The May Queen: Women on Life, Love, Work, and Pulling It All Together in Your 30s

Turning 30 wasn't as I had hoped. Being the youngest of three by a gap, I was used to feeling young and always younger than everyone else. As I entered my thirties, I felt depressed whenever the ages of a football star, actor, or big shot manager appeared in an article. They were such big successes and not even 30. There I was, in my thirties believing I had accomplished little outside of raising a family. After all, anyone can become a parent and not anyone can become a CEO or best-selling author. Reading each story, my reactions ranged from "I've been there!" and "I remember that!" to "Never been through that, thankfully, but I understand." And "OK, maybe being 30 had good points." In reading books like these, a collection of true and intimate stories, you sense that you're there listening to a best friend or being a fly on the wall hearing stuff that you would otherwise never hear. Great collections do just that and The May Queen succeeds. Any gal in her thirties will feel less solitary while reading the stories. Flor Morales shared her experience of going back and forth between El Salvador and California where her family shamed her for cheating on her husband, an alcoholic. She proceeded to tell her tale of crossing the border for good to pursue a better life with another man. In my twenties, I wanted to climb the corporate ladder as high as I could go. But my expectations started toppling after my second child arrived when I was 29 and not a manager. Slowly, I began to change wanting instead to climb the family ladder with an occasional nudge from a career success. It turned out, from reading these stories and others about us Gen-Xers, we struggled with the "having it all" in our twenties and as we matured, we came to appreciate life more as we understood successful careers were nice to have, but not something that made life completely meaningful. In "My Missing Biological Clock," Megham Daum pondered her lack of interest in becoming a mother in spite of society's pressures of "having it all." So every story isn't about horrific or incredible things that happen to others and not us. Ayun Halliday's "A Random Sampling Age Thirty to Forty" resembled a list more than a story, but what an insightful list! Read a random sampling of things that happened between ages of thirty and forty and compare those to things that happened between ages of 10 and 20 and 20 and 30. This fast-read will instantly cheer up anyone struggling with having lived three decade of their lives. With 27 stories of varying lengths in over 250 pages, busy women in their thirties can easily read a story in between feedings, during lunch break, traveling somewhere exotic or whenever they find a moment to simply take pleasure in a good story. As a mom of three with my own freelance business, it was effortless to take a break to read one story at a time and feel another ounce of appreciation for life in my thirties.

If you're at all like me then you're unadmittedly hesitant to read this book because, by reading it, you'll have to face the fact that you're in your 30s and want to read a book like this! But it's okay...take a deep breath, put on your jammies, heat a pot of tea and I promise, you will not be sorry. You will enjoy getting to know each woman as she gives us a glimpse of her personal thoughts and life experiences. As a schoolteacher just starting this 3rd decade of my life, I lead a very different life from most of the women in this book, yet, I surprisingly found myself identifying with each woman's perspective in a unique way. If you're constantly on the go like I am with snippets of time here and there (Heat a pot of tea? How about a to-go mug?) you can enjoy each vignette separately. I've always loved both the beginning and endings of books and this one offers 27 of these! Happy Reading!

I will have to say this is probably my favorite book in 2006 so far. The essays are wonderfully written and thoughtfully put together. I am sad that I finished this book but am glad that I have it in my personal library. If you're looking for a beautiful gift to give to the reader in your life, this book is it. These essays are written by women who are in their 30s. They cover over everything; marriage, love, babies, work, relationships with past lovers, family and so on. Some of these writers have written so intimately of their experiences that you find yourself nodding your head and saying, yes. I know what you mean. Others have written beautifully of their dreams, their relationships with their parents and spouses, friends. I can honestly say that there is no writer in there that I did not enjoy. I can try to pick favorites but really can't. They all have shared their intimate thoughts about turning 30 and they all reflect my thoughts as well. The only thing I disagreed with is that publishing houses is being in your 20s is the prime of life. Not really. I have found that when I turned 30, my life have come together. My writing has come together. I became a wife at 32 and a mother a month shy of turning 33. I know that I appreciate life and everything MORE than I ever did in my 20s. In fact, I don't remember my 20s as well because all I did was play. I worked in menial jobs till I was in my late 20s when I finally got started on my career. Each and every one of the writers in this book has a unique writing style. I love the titles too: When He's Just That Into You by Veronica Chambers; The One and Only Buddha by Samina Ali; Milk Song, A Nursing Song by Erin Cressida Wilson; the one that brought tears to my eyes because that is the most that resembles my relationship with my mother, Getting Ready by Michelle Richmond. There are more ~~ and gosh, I really enjoyed these thoughtful and insightful essays. I hope they will write again when they approach their 40s. I am three and half years shy of reaching 40 and still find it amazing that life is full as I've always dreamed it would be. I'd love to hear those women's stories again! With Mother's Day coming up, this is an ideal book for the reader. It's beautiful and wonderful. Their voices linger long after the last page is turned. 5-4-06

It's refreshing to find that I'm not the only one making mistakes and trying to learn from them. It is easy to get lost in your own life and feel confused about the path you're on. I am glad I had this opportunity to read the stories of other women trying to find their "grown-up" selves and succeeding - sometimes in different ways than they expected. It helped me to remember that anything could happen and to be excited about that. I truly enjoyed it!

I've been dreading my 30s since my youth, when that television show, "Thirtysomething," depicted people in this age range as neurotic, self-involved, stressed-out, OLD, and generally, pretty miserable. I grudgingly entered my 30s repeating the desperate mantra: "It's the new 20s!" But after reading The May Queen, I can now embrace my age with an entirely new regard for this portion of my life. The essays in this book are witty, contemplative, and entirely relatable. It's a great read that will make you think about where you've been and where you are going -- and will make you feel a lot more comfortable in your 30-year-old skin. This book is also a great gift idea!