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

People today are living longer and healthier lives than at any other time in history—with profound implications for the nature of their romantic relationships. In this inspiring new book, best-selling author Abigail Trafford describes how people over fifty are rewriting the script of love and in the process redefining the institution of marriage for future generations. Drawing on interviews with hundreds of men and women, married and single, gay and straight, she shows how the unprecedented period of vitality after midlife but before traditional old age is much more complicated romantically and sexually than those glossy images of gray-haired people on the beach would suggest. And she reveals how today’s fifty-plus men and women are raising the bar on marital satisfaction. They are more likely to break up an unhappy liaison than previous generations; and they are more freewheeling in finding new formulas for romantic satisfaction.

Trafford deftly narrates what it means to love and be loved in the decades after midlife—and she offers solutions to the most common problems that define this time of life. Whether she’s shedding light on “retired-spouse syndrome,” sharing stories of sexual turmoil, explaining how to plan a marital time-out or navigate the troubled waters of divorce, Trafford’s wise and compassionate counsel is imbued with her signature warmth and reassurance. As Time Goes By is an urgently needed guide to the pursuit of love and happiness in this dynamic stage of life.