Author Oelfke here posits a fascinating theme, underpinned by personal experience, bringing the concepts explored to shimmering light as he presents the myriad of possibilities inherent in a woman's progression through life to the later stage of becoming a femme d'un certain âge ("woman of a certain age"). Because that discreetly phrased term can be and is often misunderstood, seen as conveying negativity, Oelfke has devised an exploration of the "FCA" via credible, positive pathways, many derived directly from his own adventures and observations. He opens this engrossing discussion by examining conventional emotional, physical, and sexual roles of men and women, suggesting that typically, women are expected to stay home, raise children, and fulfill their husbands' sexual desires. Men, by contrast, adhere to an average span of twenty years of fathering and faithfulness, and then may begin to step outside marital boundaries when possible, often connecting with FCAs who, battling the barriers of aging, may have a long, sometimes-repressed need for passionate attention.

From his earliest years, the author discovered his strong attraction to older females, doing what "felt natural," and recalling that "my partners simply did the same." His early romantic memories centered around the allure of an older relative, detailing their secret affair discreetly, but honestly. Another experience of such enticements occurred at summer camp when he and some fellow young boys had the rare opportunity to witness two FCAs enthusiastically engaging in passionate woman-on-woman sex. At university, Oelfke met a friendly girl his age, but then began to pursue the girl's mother, sensing her perhaps unconscious cues in a connection that lasted several years. He began to perceive that an older woman often does not expect or believe that she might have such liaisons, but with positive partnership and her increasing determination, she can and will. The author recounts his university years, travels overseas (with an FCA escapade onboard a ship), and his notable career in the field of commercial design. During that time, in Brazil, Oelfke would meet his true mate, a "woman of a certain age" to whom he has been happily married for many years.

The author gained a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by further distinction as winner of a Fulbright Grant that would result in twenty years based in Paris, France in corporate identity and design for international companies and employed by world-famous Raymond Loewy. Oelfke’s work venues would include the Soviet Union, the United States, Australia, and West Africa. His captivating memoir includes credible, creative prose and lively dialogue accompanied by poetry, and a combination of statistical, scientific, and psychologically based facts centering on the rarely discussed issues of the needs and feelings of FCAs. His affirmative viewpoint is sure to give them, and their potential partners, a greater understanding of the complex feelings they may be unearthing. Bringing such relationships into a new, accepted comfort zone is a gift for which Oelfke merits gratitude. His work will doubtless attract a wide audience that will hope for his further revelations.

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