The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker

Mrs Henry Parker is an intriguing elderly lady, who from the start we can see is suffering from dementia. She is not the 'ordinary' run of elderly lady, she is quixotic and feisty. She is sure that she has lost her husband, who was once the ship's Dr, and most of the book is concerned with her search for him. The characters she meets on her journey add to the fascination of the story.
For me it felt at first a sad story, as one felt that it wasnt going to be a happy ending, but in fact there is such an unexpected turn.
Thank you for a review copy of this book.in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker by Joanna Nell a fantastic five-star read. I loved the Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village, so was excited to read this one and love how this author has a way of writing older people and capturing them in a great manner, the characters are loveable but also real, Mrs Henry Parker isn’t just a lovely old lady, who gets along with everyone all the time, she is opinionated and reminds me of a couple of the older ladies that I work with. This is a great story and it will wring your emotions leaving you with a gut like a washing machine at times as your emotions are so up and down, you get so emotionally invested you won’t be able to put this story down.

I really enjoyed reading this brilliant book. Telling the story of Evelyn, an elderly woman, who has been the wife of the ship's doctor all her life. The author deals with dementia/memory loss in older people in a very sensitive way that both moved me to tears and made me laugh. It has also made me want to go on a cruise! I highly recommend this book and am eagerly looking forward to Joanna Hall's next publication.

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
What a FANTASTIC book I laughed and cried it kept my intresting to the very end I can highly recommend this book

Mrs Parker is on her last voyage of many, she has "lost " her ship's doctor husband and gets very muddled. An enchanting novel, written from the view point of a person with dementia. Really enjoyable and an unexpected, happy ending

This is a tale of love, loss marriage and friendship
I loved the main character- she is endearing
A highly entertaining read which engages my emotions
A feel good read

A poignant and heart-warming book. It is the story of Evelyn, an elderly woman on a cruise searching for her missing husband. It is both a funny and a sad story, written with a delicate and sympathetic touch. The central character of Evelyn is very endearing and the ending is so emotional. A truly beautiful book.

Wow! What a wonderful read! This is the second time I've been lucky enough to read and review a book written by this author and yet again I have been blown away by her talent. Quirky, funny, poignant - this story is so beautifully and cleverly written I didn't want it to end. Outstanding!

We have been married over 33 years, been on many cruises in that time, including sailing into Sydney, and have looked after a family member with dementia. Oh how this book resonated with us. I enjoyed it so much that my husband had to read it too. Having read your previous book, I am amazed that you can understand and portray these characters so well.
The confusion, the way memories resurface, the sudden clarity and agility, the book had us both nodding and exclaiming, as well as crying our eyes out.
Please keep doing this.

A beautiful read a book that tears at your heart emotional moving.Evelyn the lead character an elderly woman on a cruise ship searching for her husband a search you will not forget.So well written stays with you after you read the last page,#netgalley #hodderstoughton.

This is a delightful story of Mrs Henry Parker as she travels around on the cruise ship Golden Sunset. But where is her husband? She seems to have misplaced him. The crew all seem to assist her in the best way they can. After all her memory isn't what it used to be.

After reading and loving The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village I knew this would be a good book. But it was even better than I expected. This book has it all. It’s truly beautiful, moving, funny, heartbreaking. I have laughed aloud and sobbed my way through The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker. It’s a book everyone should read. Absolutely truly beautiful.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Both heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measures, An enjoyable book and an easy read, with en ending that made my heart soar with joy for an utterley endearing character.

