Missed Periods: A Novel

Raging hormones, aging parents and mouthy teenagers are just a few challenges that five baby boomer women are balancing-sometimes without much luck-as they go about their daily lives in a Philadelphia neighborhood.

Charlotte, once a high-powered art consultant, has been a stay-at-home mom for many years and is now questioning the efficacy of her choice. Kate left the corporate world long ago and immersed herself in her family-but now she’s rediscovering her entrepreneurial spirit. Marianna and Ginny are professionals who have become-more often than not-the envy of Charlotte and Kate, whose GPS systems are failing to help them find an on-ramp to worklife. The women come together to help their friend, Mimmi, who thought she had married for life, but has just discovered that her husband is having an affair with a “park-bench bimbo.”

The women rely on their walking group to offer support in dealing with many midlife issues, including health concerns, waning libidos, the empty nest, and finding energy for careers, exercise and sex. They reflect on how the “f-word”-feminism-has impacted their lives. These five friends journey through the joys and heartaches that accompany midlife mayhem, and together find companionship, laughter and the comfort of knowing that this is not their mothers’ menopause.