"Twilight" is Diana Asier's masterpiece. It has won many awards such as the Costa Biography Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. It is an essay about her old life written when she was approaching 90 years old. It is frank, open-minded and interesting.
She started with the various changes in old age, mixed with memories of her past life. She generously recalled several of her love histories, confessed her indifference to missing her motherhood, and honestly faced the pain of old age. However, she still talked passionately about the new experiences gained in gardening, painting, reading, writing, etc.
Overall, Asir shows us a very unique female sample, allowing us to see how an ordinary intellectual woman maintains her independent self in dealing with the world, and finally faces aging and the end of life calmly.
Reader comments
Although I am still very young, only 25 years old, when I lie alone in bed late at night, I am afraid of aging (maybe I am still very young, so I am not completely afraid of death, but I am really deeply afraid of aging). I am afraid that my skin will become sagging and wrinkles will appear around my face. My energy and enthusiasm will no longer be what they used to be. My thoughts will no longer be childish and positive, but will become realistic and pathetic. But when I read this book, I seemed to have an elderly confidant. She was approaching the end, but she gave me the wings of hope. The humor and ease in her words were not a deliberate expression, it was the kindness and cheerfulness inherited from her family that made him really not afraid of death.
I believe that this book will be something I will read again and again at all ages in the future. It is the most comforting text when I am anxious. I hope that, decades later, when I sit in my rocking chair (or maybe a wheelchair), my mentality will be as powerful, simple, and powerful as the author!
I came across this book on Xiaohongshu yesterday, so I came to Tomato to check it out, and I was not disappointed. Reading this book gave me the feeling of having a relaxing and enlightening exchange with a friend. I am very lucky to have encountered this book when I was 20 years old.
I've read half of it and will review it after I've finished it. Recommended by TikTok. Very interested. I want to know how a woman living alone deals with loneliness and various emotions in life.
After reading it, I was healed. There are always various possibilities in life, don't limit it to marriage and family. If you want to love, just love. Being single is also a choice. Life is a wilderness, and what binds us is often our own perception. This is also the reason why I travel through various books to experience various other people's lives and find the life I want. Passion! But I shouldn't be able to be as open as the author about the relationship between the three, but I confirm what she said. What's more important in marriage is thoughtfulness and kindness, and sexual fidelity can be treated as if it didn't happen as long as it's not discovered. Makes sense, but if you want to avoid it happening, it's best not to do it. What's more, in Chinese society, cheating involves too many things. For example, the mistress's son has property inheritance rights and various infectious diseases. Don't touch the bottom line. It is rare for a woman like the author to "voluntarily pay" who is unwilling to destroy other people's families. In a sense, she is a refined and self-interested individualist, haha. She knows exactly what she wants, which is rare.
I came across a book by chance. The author retired in his seventies and was still writing in his eighties. This is very admirable.
This book is more like a personal memoir, recording the author's life, emotions, self-exploration and understanding after his twilight years.
I have to say that aging and death are things that we will eventually face. Looking at other people's stories and thinking about my own life, I think this is the greatest meaning of this book to me.
A great book, as if listening to an elderly woman talking by the fire at night. Her tone is old and gentle, her words are wise and sober, and she briefly outlines her life. Life is really short, at least hers is exciting enough
It is very inspiring. How can women face their own aging calmly? This book has the answer.
Women should learn to love others first and love themselves first. Not everyone's life path needs unified planning, such as when to get married and when to have children. As the author said, in ancient times, women reproduced and compared with each other in order to survive, but in today's society, women are no longer reproductive tools. Women must be true to their hearts and live for themselves.
A great book, worth reading by everyone! Frankness and truth have given me a lot of resonance, and also helped me resolve my doubts, allowing me to reconcile with myself better and accept myself calmly. Thank you to the author and translator of this book.
I have a lot of insights, and a sentence in the book summarizes it: "Life is beautiful, so beautiful. And the older a person is, the more aware of this. When you are old, you think, you remember, you care, you understand. You are deeply grateful for everything, for everything."
"For the book you like, Diana said, rather than simply introducing it, it is better to read it yourself." I also want to say this, this book is very good, I want to share it, what about you? [Learned][Learned][Learned]
"A person should do what he has to do, and there is no need to care about what others think." Diana Asier has practiced this sentence throughout her life.
When I was reading this book, I also had doubts and disgust with her. I was judging her through the lens of my own modern values, while ignoring her complexity and diversity as an individual.
She is not a symbol and does not need to be trapped in the framework of an independent and advanced woman. Her calmness in the face of aging and her honesty in her own desires should be what we should see as courage, not to pretend about the past, nor to seek anyone's understanding, these times have transcended.
