Author: Judy Leigh
The Golden Gals’ French Adventure is another story by Judy Leigh. I previously read her The Golden Oldies’ Book Club and enjoyed it. I also enjoyed this book because, once again, Judy Leigh sends a message of anti-ageism and shows that it is never too late to change your life and make it different, more meaningful, or to find peace with yourself. I love these messages because ageism is one of the forms of discrimination we do not often talk about.
People too often feel it is too late to do certain things because society, and sadly workplaces, tell them so. There are numerous studies reporting data on redundancies of senior employees because they are perceived to be paid too much (never mind the wealth of experience and knowledge and many years of service), and societal prejudices also often make people think their life is over when it isn’t. It is never over and never too late to change things.
In The Golden Gals’ French Adventure, Judy Leigh portrays exactly that, finding a new life and happiness at the golden age. Fliss was a rich entrepreneur who had a successful fashion business she sold and now lives a wealthy life. She is bored and finds life meaningless, so she drowns it in cocktails and nights out she no longer enjoys. She goes to Paris to look for old friends she used to do business with, but she realizes that those friends are gone with lucrative business partnerships that no longer exist. Her housekeeper, Shirl, on the other hand, is happy in her life regardless of the issues she faced: two previous marriages, one daughter happily married and living far away, but the other one being a single mother trying to find a boyfriend whilst not properly looking after her child. Thus, she is exploited by her daughter, who lets her look after her little girl, and Shirl also often looks after Fliss and comes to pick her up from drunken nights out.
But, when Fliss gets an epiphany to go to visit an old friend from Paris, the only one who met with her during her Paris trip and did not forget her friendship, she invites Shirl and after some convincing, she agrees and the two gals go to France together for a much needed break and a change of scenery.
The holiday turns out to be a transformative experience for both Fliss and Shirley, who meet local people and become a part of the community. The book also very lovingly speaks of French food, and it seems that Judy Leigh is a Francophile because there is this very positive French sentiment in her other book, The Golden Oldies’ Book Club. I can’t blame her; the food, as she describes it, sounds amazing, and I am indeed a big fan of French fashion and beauty industries, and of course, Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice. I really should have learnt French myself, so I enjoyed attempts of book characters in learning French. I understood nothing lol
The Golden Gals’ French Adventure is a book of new beginnings, communities, friendships, and great food, and it also celebrates natural beauty. The book is also about finding love later in life and understanding that it is never too late. What was missing was an Aurora-type of character like in Leigh’s other book, The Golden Oldies’ Book Club. I still love Aurora, the unforgettable character, and since there is no doubt I will read other Leigh’s books, I hope to find her again (or perhaps there could be a book on Aurora’s trip to Goa?).
Thank you for reading!