. All four women reinvent their lives. Ellen takes a trip to China and discovers love. Barbara forsakes the suburbs and moves into New York City. Rae's life gets smaller and smaller. All the while Rhoda is frantic and overwhelmed as her troubles mount. Rae requires more and more care. Readers who are baby boomers, part of the "sandwich generation," or those reinventing their own lives will revel in this engrossing quick read.