Reviews
Onlinebookclub.org Official review
by JKO
The Sounds of Sirens by Mitchell G. Kuhn is a fiction book that tells a tale of a couple, as they try to find a suitable home to spend their remaining days after retirement. Helen Chandler wants to move to an active adult retirement community, where she would have an improved social life. Mike, her husband, doesn’t want that, as he sees it as a step closer to the grave. He finds solace in watching television. Helen gets Mike to grudgingly agree to take a tour at some adult communities alongside her.
Mike is completely set against this move and finds objections to every community they visit. With perfect timing, he makes humorous but strategic statements to each sales agent, to manipulate Helen into being uninterested in any property. This is reflected in his thoughts at one of the communities they visited, “As they walked through each of the homes, each of the rooms, and each of the massive walk-in closets, I followed behind…Not like a puppy dog trailing its master, but rather as a tiger waiting for the proper time to snare its prey.” Can Helen get Mike to change his mind? Can they find common ground?
I was skeptical about reading this book at first, as I thought to myself, “what could be interesting about the life of retirees?” Boy, I sure found out! I was extremely happy that I picked up this book in the end. The author put together a masterpiece. I was happy to see that the elements of each community which the couple visited were described exhaustively. It almost felt like I was on the tour with them, as I could picture exactly what each community looked like. I was also pleased that the editor did a great job. This book was completely devoid of grammatical or typographical errors. As a result, my reading flow was maintained throughout the book.
I was also happy to see the relationship between Mike and Helen. The feuds they had made the story very realistic. Even if I wasn’t told they were a couple, I would have inferred it. This showed how well the author developed their characters. I was especially drawn to the character of Mike. The story was told from his eyes. I found him to be very humorous in his statements, especially in his frequent use of sarcasm. It was refreshing, as I had a lot of good laughs while I read. I also like that the reader can draw valuable lessons on what to look out for when selecting a home.
There was absolutely nothing to hate about this book. I enjoyed reading it. I could not take my eye off the pages, until the last page. In addition to how professionally written it was, the story was very original. As a result, I have the pleasure of rating The Sounds of Sirens 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book for people interested in fiction stories, as well as recent retirees.
Great Read
by Michael Depalma
Great read! About 50 pages into the book, I had the feeling I was in The Catskills listening to Shecky Greene or Don Rickles. That good! But it wasn’t just another funny satire because Kuhn extended its scope to encompass that elephant in the rooms of so many aging Americans: should we sell the family home and move to a 55+ community? His presentation of “the good, the bad & the ugly” of these communities, albeit humorous, is spot on to the problem decision. To the seniors’ considerations, he adds in the kids’ 2 cents. Talk about a conundrum! It can be a road map to decision making or a nostalgic look at what you already endured.
Getting ready to retire? Read this book.
by Stephen Heller
A clever and sarcastic view of life in a 55+ community. As an individual who resides in a similar adult “compound” the characters Mike and Helen, that the author humorously portrays, are quite relatable to numerous residents in my community, that coincidentally happens to be in New Jersey. Mr. Kuhn’s account of the quest to find and purchase the “perfect” active adult community and the sort of “in-active” life style thereafter is an enjoyable read.
Searching for the Perfect Active Adult Retirement Community
by Zev
A riotous journey with Mike and Helen, baby boomers searching for the perfect Active Adult Retirement Community. A familiar and useful topic for those of us lucky enough to reach our golden years with enough gold to be able to afford this option. A fun and enjoyable read.
A must read!
by Sally B.
Mitchell Kuhn’s new book The Sounds of Sirens is a humorous tale of a mature couple’s quest to find the perfect active adult retirement community. It’s a fast, enjoyable read that will have you laughing along the way. The author’s wit and cynicism is equally matched by his love and devotion to family. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
A great book
by Tracy Haddard
The Sounds of Sirens by Mitchell Kuhn is one of the best and funniest book that I have read.
It talks about yes I said talk because I feel Mitch was referring and talking about my story and you will feel the same if you are thinking about moving. There is so much truth in the book that if you live in an adult community like we do you will find the book so funny and true I was laughing so hard I woke my wife up while reading in bed.
Mitch please write another. Bob Dee
A humorous expose on one of life’s final journeys
by BobS
The Sound of Sirens is an enjoyable and credible journey down memory lane for those of us who have actually transitioned from the stability and familiarity of a long term existence in a neighborhood where we raised our families to a new and active retirement community.
Helen and Mike’s experiences truly mirrored many of the ones my wife and I experienced when searching for the right location and lifestyle for our “golden years”. We both read the book and had to laugh, in retrospect, at what we had really put ourselves through, during our multi-year journey to retirement.
The author has added many funny vignettes and anecdotes with little twists and turns that makes for easy reading.
A humorous primer for anyone who is considering to relocate to an adult community, especially those who believe they have all bases covered before they start!!!