Cora Sledge is horrified when her children, who doubt her ability to take care of herself, plot to remove her from her home. So what if her house is in shambles? Who cares when she last changed her clothes? If an eighty-two-year-old widow wants to live on junk food, pills, and cigarettes, hasn’t she earned the right? When her kids force her into The Palisades, an assisted living facility, Cora … facility, Cora takes to her bed, planning to die as soon as possible. But life isn’t finished with her yet, not by a long shot.
Deciding that truth is the best revenge, Cora begins to write a tell-all journal that reveals once and for all the secret she has guarded since she was a young woman. In entries that are profane, profound, and gossipy, she chronicles her childhood in rural Missouri, her shotgun wedding, and the terrible event that changed the course of her life.
Intermingled with her reminiscences is an account of the day-to-day dramas at The Palisades—her budding romance with a suave new resident, feuds with her tablemates, her rollicking camaraderie with the man who oversees her health care, and the sinister cloud of suspicion that descends as a series of petty crimes sets everyone on edge. The story builds to a powerful climax as Cora’s revelations about her past mesh with the unraveling intrigue in the present.
Cora is by turns outrageous, irreverent, and wickedly funny. Despite a life with more than its share of disappointment and struggle, she refuses to go gently into her twilight years, remaining intensely curious, disinclined to play it safe, and willing to start over.
Breaking Out of Bedlam captures the loneliness and secrets that lurk within families, the hardscrabble reality facing women with limited resources, and the resilience of a woman who survives, despite all the odds, through an unlikely combination of passion, humor, and faith.
“Tough-edged Cora Sledge, 82, is a reluctant resident of The Palisades nursing home—a ‘prison [where] your only crime is you lived too long.’ Her tell-all journal, recounting dramas at the home (thefts, love affairs, rivalries) and a tragedy buried in her past, is profane, harrowing, comical—and Cora’s voice is spot-on.”—AARP Magazine
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One of the most realistic and funny books I have read lately! I am getting to be of that age and am finding my kids think they know what is BEST for me! GREAT READ! (. We know more than you think we know! )
A fun read.
I loved this book and always thought I wanted to live in an adult community where they changed my sheets, cleaned my toilet, and served my meals. This book lays it out, humorously, in an assisted living facility. It inspired me to face the possibility that I wouldn’t want to live alone and I might need assistance.
I really enjoyed the style of the author switching from writing in a journal and reporting on daily events.
I’m not finished with this book yet, but the main character is so…honest, open and watching her build her sense of self while learning of her past is such a great read. I can’t wait to finish, but I’m worried for her…don’t want it to end how I fear it will
This is an engaging story of an 82 year old woman coming to terms with her life. As she reveals her life through a diary she keeps, she explains her past and her present, the mistakes she has made and her life struggle with depression (never called such but well described). While Cora seems, at first, a curmudgeon, the more she reveals of her past and present, the more she becomes not a cranky old woman but a woman whose life has taken twists and turns and leaves her in an assisted living facility against her will. Although far from a romance, this is a story about true love and commitment on many (and pleasantly surprising) levels.
I am 82 and this book interested me for that reason. I also visit a friend who is 94 who lives in a similar facility since she broke her hip ten years ago. This book will enlighten anyone anticipating having to live in a facility at the twilight time of their lives. It isn’t going to be a boat cruise for sure, but sometimes it cannot be helped because nobody will step up to the plate to take care of the elderly in a respectful manner. These homes, despite the cost, mostly are the “pits”. My recommenda-tion, instead of going into a facility, take a round-the-world cruise and eat three wonderful meals a day, see the theater shows after dinner and sleep the night away. It costs less to cruise than it does to be in a facility that smells of urine! The book is well worth reading if you doubt that this sort of thing exists; it does. I have seen it first hand and my husband and I will definitely not go there.
I loved this book! As we all age, we are faced with the reality that we may reach a time when we can no longer take care of ourselves. Or our children may make that decision for us, never mind what we want for ourselves! This story gave me a boost, knowing that I will have the spunk to make my own decisions about my own life! I loved it!
I enjoyed this book. It started out as one kind of story and totally ended up as another.
I could relate to the main character as have been through her struggles with my parents. Entertaining, easy read.
After having my mother and mother-in-law in assisted Living it was a very interesting read on that environment and the family dynamics that go along with it. Great funny reading for those who who want to see what the future holds for the baby boomers.
It was a good perspective from the inside of an older person’s head who got pushed into a nursing home. Funny
Fast paced about a woman who changes her life after being forced into a nursing home
I enjoyed reading a story where the characters where older and still full of life.
Excellent writing. I found it fascinating!
Very enjoyable and such an original storyline
I enjoyed reading this book, it was a glimpse into what its like for older folks in a nursing home. The main character was very strong and yet vulnerable.
My descriptive words seem to be at odds with each other – but I found that I had a hard time characterizing the book. The main character, Cora Sledge, is dealing with illness, old age, and her desire to be free at the end of her life – and out of the “facility” her family put her in. She is a “character” who came up through the school of hard knocks -but the lessons are all that many of us babyboomers can relate to – as well as our own experiences of making decisions for an aging parent or having fears of what our own kids might do to us. Its not as predictable as it initially seems. It has actually inspired me to begin writing my own journal again.
Depending on your age it is funny and sad. The occasional jump from past to present and back again is common given the age of the storyteller. I believe it works here. I’ve witnessed many of these experiences from volunteer work and dread the day it is me. Humor makes the difference! Should be required reading for those involved in caregiving.
It is a great read. Did not want to put it down.
Am not quite finished yet, but it’s a great read very heartbreaking in some parts and very funny in other parts. I will be sad when I finish this book.