Author: Judy Leigh
The Silver Ladies Seize the Day is the second book in a new book series by Judy Leigh. The first one was The Silver Ladies Do Lunch, which is the best book by Leigh I have read so far. This series of two books is also the best of what I’ve read so far from her (she also has a two-title series, Five French Hens and the Silver-Haired Sisterhood, and several stand-alone books on women in their golden years, all of which I have read or have on my soon-to-be finished reading list).
The Silver Ladies Seize the Day continues a story of a group of elementary school friends from Oxfordshire. They live in Middleton Ferris, and a group of silver ladies, Minnie, Josie, and Lin, regularly meet for lunch, which was the focus of the first book, where the group was expanded by the arrival of Cecily Hamilton, the group’s former teacher. In the second book, The Silver Ladies Seize the Day, the story continues, and we see a continuation of their lives where they meet for lunches, support one another, and the wider community. But, in this book, they also take their love lives forward, realizing it is never too late to start something new, continue relationships, or rekindle lost love.
Minnie, in the first book, had to put a relationship with Jensen, a theatre director from the US, on hold due to her sister Tina having a stroke. In this book, we see Minnie considering the continuation of that relationship and taking her life under her control and putting herself first now that Tina is recovering, but she seems to be unwilling to go back home. We also learn who was the love of Cecily’s life, which was briefly mentioned in the first book but explored more in this book, where Cecily is also a main character. So, in the first book, Cecily, who never married and is now in her 90s, returns to Middleton Ferris and joins the silver ladies’ group for lunches and forms a friendship with her former pupils, who are all now in their 70s. In this second book, she becomes the main character, and the story centres on her and her former love, Eddie, who turns out to be alive, and interested in meeting Cecily, who contemplates whether she can handle seeing him, now in his 90s, after their whole life has passed, with him being married to her former best friend. Cecily spent her life single, focused on teaching and thinking about what could have been, and now needs to decide whether to forgive and meet Eddie or whether it is too late and it would be better to leave the past in the past. Josie continues her friendship with Fergal, who suddenly marries an Irish woman after visiting Ireland, and she now also joins some lunches. But Josie’s old flame, who left her in her 20s to join the RAF, returns to Middleton Ferris, and she has to decide whether to rekindle that relationship or continue with loneliness and overwhelming grief after the passing of her loving husband, Harry. Lin is still in love with her husband, Neill, and continues to support her friends in their quest to find meaning in their golden years.
A nice book focusing on analysing what could have been, but also what still can be, with the ultimate message – as with all Leigh’s books – that it is never too late to live life, find love, and change things. I just love that message. I also like that this book has a prologue and a story of Cecily’s youth interwoven with the present story, and I absolutely loved a silver lady in her 90s living her life and deciding on the future. Life is indeed not over until it’s over.
Thank you for reading!