"In Winter Dreams, [Rosenwein] explores both how societies treated their elderly, and how old people in the past felt about ageing--a subject that has too often been ignored, partly owing to the popular belief that everyone died young. . . . Rosenwein writes movingly. . . . By depicting old age in all its complexity and diversity, this compassionate and engaging book offers both historical insights and lessons for the present."

"There is great comfort to be had in knowing that our dreams of old age bear the history of our ancestor's dreams as well as the new possibilities of the modern age. Rosenwein's brilliant survey teaches us that we are not alone in how we might imagine life in its closing chapters."--Thomas Laqueur

"Four stars. . . . In Winter Dreams [Rosenwein] hurtles through two millennia to chronicle how society feels about the aged--and how they feel about themselves. . . . Winter Dreams is a satisfying meal of a book and I learnt a great deal."-- "The Daily Telegraph"

"A deep dive into the feelings humanity has held towards older adults over the last two millennia--as seen through a literary lens. Rosenwein explores ancient texts--plays, poems, philosophical essays, and infamous epics--dissecting the attitudes various cultures (primarily western cultures) have had surrounding aging. . . . Rosenwein is a pioneering historian whose books explore the many ways in which human groups have experienced, valued, and expressed emotions over time. Winter Dreams: A Historical Guide to Old Age is an interesting and educational glimpse into a typically overlooked group."-- "Third Coast Review"

"A book on winter dreams, but for readers of all seasons, who will find here an awesome panorama with an underlying message that is finally positive and hopeful, but not in any naïve sense. Rosenwein does not dissimulate how individuals, groups, communities, and whole societies struggle with aging and old age, but she also highlights the manifold answers given to what should not only be seen as a cruel and finally unbearable issue."-- "Leonardo"

"This is a great idea for a book: an exploration of how people and thought and felt about old age across two thousand years of recorded history. It's a rich and profound subject, and Rosenwein--a historian of emotions--surely has a vast range of material to call upon across both literary and historical records and writings."--Mathew Lyons "The Broken Compass"

"A lovely title, Winter Dreams, for a book about the elderly, about how through history the world has regarded them, about how they have regarded themselves. Rosenwein's subtitle is A Historical Guide to Old Age. The author . . . has written not a conventional history, but, a far more subtle enterprise, a history of feeling. . . . If Rosenwein has any questions for this ancient dude, I hope she won't hesitate to be in touch. Her doing so would give me a chance to tell her in person how very good I think her book."

"This book draws upon an impressive range of sources to show that, contrary to a common belief, people have grown old in every known society and, challenging the stereotype of old age uniformity, that their lives have always been highly diverse. A valuable deepening of our knowledge of an important, fast-growing demographic group."--Pat Thane, Birkbeck College London

"The ancients also knew plenty about old age and how we should approach it. In this fascinating history of the elderly, Rosenwein returns to the classical world to explore how Cicero, Euripides and Sophocles presented the winter of our lives--which, it transpires, was with rather more fullness and humanity than people show today."-- "The Daily Telegraph, "Greatest Books of 2025""