This was a brilliant book about three generations of family members dealing with the subject of aging and independence. I liked how realistically the author wrote this, as it was good to see Irene's stubbornness.

Elizabeth Mapstone's "The Porcupine's Dilemma," one of THE best books I've read this year. One of the things I recall most vividly about my mother was a statement she made to me when I guess I was being overly "helpful." She looked me dead in the eye as no one else has ever been able to do and said, "Do NOT treat me like a child OR an idiot. I may be old, and I may not move as fast as I once did. It does not mean I've turned stupid. And remember this - I am the mom. I will ALWAYS be the mom." That "being the mom" thing? Yes. Being the mom brings with it a huge amount of due respect. I hope I honored her by remembering. I HOPE I never let her down and treated her as less than who she was. The woman protagonist in "The Porcupine's Dilemma" reminds me of my mother. And, it is hitting home personally for me a little more now that it did just a few years ago. I will be recommend this novel to everyone I know. Not just friends who are also "of a certain age," but younger friends as well. Irene is well aware of the fact that her body ain't what it once way. It lets her down more often than it once did. She, however, is going to, by God, call the shots with what she does with it. Well meaning friends and family be damned. I hope to be Irene. And, like her, I won't much appreciate those who stand in my way.

This is a very moving book that deals with all things that can happen in a family. I found it to be entertains, an easy read and relatable. Really nice story