She does not tell us how to live, but shows us that there are people who live wonderfully like this.
This book is well translated. For ordinary Chinese people, many things may not be understood, but it is not difficult to see that this is a true, intellectual, open-minded, and kind-hearted old lady. I feel like she makes a very clear distinction between love and sex. I can't imagine that she has lived with her ex for more than 40 years. During this period, her ex had a girlfriend. She also became good friends with his girlfriend. Later, this girlfriend got married and had children. I was surprised that she continued to communicate with her throughout her old age. When this ex was sick, he still took care of him until his death. Tsk, tsk, tsk, this kind of heart is not ordinary! How do you define this relationship, platonic love? Or care for each other in old age? I'm really curious, when she died at the age of 101, was her mind as clear as she expected?
Although her views may not be recognized by the world, she has always been loyal to her heart and lived a free and easy life.
There are many angles. The author dares to express herself. She is a woman with interesting self. If you can think of communicating with her, you will definitely encounter many unexpected things.
This book reminded me of my uncle, who was also a man who loved life. In his book, Asir talks candidly about the changes and challenges of old age, and I admired his courage and optimism. Especially her thoughts on raising pugs really resonated with me. My uncle also loves dogs but is too old to take care of them. The emotional descriptions of dogs in the book are very delicate and reminded me of the deep relationship between my uncle and his pets. I think this book is not only about old age, but also about the love of life and the cherishment of emotions.
It's good. I feel more brave after reading it. In this short life, you should constantly experience, taste different food, see different scenery, meet new people, constantly challenge yourself, learn various things, reading, gardening, painting, in short, there are really many things worth experiencing. You must explore and challenge yourself. You are only in your twenties, what are you afraid of?
After reading this, people who are afraid of aging read the memories and records of the elderly in advance, put aside their three views, and hope to live a free and enthusiastic life, maybe not enthusiastic, even if it is dull, they can be calm and calm in the ordinary.
It describes the living conditions of the elderly in multiple dimensions. There is also desolation in the desperation (how can one not be desolate when one is old), but it is still different from other elderly works. Life should be more active, so that you can live more comfortably. I just haven't finished reading it. It's time for a trial reading. I'll recommend it first. I guess it will be good later.
When I was young, I saw old people with wrinkles on their faces, and I was a little afraid that I would be like this when I am old. As I get older and gain more life experience, my mood gradually changes. Trees have annual rings, and the wrinkles on the face are the annual rings of a person's life, the marks of time, just like the scars on a soldier's body, which are military medals. I am grateful for the difficult life, for the setbacks, and for the habit of loneliness I developed in my early years. Writing and improving English translation and astrology are what I will do in the next quarter of my life. I prefer to read more philosophy books, and do not worry that women who read too many philosophy books will not have children. Reading this book, The Twilight is Coming, I feel the same way, and I look forward to my own twilight with great joy. . .
The author of this book is very honest. Her heart is rich, her body is honest, and life is an experience. Such autobiographical writing is very beautiful and satisfies people's human heart.
I read this book as a 28-year-old single, unmarried person. How should I put it? It seemed that some unspecified worries were slowly healed by Grandma Asir's words, although I will gradually forget them as time goes by. But at this moment, I want to say that I have been cured, in a book about aging.
A transparent and true portrayal of an 89-year-old man. Looking at the elderly in China at this age, they are basically in a state of care for the elderly and being taken care of. Can we, who are in our 50s, do the same in another thirty years? Try to live your best life.
Ten stars for the liberal spirit at the beginning and Alice's fearless spirit in the face of difficulties at the end, but deducted 6 stars for the misogyny and love of men in the middle [smile]
A book that has been added to the bookshelf a long time ago. I opened it recently after Lu Yu's podcast talked about it.
"Only when I am alone do I truly feel complete."
This sentence is very attractive to me. I am at a stage where I am unmarried and have no children. The anxiety created by my family and society about age has given me a lot of pressure. Because I deeply feel that I really like the state of being alone now, and there is no way to convince myself to find a random person to get married and have children, so I have to face the reality that I may never be able to get married in this life.
The author of this book is very candid about his life experience, his preparations for old age, and how he nourishes himself by getting along with friends, getting along with young people, and hobbies such as painting, growing flowers, reading, and writing. He is also extremely candid about his sexual experience and the things he has done with a third party, bypassing the moral aspect, which is very eye-opening for me.
