After you've been listening to audiobooks for a while, you can tell when a narrator has done her homework and has prepared well to perform a story rather that just 'read' it. I became a fan of Xe Sans listening to her narration of Euphoria and The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty. To me Lillian Boxfish belongs in the canon of characters representing a generation of women that were so ahead of their times they were feminist icons before that was even a thing. Rooney's writing is witty and illuminating and I admire her ability to write a novel so intimate that at times it almost reads like a memoir. That's why for me, experiencing Lillian's zest for life, her sense of curiosity and sharp mind, and seeing how consistent those traits remained throughout her life, was so very refreshing. Watching a character grow old is so interesting because it underlines the fact that getting older doesn't erase the essence of who we are. And her challenges: struggling to adjust to married life, going through a severe bout of depression, her painful divorce, losing her best friend. As she makes her way through the streets of the city, our protagonist recalls her best moments: the publication of her first book, meeting Max (the man she eventually marries), giving birth to her son. Macys during the 1930's, becoming highly successful in both roles. Like her fictional counterpart, Margaret Fishback was a poet and copywriter for R.H.

It wasn't until after I finished the novel that I realize that Kathleen Rooney's inspiration for this character was a real person. Observing the dramatic changes that have taken place in the place she has called home for more than 50 years brings a certain level of nostalgia and sadness.

While she encounters old acquaintances and makes new ones, she reminisces on her life, past and present.

As the last hours of the year elapse, 85 year-old Lillian Boxfish takes a 10-mile walk around the city, and brings us right along with her. The year is 1984, Manhattan, New Year's Eve.

Lillian takes a walk