Menopause hit Darcey Steinke hard. First came hot flushes. Then insomnia. Then depression. As she struggled to understand what was happening to her, she slammed up against a culture of silence and sexism. Some promoted hormone replacement therapy, others encouraged acceptance, but there was little that offered a path to understanding menopause in an engaged way.

Flash Count Diary is a powerful exploration into aspects of menopause that have rarely been written about. It is a deeply feminist book, honest about the intimations of mortality that menopause signals but also an argument for the ascendency, beauty and power of the post-reproductive years in women's lives.

"A fiercely intelligent trawl through menopausal waters that is not afraid to confront the intricacies of the female body and mind. There is a beautiful precision to the writing" - * The Times *

"Incandescent" - * Guardian Book of the Week *

"[Steinke's] refreshing description of the second act is stylish. Based on interviews, it is a new take on the power of women at this stage of adulthood . . . she has a positive take on desire and sexuality, which many women will find uplifting and surprising" - * Sunday Times *

"Revolutionary" - * Daily Mail *

"I hope that Steinke's book, which I consumed hungrily, will encourage a wave of work by and about women undergoing what is, quite literally, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Steinke makes the case that the inexorable slide away from fertility is a rebirth of agency, and her book is the fruit of the very creativity it describes" - * New Yorker *