At the same time, I saw a very three-dimensional and full self-centered character. Slowly talk about his old life, unabashedly describe his desire to avoid responsibilities and inner guilt and regrets, but do not indulge in it too much.
The greatest luck for people is to be optimistic by nature, cherish life, enjoy the present, and maintain self-awareness.
Although Diana does not receive fair treatment from men in terms of equal pay for equal work, I feel that she lives and lives like a male mentality in life and emotions (it is not that women do not have this mentality, but I think it is not universally representative). I find this kind of subjectivity really very attractive. She will not be kidnapped by morality, nor will she be trapped in a certain relationship. Everything she does is based on her own wishes.
"The End of Dusk" was written by Diana Asier at the age of 89. The woman who lived to be 101 years old died in 2019. This book is written in the first person and starts and ends like a chat. This is a book written by a "withering" woman. It is of great reference value for how to live. She is very honest. After all, at her age, she doesn't need to care about other people's eyes at all. She is not married and has no children of her own, but sex has been with her from the age of five to her seventies. I think this is immoral, but maybe it is also a way of life, and people can live in various ways. In addition, she also talked about her hobbies (gardening, driving around, reading and writing), her regrets, and her thoughts on death. While reading the book, I couldn't help but extend my imagination of my own old age. So, this is a valuable book, although it doesn't really motivate me to read it.
When I get older, I will talk nonsense too. You can be a bystander and feel like this is someone else's story and listen to the gossip. If you think this is feminism, then Western brainwashing is successful.
"Life is beautiful, so beautiful. And the older one gets, the more one realizes it. When you get older, you think, you remember, you care, you understand. You are deeply grateful for everything, for everything."
"I know the bad side of everything, but I only see the good side."
There is still too little written, and it feels like it is just the tip of the iceberg. There may be a large number of facts supporting a point of view, and this point of view may not necessarily be a reflection of these facts, but it must be the association and summary it triggers. His state of mind seemed very open-minded in the past, but now it seems that it should be so, because I am already in this state. The shortcoming is that I have not gone to Oxford and have not read so many books.
Peace is my biggest feeling after reading this book. It is not because I am very young and have little understanding of the feelings described by Diana in her twilight years. It is just that I have no longer been afraid of death and just started to enjoy every minute and every second of every day.
First of all, Diana gave me insights into aging, from which I can draw a lot of spiritual strength, and I sincerely thank her. Secondly, I should live my life seriously and cherish my life and time. In the end, I thought, everything is fine. It is difficult to remember the moment when I first came into this world, and it is difficult to travel through time and space to save some choices, but everything is my experience and experience, so I am grateful and enjoy everything in this life.
——2026.3.9
Although I am still very young, only 25 years old, when I lie alone in bed late at night, I am afraid of aging (maybe I am still very young, so I am not completely afraid of death, but I am really deeply afraid of aging). I am afraid that my skin will become sagging and wrinkles will appear around my face. My energy and enthusiasm will no longer be what they used to be. My thoughts will no longer be childish and positive, but will become realistic and pathetic. But when I read this book, I seemed to have an elderly confidant. She was approaching the end, but she gave me the wings of hope. The humor and ease in her words were not a deliberate expression, it was the kindness and cheerfulness inherited from her family that made him really not afraid of death. I believe that this book will be something I will read again and again at all ages in the future. It is the most comforting text when I am anxious. I hope that, decades later, when I sit in my rocking chair (or maybe a wheelchair), my mentality will be as powerful, simple, and powerful as the author!
I came across this book on Xiaohongshu yesterday, so I came to Tomato to check it out, and I was not disappointed. Reading this book gave me the feeling of having a relaxing and enlightening exchange with a friend. I am very lucky to have encountered this book when I was 20 years old.
I've read half of it and will review it after I've finished it. Recommended by TikTok. Very interested. I want to know how a woman living alone deals with loneliness and various emotions in life.
After reading it, I was healed. There are always various possibilities in life, don't limit it to marriage and family. If you want to love, just love. Being single is also a choice. Life is a wilderness, and what binds us is often our own perception. This is also the reason why I travel through various books to experience various other people's lives and find the life I want. Passion! But I shouldn't be able to be as open as the author about the relationship between the three, but I confirm what she said. What's more important in marriage is thoughtfulness and kindness, and sexual fidelity can be treated as if it didn't happen as long as it's not discovered. Makes sense, but if you want to avoid it happening, it's best not to do it. What's more, in Chinese society, cheating involves too many things. For example, the mistress's son has property inheritance rights and various infectious diseases. Don't touch the bottom line. It is rare for a woman like the author to "voluntarily pay" who is unwilling to destroy other people's families. In a sense, she is a refined and self-interested individualist, haha. She knows exactly what she wants, which is rare.
