As Time Goes by: Boomerang Marriages, Serial Spouses, Throwback Couples, and Other Romantic Adventures in an Age of Longevity

This is an enlightening and inspiring look at what it means to love and be loved in the decades after midlife. In As Time Goes By , journalist and social commentator Abigail Trafford explores how men and women are reinventing and reinvigorating their relationships, proposing a new definition of love and marriage that takes into account the impact of longevity on relationships. Today’s 50 to 75 year olds are the first generation to embrace a new period of vitality between midlife and old age. And they are creating what Trafford calls a marital narrative that over many decades is likely to alternate between periods of single hood and partnership, independence and intimacy. She draws on in-depth interviews with hundreds of post-50 men and women, deftly narrating how they are re-imagining romance after completing the tasks of raising children and fleshing out their resumes. Whether she’s offering solutions to the vexing ‘retired spouse syndrome’, sharing stories of sexual turmoil, showing how to plan a marital time-out or how to navigate the troubled waters of divorce, Abigail Trafford’s wise counsel is imbued with her signature warmth and reassurance. Filled with moving personal narratives and bolstered with solid and sympathetic advice by Trafford and other longevity experts, As Time Goes By is a much-needed guide to the pursuit of love and happiness in a dynamic new stage of life.