Joanna Nell’s new brilliantly heartwarming and moving novel, THE TEA LADIES OF ST JUDE’S HOSPITAL, is available to pre-order now!’Poignant and warm-hearted . . . a tonic for our times.’ – Holly Miller, author of The Sight of YouAt nearly ninety, retired nature writer Hattie Bloom prefers the company of birds to people, but when a fall lands her in a nursing home she struggles to cope with the … with the loss of independence and privacy. From the confines of her ‘room with a view’ – of the car park! – she dreams of escape.Fellow ‘inmate’, the gregarious, would-be comedian Walter Clements also plans on returning home as soon as he is fit and able to take charge of his mobility scooter.When Hattie and Walter officially meet at The Night Owls, a clandestine club run by Sister Bronwyn and her dog, Queenie, they seem at odds. But when Sister Bronwyn is dismissed over her unconventional approach to aged care, they must join forces – and very slowly, an unlikely, unexpected friendship begins to grow.Full of wisdom and warmth, The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home is a gorgeously poignant, hilarious story showing that it is never too late to laugh – or to love.Praise for Joanna Nell:’Hugely entertaining . . . funny and heart-warming’ Woman & Home’A gentle, warm-hearted book that had me rooting for all the characters and laughing out loud at points’ LIBBY PAGE, author of The Lido’A warm and touching story with a cast of characters who became my friends’ – Katie Marsh, author of THE REST OF ME’The perfect blend of funny and moving’ – Natasha Lester, author of THE PARIS SEAMSTRESS’A funny and poignant exploration of growing old disgracefully and enjoying your twilight years’ – Culturefly
more
This novel describing the inhabitants and escapades of the Woodlands Nursing Home is poignant and whimsical, engaging and comical – all rolled into one. Through the eyes of Hattie and Walter, we meet the staff and fellow ‘inmates’ and share their adventures over time, as small things become paramount, and love blossoms in the most unexpected way. Recommended for those readers who value a pleasant read with insights into the human soul.
I have read all of Joanna Nell’s books, and they are all magnificent. Elderly characters in this one – in their eighties and nineties, but still young enough to get up to all kinds of shenanigans!
I don’t know if such fiction books have a collective name, but I’ve had a lot of fun reading books featuring older people that live in aged care homes, such as The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. It doesn’t take much scratching below the surface to realise these places are not an ideal place to live, but what appeals to me is the often plucky and remarkable characters you meet in the story. The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home by Joanna Nell introduces us to several such characters, focusing on Hattie Bloom and Walter Clements. They’re both 90-odd, are steadfast in their desire to go to their real homes, but are at the mercy of people who supposedly know best.
I think Nell has done a good job in illustrating the disingenuousness of the aged care system. Nell’s words are never aggressive, but certainly provocative, as she weaves into the story multiple examples of how aged care is managed to run efficiently, and with little money. The independence and desires of residents is, at best to be ignored, and at worst, to be threatened with guardianship by those in authority.
Enjoying all this, I did still feel there was something indefinable missing in the story. The blurb mentions residents banding together to help Sister Bronwyn, but this plot seemed weak, given it wasn’t properly addressed until late in the book. Much of the book has the characters making a fuss – if you will – before immediately backing down. It’s not until the final stages of the book, when the great escape happens, that the story is elevated into something that had me loudly cheering for the residents instead of just feeling melancholy.
I would also like to mention the set up of the Woodlands Nursing Home itself. It’s based on the game Monopoly. Resident rooms are labelled with one of the game streets, from ‘Go’ and collecting your $200, onto Whitechapel Road and around all the corners to Mayfair. So clever! Hattie Bloom, makes the observation that ‘depending on how you landed on this particular Monopoly square, the foyer and reception area represented either IN JAIL or JUST VISITING.’ Such insight really says it all.
This was my first Joanna Nell novel. I am glad I chose to read this book and I will be looking to add her other books onto my to-be-read pile.
Where do I start, another amazing story from Joanna Nell it is filled with love, hope, fun, determination and the great knowledge and insight that comes from people who have made the great age of Ninety. I loved meeting Hattie, Walter, Sister Bronwyn, Queenie and the other fabulous characters in this story and I do hope that you pick this one up and enjoy it as much as I did.
Hattie Bloom is eighty nine years young and a retired nature author and much prefers the company of birds than people, she has been a loner for many years living in the house her father built watching the owls nesting in the beautiful Angophora tree in her yard and many other birds. When an accident with a ladder sees her in hospital and then sent to Woodlands Nursing home to recuperate, Hattie has no intention of staying, she is fiercely independent and is dreaming of escaping.
Walter Clements is ninety and thinks himself a comedian and is determined to go home from the nursing home as soon as he is given his motor scooter license and escape is always on his mind, but getting his license is harder than he thinks.
When Hattie and Walter meet he is trying hard to get to know her but she is not as welcoming as he would like and Hattie thinks that Walter is a loud and dangerous person, but the more time they spend together the more that Hattie realizes that she may actually enjoy talking to people.
Night times are hard for the older people to sleep and on their wanderings of a night Hattie and Walter meet night nurse Sister Bronwyn and her dog Queenie who runs The Night Owls a group that spend evenings together and have some fun with Sister Bronwyn who is a little unconventional in the way she treats patients but it must be kept secret the DON would not approve.
As their friendship grows Hattie and Walter plan an escape to help another “inmate” with heartwarming and moving conclusion. This story is beautifully written and with such awesome characters that became friends and I was cheering them on all the way, there were many laughs in this book especially when they take on some detective work, there were also tears of sadness and joy throughout the story. This is a poignant story that pulled at my heartstrings but also filled me with joy, I do highly recommend this story it is a must read.
Thank you Joanna Nell and Hachette Aus for my copy to read.