BOOK REVIEW featuring... The Golden Oldies' Book Club by Judy Leigh

Sometimes a book is just a book.  Other times, you discover a writer that creates stories you step into, get cozy with, and feel invested in the outcomes of the lives lived for each character you come to know.  The author and novel we feature today certainly falls into the latter category, and I have a feeling that those of you that haven't indulged in her stories yet will be very soon.  Ladies and gents, let's welcome our latest Rachel's Random Resources blog tour guest and ebook of choice...

The Golden Oldies' Book Club

by

Judy Leigh

Boldwood Books

About the book...

Deep in the Somerset countryside, the Combe Pomeroy village library hosts a monthly book club.

Ruth the librarian fears she’s too old to find love, but a discussion about Lady Chatterley’s Lover makes her think again.

Aurora doesn’t feel seventy-two and longs to relive the excitement of her youth, while Verity is getting increasingly tired of her husband Mark’s grumpiness and wonders if their son’s imminent flight from the nest might be just the moment for her to fly too. And Danielle is fed up with her cheating husband. Surely life has more in store for her than to settle for second best?

The glue that holds Combe Pomeroy together is Jeannie. Doyenne of the local cider farm and heartbeat of her family and community, no one has noticed that Jeannie needs some looking after too. Has the moment for her to retire finally arrived, and if so, what does her future hold?

From a book club French exchange trip, to many celebrations at the farm, this is the year that everything changes, that lifelong friendships are tested, and for some of the women, they finally get the love they deserve.

AMAZON

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This isn't just a story about a book club, although that certainly would have been enough of a draw for many of us because HELLO, a book about book loving people?  Yes please!  No, this is a story about how much of a difference a year can make in the life of anyone, let alone this lovely group of people.  Some are friends, some will be before long.  Some are estranged without even realizing it, yet will work towards coming together before things unravel for good.  Some are surprised by events they could never have foreseen...for better, or worse.  Some friends become family, and some family take flight to chart the next chapter of their lives in the great big world.  There are highs and lows, heartbreak and heart song, secrets uncovered and realizations made, all with a background filled with utter loveliness from the township to the people, and everything in between.

I think I felt most for Jeannie.  She was the rock, the anchor, the one to be counted on to be there in the end, and yet she had so much left to give.  It's not that she wasn't living her life, but it certainly wasn't in full color, and while that lesson doesn't come easy, it does come and very much so before it's too late.  Though a grandmother herself, her mother was still a force to be reckoned with.  Nary found without her sharp whit, Violet has a joke for every situation, but a steeliness beneath that could weather the toughest storm.  Aurora, the most free spirited among this circle of friends, was allowing things to happen naturally, accepting time as it proceeded, but even the freest bird can be caged inadvertently, and the results are never quite what we expect.  I was surprised by her story's turn, and yet not.  It fit perfectly.   On the other hand, we've got Ruth, who is steadfast and sure, but not without her own secrets, and surprises, which eventually turns into a relationship who don't quite see coming, yet couldn't be happier for her when it does.  The twins cause their own ruckus, but growing up was never easy.  Mark and Verity certainly made a case for singledom...and yet, an even better case for working together, listening to one another, and not letting things stew.  I could go on and on, but I won't because this cast of characters deserves their time in the sun, and will make a different impact on every reader.

When all is said and done, it wasn't a book about an epic change, the world ending, or some other headline grabbing occurrence, but about life, and making sure our own days are well lived.  It doesn't matter what we set out to do at the start, it matters how we finish.  If we reach that set destination, fine and dandy, but if we veered off, took an offshoot path, or set a new course, those are just as amazing, if not more so, moments too.  Our lives are our to chart, and we are the ones that get to say whether we lived our days to their fullest.  As one of may favorite songs so aptly phrased..."If you have a dream, go chase it....If you find love, embrace it.." ...lessons we all could use a reminder of at any age.  A great read for Women's Fiction fans that love to get lost in the story, but also in the lives of the characters living it.

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About the author...

Judy Leigh is the bestselling author of Five French Hens, A Grand Old Time and The Age of Misadventure and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.

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Special thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, this promotion, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today and be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!