I came across a book by chance. The author retired in his seventies and was still writing in his eighties. This is very admirable. This book is more like a personal memoir, recording the author's life, emotions, self-exploration and understanding after his twilight years. I have to say that aging and death are things that we will eventually face. Looking at other people's stories and thinking about my own life, I think this is the greatest meaning of this book to me.
A great book, as if listening to an elderly woman talking by the fire at night. Her tone is old and gentle, her words are wise and sober, and she briefly outlines her life. Life is really short, at least hers is exciting enough
It is very inspiring. How can women face their own aging calmly? This book has the answer.
Women should learn to love others first and love themselves first. Not everyone's life path needs unified planning, such as when to get married and when to have children. As the author said, in ancient times, women reproduced and compared with each other in order to survive, but in today's society, women are no longer reproductive tools. Women must be true to their hearts and live for themselves.
A great book, worth reading by everyone! Frankness and truth have given me a lot of resonance, and also helped me resolve my doubts, allowing me to reconcile with myself better and accept myself calmly. Thank you to the author and translator of this book.
I have a lot of insights, and a sentence in the book summarizes it: "Life is beautiful, so beautiful. And the older a person is, the more aware of this. When you are old, you think, you remember, you care, you understand. You are deeply grateful for everything, for everything."
"For the book you like, Diana said, rather than simply introducing it, it is better to read it yourself." I also want to say this, this book is very good, I want to share it, what about you? [Learned][Learned][Learned]
"A person should do what he has to do, and there is no need to care about what others think." Diana Asier has practiced this sentence throughout her life. When I was reading this book, I also had doubts and disgust with her. I was judging her through the lens of my own modern values, while ignoring her complexity and diversity as an individual. She is not a symbol and does not need to be trapped in the framework of an independent and advanced woman. Her calmness in the face of aging and her honesty in her own desires should be what we should see as courage, not to pretend about the past, nor to seek anyone's understanding, these times have transcended. She does not tell us how to live, but shows us that there are people who live wonderfully like this.
This book is well translated. For ordinary Chinese people, many things may not be understood, but it is not difficult to see that this is a true, intellectual, open-minded, and kind-hearted old lady. I feel like she makes a very clear distinction between love and sex. I can't imagine that she has lived with her ex for more than 40 years. During this period, her ex had a girlfriend. She also became good friends with his girlfriend. Later, this girlfriend got married and had children. I was surprised that she continued to communicate with her throughout her old age. When this ex was sick, he still took care of him until his death. Tsk, tsk, tsk, this kind of heart is not ordinary! How do you define this relationship, platonic love? Or care for each other in old age? I'm really curious, when she died at the age of 101, was her mind as clear as she expected?
Although her views may not be recognized by the world, she has always been loyal to her heart and lived a free and easy life.
There are many angles. The author dares to express herself. She is a woman with interesting self. If you can think of communicating with her, you will definitely encounter many unexpected things.
This book reminded me of my uncle, who was also a man who loved life. In his book, Asir talks candidly about the changes and challenges of old age, and I admired his courage and optimism. Especially her thoughts on raising pugs really resonated with me. My uncle also loves dogs but is too old to take care of them. The emotional descriptions of dogs in the book are very delicate and reminded me of the deep relationship between my uncle and his pets. I think this book is not only about old age, but also about the love of life and the cherishment of emotions.
It's good. I feel more brave after reading it. In this short life, you should constantly experience, taste different food, see different scenery, meet new people, constantly challenge yourself, learn various things, reading, gardening, painting, in short, there are really many things worth experiencing. You must explore and challenge yourself. You are only in your twenties, what are you afraid of?
After reading this, people who are afraid of aging read the memories and records of the elderly in advance, put aside their three views, and hope to live a free and enthusiastic life, maybe not enthusiastic, even if it is dull, they can be calm and calm in the ordinary.
It describes the living conditions of the elderly in multiple dimensions. There is also desolation in the desperation (how can one not be desolate when one is old), but it is still different from other elderly works. Life should be more active, so that you can live more comfortably. I just haven't finished reading it. It's time for a trial reading. I'll recommend it first. I guess it will be good later.
