Miracle at Midlife: A Transatlantic Romance

In March 1996, Tower, a thrice-married psychologist and mother in her 50s, traveled from Connecticut to Paris and unexpectedly met and fell for David, a successful lawyer of about the same age. Tower writes expansively, honestly, and joyfully about their year of courting over six time zones. It’s full of blissful moments as well as the struggles that come with being part of a couple again after loss, divorces, and years of independence. Theirs was a largely epistolary relationship, and since email wasn’t yet commonplace, much of their communication was by fax and letters. David was American and had sons in the U.S. but had called Paris home for decades, living on a houseboat and adopting a French sensibility. Tower had a very ordered existence in Connecticut, juggling patients, writing articles, and attending conferences while maintaining a full social calendar with her children and friends. In addition, David is the sort of person who wants to drive the car, only sharing his thoughts and feelings when he decides to; Tower is deliberative and analytical and always needs to talk out her feelings. In spite of what looked on paper like a union that wouldn’t work, their connection grew as they happily learned how to fit into each other’s worlds. This is a thoughtful chronicle of taking risks and overcoming fears that offers readers hope of experiencing love later in life. (Oct.)