Quick Take
- Narration: Robin Kohn Glazer delivers with warmth and matter-of-fact clarity that suits Joan Price’s conversational style perfectly, no clinical stiffness, no embarrassment.
- Themes: Aging and intimacy, medical challenges to sexual wellness, rediscovering desire
- Mood: Candid and encouraging, like a knowledgeable friend over coffee
- Verdict: For anyone over 50 navigating the real, often unspoken changes that affect desire, pleasure, and intimacy, this is a practical and genuinely compassionate resource.
I listened to this one on a long afternoon walk, which might sound odd given the subject matter, but Joan Price’s voice, and Robin Kohn Glazer’s rendering of it, made the whole thing feel like exactly the kind of frank conversation most of us never had anywhere near enough of. Not with a doctor, not with a therapist, not with anyone. Price, who has been writing about senior sexuality for years under the now-legendary title of “senior sexpert,” brings something rare to this territory: she’s genuinely non-judgmental, deeply informed, and funny in a way that never trivializes the material.
The audiobook runs just under seven and a half hours, and it earns every minute. Price covers a sweeping range of topics, libido fluctuation, vaginal dryness and pain during intercourse, erectile dysfunction, self-pleasuring, sex toys, dating after loss or divorce, kink, and what she calls “elusive orgasms”, with the same steady, accessible tone throughout. That consistency matters. When you’re in a chapter about grief and intimacy and then move into one about sex toys, you need a guide who doesn’t suddenly shift register. Price never does.
What the Synopsis Doesn’t Prepare You For
The synopsis accurately describes the range of topics, but it undersells how emotionally honest the book gets. Price is a widow who writes candidly about her own experience of losing her partner and finding new intimacy later in life. That personal dimension gives the practical advice a grounding that purely clinical guides lack entirely. When she discusses loss of libido, she’s not working from a position of detached expertise, she’s been inside that particular experience herself. Reviewer Ann Anderson Evans quoted Price directly: “If we could all just enjoy what we enjoy without moralizing about what other people enjoy, what a wonderful world it would be.” That’s not just a nice line. It’s the book’s operating philosophy in a sentence.
Glazer’s narration serves this material well. She has a warm, unhurried quality that suits the conversational structure, and she handles medical terminology without either stumbling or over-professionalizing. The book is organized around specific challenges rather than in a straight chronological or anatomical sequence, which means you can navigate it based on what’s most relevant to your situation. That said, the linear listen rewards patience, Price builds a cumulative framework for thinking about sexuality and aging that pays off in the later chapters on dating and exploration.
The Medical Layer That Sets This Apart
Many intimacy guides gesture at health considerations and then retreat back to psychology or technique. Price doesn’t flinch from the medical realities. She addresses hormone therapy, the physiological effects of cancer treatment on sexuality, cardiovascular conditions, medications that suppress desire, and what partnered sex looks like when one or both people are dealing with chronic pain or mobility limitations. This isn’t the territory of a lifestyle book, it’s genuinely useful information delivered without either clinical austerity or false cheer.
The chapter on pain during sex is particularly valuable. It addresses a subject that often leaves people suffering in silence, either because they assume it’s inevitable or because their healthcare providers never brought it up. Price names specific conditions, suggests specific conversations to have with doctors, and recommends resources without becoming a medical manual. That balance is hard to strike, and she manages it consistently.
Who Should Listen, Who Should Skip
This audiobook is primarily aimed at people over 50 navigating the real, often complicated terrain of sex and intimacy as bodies change. It speaks equally to those who are partnered, unpartnered, straight, LGBTQ+, and everyone in between. Price’s genuinely inclusive approach is one of the book’s stronger qualities. One reviewer noted she had seen Price speak multiple times and found her an “amazing resource for ageless intimacy advice”, the audiobook captures that quality.
Skip this if you’re looking for explicit erotica or fantasy-driven content, this is sex education and practical guidance, warmly delivered but not titillating by design. Also worth noting: while the book covers topics relevant to younger adults who want to understand what aging and sexuality looks like longitudinally, the framing is squarely for the 50-plus audience, and some sections will feel less immediately relevant to readers in their 30s or early 40s.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Joan Price address same-sex couples and non-binary readers, or is this written primarily for heterosexual couples?
Price explicitly addresses all genders and orientations throughout, including same-sex couples and people who are unpartnered. The inclusive approach is one of the book’s stated values, and reviewers confirm it carries through in practice.
Is this a research-heavy academic text or more of a conversational guide?
It reads (and listens) as a conversational, accessible guide rather than an academic work. Price draws on her background in sexuality education and her own experience, but the tone is warm and practical rather than clinical. The American Society of Journalists and Authors gave her previous book Outstanding Self-Help Book honors, which gives a sense of the register.
Does the audiobook work as a standalone listen or does it reference charts, exercises, or other visual material that requires a print companion?
Based on the structure described in the synopsis and the conversational format, the audiobook works as a complete standalone. There is no indication of significant charts or workbook elements that would require a print companion.
How does Robin Kohn Glazer handle the more clinical or anatomical content, does it feel awkward in audio format?
Glazer maintains a consistent, matter-of-fact warmth throughout, which is exactly right for this material. The narration neither sterilizes the content into textbook territory nor overplays the more intimate discussions. Listeners who have responded positively to the book’s tone specifically praise its accessibility, which Glazer’s performance supports.
