Author: Judy Leigh
Chasing the Sun is a book by Judy Leigh, an author whose many books I’ve read this year. As with all of her books, this one also narrates a story of senior women. The story in Chasing the Sun centres on Molly, a newly widowed woman who turns seventy and realises that life may be slipping into a routine. Her sister Nell’s marriage of over forty years collapses when her husband leaves her for a younger woman. That prompts Molly and Nell to make a spontaneous decision: book flights and head off to Spain for a holiday of a lifetime, and to chase the sun since the book story starts in autumn when autumn rains are hitting England. While Spain offers sun, sea, new friends, and a temporary escape, it doesn’t entirely satisfy Molly’s deeper longing. She then books a solo journey to Mexico.
In some ways, Molly is similar to Aurora character from the Golden Oldies’ Book Club, which is why I liked her a lot, and understood her boredom and always looking for something new (I am currently designing some new research and it is an area that leans onto my normal area, but a different topic. I always work with case studies because I get very, very easily bored lol). Chasing the Sun talks about ageing, independence, sister-relationships, new beginnings, friendship, love (or new love), and later in life. The book offers an uplifting, light read—especially for readers interested in stories about later-life adventure and reinvention. The book asks intriguing questions: Is being alone a problem? Can one choose independence over partnership? What does happiness look like when you’re no longer in your twenties or thirties?
The story develops slowly in comparison to other Leigh’s books, and more focus is on thoughts and landscape descriptions than dialogue. But some interesting questions appear in the story, and Leigh continues to celebrate the attitude that it is never too late to find love and change things.
Thank you for reading!