Overall, what did you think of Too Old for This? (No spoilers in this topic, please.)
The book certainly had an interesting premise, but I did not find Lottie at all sympathetic. Her gruesome disposal of bodies was handled in such a matter of fact style that I found it disturbing. As her victims piled up, I found the story absurd.
It was a bit over the top, but I enjoyed it.
It was difficult to believe how she murders people and then gets rid of them, and you will be shaking your head at the things she thinks and does.
I found this book to be completely unrealistic and ridiculous. I almost quit reading halfway through but finished for the discussionâs sake, hoping for some redeeming reading which never materialized. The further I got into the book the more disturbing I found the main character to be.
Iâm likely the lone voice here. Yes, the topic was horrible and Lottieâs actions were despicableâŚbut I kept reading with interest and at times I chuckled. âIâm too old for thisâ struck a chord. Lottie reverted to her old ways when her life was disrupted. Then one visit led to another, throwing her simple life into a mess. While I didnât like what she did, I weirdly enjoyed the book. (Please donât judge me as I truly am nonviolent!)
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Haha, @NanK, Iâm in your camp. I, too, âweirdly enjoyedâ it. We might be nonviolent and would never wish harm to anyone, but maybe we get a little vicarious thrill in reading about someone so willing to do away with those who annoy her!
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Admittedly, there are many times I would like to physically handle those annoying âdigital assistantsâ who answer my important phone calls. Ask for a live person, agent, representative, etc. and the dang AI hangs up on me. Aargh!
I guess I am with the outliers here. I too enjoyed Too Old For This such a contrast to so many of my recent reads. Protagonist Lottie efficiently disposes of those who appear to threaten her retirement and withdrawal from her prior life of murdering those who appeared to threaten her. Never did she appear to murder simply for the thrill of the act. By my perceived definition she was not a âserial killerâ a la Ted Bundy et al. She has distanced herself from her dubious past but has to revert to her dubious skills to protect herself in her new role. Throughout these new and alarming episodes she deals with the many issues of her ageing, 75-year-old body including her mental acuity and recognizing her impending need for a suitable care home facility. I found the story amusing at times, tense and disturbing at others, but overall a short, enjoyable digression from the Sally Rooneys, Maggie OâFarrells, Eric Puchners and many others of my favorite authors. A bizarre but engaging âBeach Readâ - go Lottie!
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I am also a member of the camp with you and @NanK Nan, I love the FREIDA McFADDEN description on the bookâs cover. âEqual parts hilarious and disturbing â.
I thought the book was absurd, over the top and unrealistic and I just went along for the ride. I have a friend that constantly says, âIâm too old for thisâ so it made me smile.
I found it funny that the American cover version requires the words âa novelâ (located on the axe) but other countries know this is a novel and not nonfiction without being told. There is a message in there somewhere!
Overall, Iâd say it was a near success and give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
It was worth reading. I really enjoyed the first-person narrative of the FMC and applaud Downing for using it. It is not easy to make a book with a FMC or MMC that is âToo Old For Thisâ fascinating to read about and Downing gets an A+ for the character Dottie. Anytime an author can get most readers to root for a serial killer, that author has done well because that is not an easy task. Also, the humor was great - there were some real zingers in there. It also was an easy read and easy to follow the plot.
There are a few small things that I think could have made the book better. The book would have been better starting with the second paragraph and deleting the first one. Two plot mechanisms - the $50,000 and violating her #1 rule - bringing her telephone didnât feel plausible. I really wish Downing had taken some time to use the same plot sequence but with more realistic plot mechanisms.
What was most troubling was something I found to be sexist. On pages 172-173, it says, âHis dark eyebrows shoot up, and he leans back a little. A distinctly male reaction to the word delicate. Women lean in closer, and men try to get away. Itâs like theyâre afraid the next word will be pregnant or menstruation.â I donât think blanket statements about women or men, especially ones that exemplify tropes and especially ones that are not true should not be something we find in books. As a man, when I hear delicate, I think a long story with lots of details that I have to pay attention to rather than giving me the cliff notes and the takeaway. I asked several men what they think when they hear a woman say the subject is delicate and none of them said menstruation or pregnancy. If a male author had a MC say to a FC, âoh, donât worry your pretty little heart about such matters that are beyond you.â I would, unless it was exemplifying a historic period where this could have been said, I would find that comment sexist and offensive. In other words, sexism is a two-way street, and I was bothered having a trope written about by the author. I canât believe a developmental editor didnât help with all the things I just mentioned, because a halfway decent one should have caught them.
I liked the book. Yes, it was gruesome and unrealistic, but I saw the humor in the situations Lottie got herself into (and got herself out of by reverting to her life experiences)
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I thought this book, although way over the top and unrealistic, had some humor in it and had enough of a plot to keep my interest. I am assuming it was written a little tongue in cheek as I donât think there is any way she could have gotten away with all of the murders she committed. I didnât particularly like Lottie.
Tongue in cheek- yes. Thatâs what I thought as I read the story, which kept me guessing.
I had just finished reading Mad Mabel before I read this book, so I may get my old ladies mixed up!
After the killing of Plum and the unrealistic disposal of her body, I knew I was going to have to suspend disbelief if I wanted to enjoy the rest of the story.
It was definitely more brutal than I anticipated.
Tropes, such as the male and female reactions to the word or situation âdelicateâ are common in everyday life and therefore a reality. As a male, I found this particular one amusing and a not uncommon response. This doesnât mean I necessarily agreed with it, but it was funny. To exclude them from books would remove a layer of reality, whether likeable or not - such tropes happen.
You are not alone NanK. I enjoyed this book tremendously and found myself nodding along and laughing a lot. Agree - the topic is horrible, but it wasnât intended to be too serious; at least I donât think so. I found it to be a great escape (I guess Iâm a weirdo too!)
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I enjoyed the book and accepted the premise of an aging serial killer of people that annoy her. For me, it was darkly humorous and it kept me reading to see how Lottie would deal with the next âsituation.â
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