Middle Age Spread: A for Better or for Worse Collection Volume 19
(Book #16 in the For Better or For Worse Series)
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
In her touchingly funny daily strip, Lynn Johnston gives her fans realistic characters who humorously deal with both the good and bad that life gives them. Every day, Johnston demonstrates--through hormonal children and parents who aren't always right--that life goes on For Better or For Worse . In Middle Age Spread , parents John and Elly have started to notice their own aging process: the increasing need for glasses, exercise, and computer skills. Their children are also growing older. Michael, the eldest, advances ever nearer to adulthood as he makes his way through college in a distant town, creatively managing classes, a grumpy landlady, and a special girlfriend. Daughter Elizabeth, with her contact lenses, short new hairdo, and boyfriend, Anthony, is becoming a young lady upon whom her parents increasingly rely. The youngest, April, along with the Patterson pets, Edgar the dog and Mr. B the bunny, provide welcome doses of comic relief. But Elly worries about her parents. Her mother has grown dangerously weak and is often bedridden. With heartfelt authenticity and gentle humor, Johnston's Middle Age Spread delicately describes a loving family whose life together speaks to the noble human spirit in all of us.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0836268229
ISBN13:9780836268225
Release Date:August 1998
Publisher:Andrews McMeel Publishing
Length:128 Pages
Weight:0.66 lbs.
Dimensions:0.5" x 8.5" x 9.0"
Related Subjects
Comic Strips Comics & Graphic Novels Graphic Novels Humor Humor & Entertainment HumorousCustomer Reviews
3 ratings
EXCELLENT, AS ALWAYS!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
This is yet another wonderful book from a gifted storytellerwith an eye for realism and detail. I ... appreciate the growth anddevelopment of characters as opposed to the perpetual childhood of Dennis the Menace and the Archie Gang. Very few books have tastefully, gently and kindly dealt with the passing of a loved one the way this one does. (At one time, I was a little embarrassed to admit that I could be so moved by a comic, but now I'll freely admit that). It is truly a work of art and I love the way you can "suspend" reality by e-mailing the characters! I love the "interactive" forum of the strip and I really love the character of Jim, a savvy senior citizen who brings in some sharp insights. It is past time for seniors to get positive press and I'm glad to see it happen in this book! THREE CHEERS FOR THIS BOOK! END
Terrific
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
The Best book I have ever read in a long time.I have been reading the For Better or For Worse commic strip for the past two years. My mother is the one who got me hooked on it. What the Patterson family goes through with their kids, My parents go through the same thing. Exspecially my mother who has to put up with having her eldest child going to University and her youngest in college.The one good thing that my mother has is she only has to go through this twice.
I could actually put myself in Elly's shoes!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
I've been reading the adventures of the Canadian Patterson family ever since Elizabeth was younger than her sister April is now. I love the way Lynn Johnston's characters grow up and develop...sure, it ensures the eventual end of the strip, but on the other hand I find it so much more interesting this way than characters that stay five-years old forever, like Dennis the Menace or the Peanuts. I love comic strip collections. On the whole, they're cheaper than buying a year's worth of newspapers, and invaluable if you miss several issues.In this particular collection, Elly and Phil's dealings with their aging parents hit a little close to home with me, as I and my brother find ourselves in a similar situation. It's uncanny because I experienced some of the guilt, helplessness, and frustration that were portrayed, and I felt a strange kinship with Elly Patterson. I mean, I, a middle aged, never-married Black American suddenly had something in common with a fictional Canadian housewife! I guess it goes to show there are some things we all go through at one time or another. I can think of no better comic than For Better or For Worse to help point that out.
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
