Synopses & Reviews
Soon to be an HBO series created by Sex and the City executive producer Darren Star and directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids), a funny, fearless, and inspiring novel about dating after the age of sixty.Anny Applebaum is a sixty-five-year-old journalist who writes a lifestyle column in the San Francisco Chronicle. She’s in a rut, both professionally and personally: her editor has told her that the column will be cut unless she brings in a wider audience, she’s been living alone since her divorce a number of years ago, she hasn’t had sex in ages, and she’s feeling lonely and uninspired. When a hurtful ageist encounter forces her to reevaluate her life, she impulsively signs up for JDate. She soon meets Marv Rothstein, a handsome seventy-five-year-old emotionally unavailable diamond dealer. Anny is attracted to Marv, and he becomes the catalyst for a life-changing sexual reawakening. But Anny quickly discovers that the elusive Marv is a serial dater who prowls the singles sites for younger women, and that he still sees his much younger ex-wife. Much like Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw, Anny decides to write a series of columns called The Viagra Diaries modeled after Marv, about a man who can’t deal with his age, calling him Mr. X. As Anny’s Mr. X columns gain popularity, she struggles with her ongoing relationships, her career hopes, and her coming of age.
Wonderfully witty and wistfully romantic, The Viagra Diaries shows that there is humor, heartache, and hope for all of us, at every age.
Review
“I love this book! Barbara paints a funny as well as poignant picture of dating, romantic love, parenting an adult daughter, and sex after sixty. Barbara tells the truth and this book vibrates with razor sharp wit!”—Joan Rivers
Review
"This book is truly unique and rings with truth. It is both delightful, smart and filled with humor and humanity. I couldn't put it down."—Dianne Baker, Actor, Producer, and Director of Motion Pictures and Television at Academy of Art University
Review
"Barbara Brooker's incisive portrait of male-female relations today is suffused with ageless charm, candor and humor. A delightfully fluent, readable book."—Janine Canan, author of Messages from Amma
Review
“A smart, witty, sometimes hilarious coming-of-age novel for and about the boomer generation… This realistic and funny novel will appeal to women of all ages, while men should find it attractively controversial."
Review
I love this book! I love that Anny Applebaum defies the fallacy of age. I laughed out loud at the irreverent humor and wit. But most of all, I love Anny's struggle to find herself and her essence and the fabulous love affair she has with Marv Rothstein. Through it all she discovers she can have it all: love, laughs, fame, fortune, and sex. Thank you, Barbara, for giving women another example of what's possible.
Review
"A refreshing glimpse at love after 60 . . . The Viagra Diaries is frank, open, honest, and fun."
Review
"Anny's restless and sweetly funny search for true love, meaningful work, and a happy family is ageless--and a poignant portrait of a generation that's not yet ready to fade away."
Synopsis
A funny, fearless, and inspiring novel about dating after the age of sixty. THE NOVEL THAT PROVES THERE'S PLENTY OF LIFE--AND HOT SEX--AFTER SIXTY
Just because Anny Applebaum qualifies for a senior discount doesn't mean she's ready for retirement. But if she wants to keep her job at the San Francisco Times, she'll have to find a way to spice up her lifestyle column. Even if it means posting her profile as an eligible single on JDate .com. Sure, Anny's a little out of practice. She hasn't been with a man since she found Viagra in her ex-husband's suit pocket, and he wasn't taking it for her. But she's got her friends to help her fumble her way through the strange and intriguing world of online dating.
After hearing cautionary tales from the trenches--about "boomer oldies" who drag around pictures of their dead wives and fixed-income misers who wine and dine their dates at chain restaurants--Anny is relieved to meet Marv Rothstein, a charming . . . 75-year-old diamond dealer. Unfortunately, he's also a Digital Age Don Juan who prowls singles sites for younger women. Not be outdated by this "Serial JDater," Anny realizes Marv is the perfect subject for her flagging column and chronicles his sexcapades for the reading public. But when the new column becomes an overnight hit, Anny can't help but feel conflicted--because now she's having sex with Mr. X . . . and it's nothing less than extraordinary.
Synopsis
THE NOVEL THAT PROVES THERE’S PLENTY OF LIFE— AND HOT SEX—AFTER SIXTY! Just because Anny Applebaum qualifies for a senior discount doesn’t mean she’s ready for retirement. But if she wants to keep her job at the San Francisco Times, she’ll have to find a way to spice up her lifestyle column. Even if it means posting her profile as an eligible single on JDate .com. Sure, Anny’s a little out of practice. She hasn’t been with a man since she found Viagra in her ex-husband’s suit pocket, and he wasn’t taking it for her. But she’s got her friends to help her fumble her way through the strange and intriguing world of online dating.
After hearing cautionary tales from the trenches—about “boomer oldies” who drag around pictures of their dead wives and fixed-income misers who wine and dine their dates at chain restaurants—Anny is relieved to meet Marv Rothstein, a charming . . . 75-year-old diamond dealer. Unfortunately, he’s also a Digital Age Don Juan who prowls singles sites for younger women. Not be outdated by this “Serial JDater,” Anny realizes Marv is the perfect subject for her flagging column and chronicles his sexcapades for the reading public. But when the new column becomes an overnight hit, Anny can’t help but feel conflicted—because now she’s having sex with Mr. X . . . and it’s nothing less than extraordinary.
About the Author
Barbara Rose Brooker is currently a teacher at San Francisco State University with a masters in creative writing. She has appeared on the Today show and The Talk and has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, Huffington Post, and more.