The authors of this book are a team that conducted a qualitative study with 150 older women from four ethnic groups in the north of England that was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council's Growing Older programme. The research findings that form the basis for this book relate particularly to the United Kingdom (UK). The book is a timely reminder that the older population of most western countries is increasingly diverse, and comprised of women and men from a wide range of cultural, ethnic, religious and language backgrounds. As the authors point out in the introductory chapter, this heterogeneity is not always represented in studies concerned with exploring key elements in the health and wellbeing of older people in later life – a gap that the research addressed. The authors also acknowledge that gender, ethnicity and migration patterns were central to the story of growing older for the participants in their study. Furthermore, this book strives to enhance our understanding about the complex array of elements at play in the lives of older women from diverse ethnic backgrounds who hope to experience a good quality of life in their later years.

The book has nine chapters including an introduction, conclusion and an extensive bibliography. The distinctiveness of this publication is firmly established in the introductory chapter, in which the writers describe a research project that incorporated a lifecourse approach and gave voice to older women from four very diverse ethnic communities. The aims, scope and limitations of the research are described, and the ethnicity and age range of the participants are profiled. The second chapter presents the literature review. The central themes are summarised well with a focus on the key domains in which gender matters, particularly in relation to older women's health and wellbeing and, more specifically, discussions relating to economic and social disadvantage. This chapter concludes by reminding the reader that even though gender issues and ageing are more and more examined, ethnicity remains largely ignored. The third chapter considers issues of theory and methodology. The authors remind the reader that central to conducting research in communities of older women, particularly of ethnic groups, is the choice of appropriate conceptual frameworks and methodologies that potentially generate theories while at the same time are committed to providing a voice for research participants.

Chapter 4 begins the reports of the qualitative research findings, and focuses on the formation of identities across the lifecourse and notions of what it is to be old for an ethnic woman. Chapters 5–8 continue to present the main findings around key themes. The researcher's commentaries are thoughtful and successfully draw together the participant's perspectives in relation to growing old in their particular ethnic communities. As might be expected, the main themes that emerge include health and wellbeing and family and kin relationships. To this reviewer, what stood out as particularly instructive was the focus of Chapter 7, ‘Faith and identity’. This chapter provides valuable insights through the observations of the women about the place of religion and spirituality in relation to their health and wellbeing, particularly as they age and experience diverse life-changing events. The inclusion of these two topics introduces a level of discussion not often found in studies about growing old. Chapter 8 concludes with moving accounts from the informants about their experiences of death and dying. The chapter raises the significance of the loss of a spouse in relation to the quality of life for these older women. This insightful book confirms that there is a paucity of research around the experience of widowhood for women from diverse ethnic communities and the implications of their loss for social planning, policy development and service delivery. Overall the book provides a coherent and convincing argument that any study that aims to understand the complexity of the ageing experience needs to include older women of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Although this study was specific to the UK and to four ethnic groups, it has valuable insights for students, researchers and community-based service deliverers and planners alike.