When I was young, I saw old people with wrinkles on their faces, and I was a little afraid that I would be like this when I am old. As I get older and gain more life experience, my mood gradually changes. Trees have annual rings, and the wrinkles on the face are the annual rings of a person's life, the marks of time, just like the scars on a soldier's body, which are military medals. I am grateful for the difficult life, for the setbacks, and for the habit of loneliness I developed in my early years. Writing and improving English translation and astrology are what I will do in the next quarter of my life. I prefer to read more philosophy books, and do not worry that women who read too many philosophy books will not have children. Reading this book, The Twilight is Coming, I feel the same way, and I look forward to my own twilight with great joy. . .
The author of this book is very honest. Her heart is rich, her body is honest, and life is an experience. Such autobiographical writing is very beautiful and satisfies people's human heart.
I read this book as a 28-year-old single, unmarried person. How should I put it? It seemed that some unspecified worries were slowly healed by Grandma Asir's words, although I will gradually forget them as time goes by. But at this moment, I want to say that I have been cured, in a book about aging.
A transparent and true portrayal of an 89-year-old man. Looking at the elderly in China at this age, they are basically in a state of care for the elderly and being taken care of. Can we, who are in our 50s, do the same in another thirty years? Try to live your best life.
Ten stars for the liberal spirit at the beginning and Alice's fearless spirit in the face of difficulties at the end, but deducted 6 stars for the misogyny and love of men in the middle [smile]
A book that has been added to the bookshelf a long time ago. I opened it recently after Lu Yu's podcast talked about it. "Only when I am alone do I truly feel complete." This sentence is very attractive to me. I am at a stage where I am unmarried and have no children. The anxiety created by my family and society about age has given me a lot of pressure. Because I deeply feel that I really like the state of being alone now, and there is no way to convince myself to find a random person to get married and have children, so I have to face the reality that I may never be able to get married in this life. The author of this book is very candid about his life experience, his preparations for old age, and how he nourishes himself by getting along with friends, getting along with young people, and hobbies such as painting, growing flowers, reading, and writing. He is also extremely candid about his sexual experience and the things he has done with a third party, bypassing the moral aspect, which is very eye-opening for me. At the same time, I saw a very three-dimensional and full self-centered character. Slowly talk about his old life, unabashedly describe his desire to avoid responsibilities and inner guilt and regrets, but do not indulge in it too much. The greatest luck for people is to be optimistic by nature, cherish life, enjoy the present, and maintain self-awareness. Although Diana does not receive fair treatment from men in terms of equal pay for equal work, I feel that she lives and lives like a male mentality in life and emotions (it is not that women do not have this mentality, but I think it is not universally representative). I find this kind of subjectivity really very attractive. She will not be kidnapped by morality, nor will she be trapped in a certain relationship. Everything she does is based on her own wishes.
"The End of Dusk" was written by Diana Asier at the age of 89. The woman who lived to be 101 years old died in 2019. This book is written in the first person and starts and ends like a chat. This is a book written by a "withering" woman. It is of great reference value for how to live. She is very honest. After all, at her age, she doesn't need to care about other people's eyes at all. She is not married and has no children of her own, but sex has been with her from the age of five to her seventies. I think this is immoral, but maybe it is also a way of life, and people can live in various ways. In addition, she also talked about her hobbies (gardening, driving around, reading and writing), her regrets, and her thoughts on death. While reading the book, I couldn't help but extend my imagination of my own old age. So, this is a valuable book, although it doesn't really motivate me to read it.
When I get older, I will talk nonsense too. You can be a bystander and feel like this is someone else's story and listen to the gossip. If you think this is feminism, then Western brainwashing is successful.
"Life is beautiful, so beautiful. And the older one gets, the more one realizes it. When you get older, you think, you remember, you care, you understand. You are deeply grateful for everything, for everything." "I know the bad side of everything, but I only see the good side."
There is still too little written, and it feels like it is just the tip of the iceberg. There may be a large number of facts supporting a point of view, and this point of view may not necessarily be a reflection of these facts, but it must be the association and summary it triggers. His state of mind seemed very open-minded in the past, but now it seems that it should be so, because I am already in this state. The shortcoming is that I have not gone to Oxford and have not read so many books.
Peace is my biggest feeling after reading this book. It is not because I am very young and have little understanding of the feelings described by Diana in her twilight years. It is just that I have no longer been afraid of death and just started to enjoy every minute and every second of every day. First of all, Diana gave me insights into aging, from which I can draw a lot of spiritual strength, and I sincerely thank her. Secondly, I should live my life seriously and cherish my life and time. In the end, I thought, everything is fine. It is difficult to remember the moment when I first came into this world, and it is difficult to travel through time and space to save some choices, but everything is my experience and experience, so I am grateful and enjoy everything in this life. ——2026.3.9