A review:
Although an idyllic setting encompasses the Menopause Ranch, life is less than idyllic for the characters who have been transported there by their spirit guides, Belladonna Morose and her associate, Mea Culpeppa. The guides’ mission is to help each well-drawn character, accompanied by some baggage from her past, recognize how to change herself in order to regain her Zest, the goal she had before she entered adolescence. I identified easily with the characters as they become acquainted with each other and learned about themselves through spirit guides taken from Greek mythology. Vaughn draws her characterizations from real life and they could just as easily be our neighbors, family or friends as she shows their quirky natures and vulnerabilities.
Kimberly, the main character, narrates her experience as a forty-five year old just starting pre-menopause. She is sarcastic, creative, compassionate, and capable of cleaning up other people’s messes. She meets Norma, a child of alcoholic parents, former nun, who runs an antique store near Las Vegas. And Toby, an African-American dancer who gives it to you straight, adding humor to the events of each day at the ranch. They also encounter Beth, a counselor at a mental health center who glides right past a nervous breakdown because there’s too much work for her to stop and take time to care for herself. A little more negativity comes from Jean, a rigid, judgmental business woman and born-again Christian who, while she finds the revelations at Menopause Ranch distressing, can’t wait to get back to her business.
The only confusing element in the book was the way Vaughn changed the point of view from Kimberly telling her story in the first person, to Belladonna and Mea who engaged in conversations about the characters when they weren’t present, but this was a minor distraction that seemed as if it might have been intentional to show that the spirit guides were aware of everything at once, while the guests at the ranch could only see the events from their own perspective.
In their experiences at Menopause Ranch, the women are challenged to transform a life-interfering experience like menopause into a life-challenging opportunity for growth. Included are well-researched facts about drugs, remedies, and attitudes toward menopause. As I read “In Search of Menopause Ranch,” I laughed, I cried, I felt angry, and I felt inspired. I identified with the characters and thought about what I am doing with the rest of my life. Not just for women, even men should read this novel; mid-life crises happen to us all.
The book:
In Search of the Menopause Ranch
Deborah Vaughn
Pisquale Productions
2006
PO Box 3080
Sedona, AZ 86340
ISBN-13: 978-0-97872-330-9
$17.95
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