Review: The Single Ladies of the Jacaranda Retirement Village

Title: The Single Ladies of the Jacaranda Retirement Village

Author: Joanna Nell

Publisher: 25 September 2018 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 368 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: contemporary fiction

My Rating: 3.5 crowns

Synopsis:

A moving, funny, heartwarming tale of love and friendship, for anyone who loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, The Keeper of Lost Things and Three Things about Elsie.

It's never too late to grow old disgracefully...

The life of 79-year-old pensioner Peggy Smart is as beige as the décor in her retirement village. Her week revolves around aqua aerobics and appointments with her doctor. The highlight of Peggy's day is watching her neighbour Brian head out for his morning swim.

Peggy dreams of inviting the handsome widower - treasurer of the Residents' Committee and one of the few eligible men in the village - to an intimate dinner. But why would an educated man like Brian, a chartered accountant no less, look twice at Peggy? As a woman of a certain age, she fears she has become invisible, even to men in their eighties.

But a chance encounter with an old school friend she hasn't seen in five decades - the glamorous fashionista Angie Valentine - sets Peggy on an unexpected journey of self-discovery. Can she channel her 'inner Helen Mirren' and find love and friendship in her twilight years?

My Thoughts

‘I don’t see the point at my age. Who’s going to look at me anyway?’

Being a member of the sandwich generation (responsible both for bringing up your own children and caring for your ageing parents) I fully appreciate what this book has to offer. An engaging read, heartwarming really, about the high and low points of what it is to grow old. There will be laughter, there will be tears but most of all it highlights what it’s like to be facing the twilight years of one’s life.

‘It’s difficult to make those really deep friendships when you’re our age, don’t you find? No sooner have you got to know each other than you’re wearing their favourite colour and singing ‘Abide With Me.’

Follow along with Peggy and her fellow residents of the Jacaranda Retirement Village as they face the growing hurdles of what it is to age. At times humorous, at times incredibly sad, I feel that this book really does shone the spotlight on both aspects of this life stage. How do we treat our elderly, what is like to be facing a loss of independence, a lost partner or loved one - how do you move on from that? Peggy (the main lead) goes through all this and more and with the help of her lifelong friend Angie, learns to see life through a different - ‘a pensioner camouflaged in fifty shades of beige’ - lens!

‘Unfortunately, it all went downhill once I hit the mental-pause.’

The standout aspects of this book is firstly the humour. Peggy’s thoughts, musings and observations are very funny. Whether you know someone, or even have experienced some similar situations, it will ring true for many of us. For the female readers, no matter what age, we all have had to deal with mood swings, memory loss and body image shame.

‘She hated shopping. Underwear was challenging enough, but swimwear was in a league of its own.’

The second aspect I wish to draw attention to, is the underlying theme of loss and sadness - loss of youth, loss of independence, loss of a loved one. This book may make you giggle, but at this stage of life, it goes hand in hand with many a sad truth. Whether it be physical (knee replacements or the consequences of having a fall), social (loss of a friend) or emotional  (loss of your own cognitive skills) - it’s just so challenging to face and confront this onslaught of change.

Peggy stared at the shaggy fringe of dust clinging to the blades of the ceiling fan. How she’d love to get up there and give them a good clean, but it wasn’t worth it. Her independent life at the village was already hanging by the thinnest of threads. She couldn’t risk falling from the stepladder.

Finally there are the many pertinent themes that run throughout - lessons to be learnt at any stage of life. Everything from taking charge of your own life, learning how precious time is, being thankful and best of all, it’s never too late to make changes. Peggy learns to embrace these changes, thanks to Angie’s encouragement, and surprises herself with new and fun discoveries.

‘How many of the colourful dresses in her wardrobe had been worn to farewell someone who had had a fall. Stay upright seemed to be the mantra of her age group.’

This book has a little something for everyone - best of all is perhaps its honesty - laugh or cry (or do both) but embrace life and cherish each and every day.

‘You have to stop thinking like an old person. If you behave like an old biddy, people are going to treat you like one.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.