Author: Judy Leigh
I read another book by Judy Leigh, the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ book genre. Leigh once again created a compelling story of senior women enjoying life and realising it is never too late to start new things and change their lives.
Like with her other books I read (The Golden Oldies’ Book Club, The Golden Gals’ French Adventure, The Vintage Ville Bake Off, The Old Girls’ Network, A Grand Old Time) in Five French Hens, there is a strong theme of friendships. In this case, all women are well into their 70s and become friends after meeting at an aqua aerobics class. Jen is a widow following the passing of her husband Colin a few years ago, Tess is in an unhappy marriage with Alan, Rose is also a widow following the passing of her husband Bernard a few years ago, Pam is an all-time singleton who has always enjoyed life including having a spaniel Elvis, jogging, running, and yoga as well as living abroad including in India. In many ways, Pam’s character resembles Aurora from The Golden Oldies’ Book Club, which is why this character was my favourite in the book, although she is less present than other characters. Della is the only one in the group who is very happily married, and she is also Jamaican; thus, Five French Hens introduces diversity because we learn about Jamaican cuisine that Della cooks for her loving husband, Sylvester, and also how Jamaican people like living in England but never get used to the cold weather. I would not call English weather cold, but I can see how someone from Jamaica would. Those comments about the weather were also sometimes funny, but sometimes they also portrayed the picture of poverty and how immigrant communities get affected, because Sylvester works in a van near the beach selling snacks and cold and hot drinks, which affects his health.
Jen agrees to marry Eddie, a guy she barely knows, and it is obvious she is doing that to fight the loneliness that all women in the group feel apart from Della. But she goes along with it, and the group organises a hen trip to Paris; a French theme is something common to all Leigh’s books because she is clearly a Francophone. The trip to Paris that the five hens take is described beautifully, and I enjoyed reading about sightseeing, food, and adventures, particularly the part when Rose ends up meeting Daz, who performs in a drag show as Greta Manchester, and then she joins in on piano, so they perform ABBA songs live. Rose then considers staying in Paris and performing with Daz due to the ecstatic reaction from the French audience. Jen needs to reconsider the reasons why she is marrying, and Tess meets a Russian businessman who shows her the downside of her lonely marriage to Alan, and that being appreciated and liked is possible. Pam discloses her secret to a French artist she meets, and finally manages to reconcile one event from her past, and Della buys a lot of souvenirs for Sylvester.
The Five French Hens describes the power of friendships and transformative experiences friends can have on our lives, as well as the importance of taking time for oneself, going away and travelling, and that it is indeed never too late. Who says a 77-year-old woman cannot move to Paris and perform ABBA in a drag show?
I love this book. It made me smile so many times. There is also a continuation of this story in another book, which I have already started. I haven’t yet read all the books by Leigh, but I do hope there are some where Pam or Aurora (or both) are the main characters (I meanwhile purchased all of her books).
Thank you for reading!