Brunswick. Margery is old, surrounded by crossstich and a dilapidated house. Her children think she should be in a home. Her life seemed to be clearcut but as the stress of her children’s pressure come to bear she finds that the past is not what she thought it was. Maybe her sister’s death should not have ruled her life. Maybe her sons and daughter are not as they seem. Maybe her marriage wasn’t what she thought. Maybe her prejudices and bigotry are not as necessary as they seem. There is the lure of the atrium of the posh hotel as a useful place to commit suicide, and the luxurious room to sit and contemplate the past. Margery has another look at the world not all contained in crossstich mottoes. A fascinating vivid picture of one woman’s life. ( )

Bittersweet ... Margery hasn't been the warmest mother, wife or friend - and now in her 80's, a series of circumstances force her to step away from wilful ignorance, towards a self-awareness of how much responsibility she's had for how her life has unfolded. Rosalie Ham's book is often hilarious, particularly in asides about clothing, gestures and character - but there is deep sadness, and longing, at the heart of this book. ( )

I borrowed this book from my local library and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in older people and their interactions with others. Personally, I loved it, it made me laugh and cry, and I don't want to talk about the plot except to say (again) that it is a wonderful, funny book.

Margery Blandon, widowed and mother of Walter, Morris and Judith, lives alone in her home of 60 years. The neighbourhood is changing and Judith and her husband think it is time for her to move in to an old folks home. Judith is resistant and has the support of her home help Anita and son Walter. Things become complicated and Margery realises she has been living a lie when Anita moves her own mother Florence in with Margery.
Although, many of these characters are larger than life, there is a ring of truth to this tale and I found myself wanting to know how the situation would be resolved. ( )

There are some aspects of this book that appeal to me; the main one being the "aging parent problem". I too have an aging mother who takes the same drugs as the main character and shares many of the same problems. However, despite that connection I didn't feel at home in this book. I found the story to be too contrived, the characters too superficial and stereotyped, and the humour was not amusing to me. Of course, I'm aware that I would possibly level exactly the same criticisms at Jane Austen! So I'm not saying Ham isn't a good writer; I'm just saying her writing doesn't suit me. It's more the case that I'm not a good reader!!

To me this book read like a script to a TV series with a whole lot of short scenes and lots of action and snappy, brief dialog. But I'm not much of a TV watcher and I need to be able to contemplate a situation and see it from different perspectives. I'm probably just not smart enough for the writing of Rosalie Ham. (What I'd really like is to sit down with jeniwren - who passed the book on to me - and discuss it over a cup of coffee or two in a south coast coffee shop. I suspect we'd quickly move on to other topics, but maybe not. ) ( )