New memoir Bloomer an exploration of ageing

In Carol Lefevre’s memoir, Boomers emerge as ‘Bloomers’ – people not at the end of life, but still on their way. Framed by the turning of the seasons in her small suburban garden, Bloomer documents the year in which Carol turned seventy.

The memoir threads through meditations on various aspects of ageing without shirking the more difficult elements, from grief and loneliness, to facing the label of ‘burden’ and harmful stereotypes from broader society. Its lighter moments rejoice in reclaiming the word ‘old’, in celebrating the longer view and embracing the golden age contained within these late-life years.

Carol Lefevre joined Bec Bowman on Artbeat to discuss the process of writing Bloomer, the unique burden on ageing women, and finding purpose and joy in old age.