In the Ever After: Fairy Tales and the Second Half of Life

Do adults ever live happily ever after? Interpreted in light of contemporary research on mid-life and aging, these rare fairy tales reveal a deep folk wisdom about the psychological tasks encountered in the second half of life. Collected from around the world, these stories offer an engaging exploration into the problems of adulthood and aging.

The author is a psychiatrist practicing in San Francisco. He has published numerous papers on adult development and aging. This book assembles "for the first time" fairy tales in which elders are protagonists. The stories are delightful in themselves, but interpreted under Chinen's skillful hand, they offer a psychology of maturity where wit and wisdom replace the audacity and strength of youth. The book is (according to Jungian Analyst June Singer) in a word wonderful. It is also beautifully written, so heartwarming and so wise.