Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0807065226, Hardcover)

Drawing on stories from diverse long-term single women, including herself, Trimberger explodes the idea that fulfillment comes only through coupling with a soul mate. Instead, she presents an exciting new identity possible for women in the twenty-first century: the new single woman—a woman who is content with her single life. This trailblazing woman is distinguished by six important characteristics: she has a nurturing home; satisfying work; is comfortable with her sexuality; connects with the next generation; finds emotional intimacy with friends and family; and creates a supportive community.

These gripping personal accounts of how single women's lives evolve over time, combined with Trimberger's incisive analysis, blend to provide a much-needed cultural roadmap for every single woman who is striving to create a satisfying and meaningful life. Trimberger's provocative argument that married women and single women are not different or in competition but rather at opposite ends of a continuum that comprises many women, including bisexuals and lesbians, is a paradigm-shifting notion, one that ultimately strengthens and enriches both single women and couples.

"A much needed breath of fresh air. Women have been in bondage to the dream of the 'soul mate' for far too long, and Kay Trimberger gives us the inspiration and insight to get on with our lives."
—Barbara Ehrenreich

"Whether you have a soul mate, you're looking for one, or you don't and you're not, this is a book that explores and expands the notion of human fulfillment."
—Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of The Commercialization of Intimate Life