The Old Lady's Guide to Survival

"Netty, waiting for a bus that will take her to an eye clinic, muses about the paths her life has taken since her husband died. She adjusted to being alone by going to plays and concerts and taking classes at the Institute for Continued Learning. She loves, too, to plan trips. Sometimes she even takes them. But she's got this problem with her eyes, and she is coping with the fear of losing her independence. Along comes Shprintzy, a fey woman Netty knows only slightly and doesn't want to know any better. But Shprintzy has mastered the San Diego public transportation system. She reels off bus schedules and their interlocking connections to all parts of Southern California. Netty accepts Shprintzy's help to get her to the eye clinic, thereby reaching out, almost against her will, to another human being. It is obvious from the outset that Netty and Shprintzy are destined to become bosom friends. Physical darkness is threatening Netty, and mental darkness is beginning to envelop Shprintzy. But Netty, tough and independent, forces the more vulnerable Shprintzy to stand tall and move among strangers without fear. In turn, the childlike Shprintzy leads Netty toward an understanding of her inability to cope without help from friends, even a friend as flighty as Shprintzy. There is a touching scene in which Netty, nearly blind, guides Shprintzy, fading slowly into incompetence, through the process of helping her write a check. It's a process neither could do alone, but in accomplishing it, says Shprintzy, they together make up a whole person." (Louisville Courier-Journal)