Originally published: 3 December 2018

Author: Jane Gilley

Published by: Avon Books

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Reading dates: 5-7 December 2018

Gloria is a 79 year old lady who is a hoarder – her house is filled to the brim with junk she has accumulated over the years. She is unable to wash properly as she can’t get to her bathroom. She survives on potato soup as that is all she can manage to cook.

It all comes to a head one day when she has electricity problems and when social services see how she is living, her son gets involved and she is shipped off to an old peoples home while they decide what is to be done with her. She actually doesn’t mind this turn of events too much as she can wash properly again and eat some decent food, but when she moves back in with her son and his wife and they start discussing her future without consulting her, she isn’t happy. When her old friend and sometimes lodger Tilsbury, offers her a day out she jumps at the chance and she starts to realise she can live again.

I was a bit worried when I started this…reading about old people in distress is something that really upsets me and the attitude of her family towards her is shocking. She hasn’t seen her grandchildren in 10 years and her son Clegg is rude and uncaring towards her. But Gloria is a great old lady, and when given the opportunity is keen to start living life again. She has a great time travelling around reconnecting with old friends and making new friends wherever she goes. And her travels give her the strength to stand up to her son and start a new life for herself. It is quite a light hearted story but does touch on both the depression of Gloria and also her son Clegg. A heart-warming humorous story that looks at the struggles of growing old but reminds us that life is still worth living.

Thank you to Sabah Khan at Avon Books for inviting me on the blog tour of this book which I received through Netgalley.

About the author:

Jane Gilley was born in Nottingham and now lives on the beautiful island of Jersey, with her husband, a rabbit and a Senegal parrot.
Following a career in Interior Design and after writing 6 children’s books, Jane now writes adult books full time.

Website: https://www.janegilley.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaneGilley2