Author: Judy Leigh
The Golden Oldies’ Book Club is a lovely story of friendships among women based in Somerset, England. The story revolves around Jeannie Sharrock, an owner of a cider farm, and Aurora, her school friend who works in the farm shop. We also meet other neighbours and friends such as Ruth who moved to Somerset and started a library and a book club; Verity and Mark, a married couple experiencing issues in their marriage, and Danielle, a local real estate agent. The other character also includes Anthony and Mickey, two brothers and property developers, who come to the area to work on the house they purchase; Violet, Jeannie’s mother; Barney, a local guy working on the cider farm, and some other side characters such as Jeannie’s grandchildren, local farm guys, etc. Whilst most people are senior in the book, some are younger, thus showing the power of friendships (and books) in bridging generational divides and bringing people together.
The part about book discussions was something I particularly enjoyed in The Golden Oldies’ Book Club. The group reads classics and then discusses characters, societal rules on gender, etc. This also revealed marriage problems between Verity and Mark as Mark has started to shift his views towards misogyny, which causes problems in his and Verity’s marriage, and brings discord to the book club. Jeannie is also overwhelmed with work at the farm and looking after her grandchildren who were left in her care after her son and daughter-in-law moved to Spain, and she also looks after Violet, her 95-year-old mother. Ruth then organizes a visit to France to a sister library group, and the group of women goes to Brittany to visit another cider farm. This trip was portrayed very nicely, with the message that we all need a break and good friends and that there is nothing wrong with taking time for ourselves. I love that message because it is so true.
However, the most beautiful message from this book was the portrayal of happiness, which in some cases is a desire to find a special someone and in some other cases, doing what they wanted and living a life that suits them. Jeannie is divorced from her husband leaving her and going to Spain with a supermarket worker he met and cheated with, and she wonders whether it is too late to start a new relationship now that she is in her 70s. Ruth and Aurora have never married and wonder whether, in their 70s, they should start something or whether it is too late. Danielle’s husband recently left her for another woman and Verity has marriage troubles; both wonder whether these relationships are worth the effort. The book has a message that it is never too late to find happiness and start anew. For some, that means finding love in senior age, but equally sometimes it is indeed too late for some love to be rekindled, but it is never too late to start anew and do what suits us. Ultimately, what we make of our lives is up to us, and the choices we make have consequences, but only we can make the change.
I cannot go into details because I do not want to spoil anything, but it is a really nice book, and I enjoyed reading about these characters and their friendship with one another. Finally, the love of books is what unites us and what can indeed create friendships. Like with the Garden of Memories, it is also important that we open up about our lives to our friends, which can then result in getting a different perspective we sometimes need, and friends can indeed push us in the right direction.
The only thing missing in The Golden Oldies’ Book Club is more portrayal of the Somerset region, which I would have enjoyed. However, the community sentiment in the book is portrayed beautifully and I really enjoyed that part. This was another great British novel promoting what matters the most, friendships, communities, love, and being there for one another, all made possible with the power of books and book clubs. I also loved the way senior women such as Jeannie, Aurora, and Ruth were portrayed, with which this book also fights ageism. Even more so, I loved, loved, loved, Aurora, the hippie and her colourful clothes, fascination with India, meditation, etc.
Thank you for reading!