The Mona Lisa Stratagem
The Art of Women, Age, and Power

by Harriet Rubin

Using the concept of an ageless Mona Lisa, Harriet Rubin encourages women to take advantage of reaching age forty-five and beyond.  Rubin contends that women gain power and attraction as they reach this pivotal point in their lives.  Conversely, she says that men tend to lose these powers that come to women who no longer face the need to take care of children, to be beautiful, or to  meet the demands of a husband. 

Rubin references many biographies to illustrated how women attained greatness in this span of their lives.  She did not elaborate on whether men made or did not make, great contributions during a similar time frame.

Then Rubin outlines the ten tactics women may want to follow in order to achieve whatever their goal might be. The women she cites in her examples used one or many of the tactics to achieve their goals.  Each of the stories she detailed contained a great deal of information and spoke of women in history who used one or more of the tactics to achieve greatness. 

At times it was hard to determine exactly what a woman was supposed to do with each of the tactics.  Being an audio version, it was difficult to review tactics that been mentioned earlier in the book.

By taking their time and choosing the tactics that best fit their lives, many women can get the encouragement they need to continue a useful and productive life at a time when many women feel their time has come and gone.  I didn't agree with all the tactics but then I am not a woman.  An enjoyable listen.