This is a warm hearted account of Dementia and how it affects both the afflicted person, and all family members, who find themselves shut out from once shared memories. This is not a medical text book, but I can see it being used as a reference book, as a generalised story line, being used to subtly educate those who have had a family member recently diagnosed.
Mrs. Henry Parker, name of Evelyn, is the wife of a ship's doctor. They met when Evelyn was enroute to Australia as a newly qualified nurse, to take up a new job. They fell in love and Evelyn gave up her career to be a wife and mother, as that was the norm in those far off days.
Now Evelyn is on board a cruise ship, looking for Henry. As the story progresses, her anxiety and memory loss increases. She cannot remember recent events( STML) short term memory loss, but can vividly recall her early days of marriage and visiting every corner of the world on board large cruise ships with Henry, and eventually, deciding to live full time aboard, as a resident.
The crew on board, find Evelyn hard work. She is convinced that every utterance is correct, and constantly gives crew members the wrong name, and her inability to remember the time, leads to some unusual dress codes being observed!! She goes her own way, observed by the CCTV on board, yet, at times, shows an uncomfortable awareness of her illness and situation.
But, where is Henry? . The most unusual source of help in Evelyn's dark times is the ghost of Florence Nightingale. Her ' Notes on Nursing', prove energising and comforting to Evelyn and prove invaluable in a most unforeseen event on board! .
This book is very sensitively written, and demonstrates the fears and panic of being somewhere, but not knowing why or where. If I remember how scared I feel whilst swimming out at sea without my spectacles, then I am still nowhere near how terrifying the sense of being lost can be for those with Dementia. The repetition of life an board a cruise ship can be comforting in that there is a sense of routine, but it can also be a curse, in that every day brings new experiences, and there is no clearly defined agenda, like at home.
I have nursed for over thirty years, and I know the heartache and irritation of this horrible disease. The loss and searching for dead partners is a common event. The endless questions and repeated reassurances that count for nothing, as they are so quickly forgotten. The heartbreak of children not being recognised by their parents. The anguish of marriages being broken up, as husbands and wives refuse to share a marriage bed with a now not recognised partner. This book gives us an insight into these events and this disease. It is not meant to scare, but to make us aware and recognise the signs. I absolutely adored the previous book, The Single Ladies of the Jacaranda Retirement Village, and this book also shows the great humour and empathy that can be enjoyed, despite trying circumstances. A worthy read, not preachy, but rather marvellous. Likeable characters abound in this book, and the ending is pretty decent too.

This book is amazing, full of emotions, it made me laugh and move to tears.
I loved how the author manages to handle topics like dementia and old age. There's a lot of empathy and tenderness and, at the same time, there's always some humour.
I loved the style of writing, the surprising and engrossing plot, the well written cast of characters.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
It'was a great reading experience, strongly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I absolutely loved this wonderfully written book and how it cleverly depicts the dark, confusing depths of dementia from a sufferer's perspective. It succeeds in taking a hard topic and prompting tears of laughter and sympathy. It's chock-full of charm and tenderness, with truly relatable characters.

Mrs Evelyn Parker is sympathetically drawn, easily evoking empathy and concern for her plight. Sadly, Evelyn's mental processes are not as reliable as they used to be, as she tries "to darn the hole in her threadbare memory."

She never gives up searching for her elusive husband, Doctor Henry Parker. Though she seems to have temporarily displaced him, along with her focus and memories. Recent events are perplexing because "there was terrifying wilderness where all her most important thoughts should have been."

But adrift as she might be, Evelyn succeeds in befriending Nola and Frank, who help her to feel less lost when her mind continues to stay rooted to the past. And she still retains clear memories of being a nurse, meeting her husband, Henry, and all their years of travelling together at sea.

Reams of memorised poetry return to her, as do lengthy passages from a book she reveres by Florence Nightingale. Her training comes in surprisingly handy at one point when she assists a troubled crew member. Although Evelyn's mind might refuse to update itself in the present, she is cheered to discover she can still be of help to someone else.

During this final voyage, she might appear pathetic at times, but she also seems perceptive, especially with her reflections on ageing: "When it came to ageing, the best you could do was to carry an umbrella. And a life jacket." Sound advice, indeed.

The mystery of Henry's disappearance becomes clear in the end, and their reunion is heartbreakingly touching. Evelyn "was lost inside a vast and featureless place that used to be her brain. She was all at sea." But she feels safe once more when she is with him. A gratifying ending to a story that touches lightly yet helpfully on the perils of living with dementia. Another stunning read from Joanna Nell. Highly recommended. Grateful thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC.

What a beautifully written book about a lady who's losing her memory. Living on a cruise ship is the only life she's ever known and on this particular voyage she can't find her husband Henry, (who had been the ship's surgeon) and searches all over the ship.
I believe so many people can relate to the character of Evelyn and have watched loved ones go through this process. It's a sad situation but it's reality.

The Last Voyage Of Mrs Henry Parker is a heartwarming though poignant glimpse of sea travel in years gone by and a beautiful love story.

The wonderful descriptions of life on board a ship were really interesting and I enjoyed seeing how they changed over the years. There is a lot more to do then I thought there was, with something suitable for everyone which was nice to see. The visits to the different countries in such a short time must be fascinating. It was great fun to live precariously through the characters and visit the sights through them. I’d definitely like to go on a cruise now at some point as it seem like great fun!

The main character Evelyn was brilliant. I warmed to her instantly and so enjoyed following her on her last voyage. She is the type of person that I wish I knew in real life as she has lots of fascinating stories to tell, whether you want her to or not. Some of her observations and mishaps in her search for Henry had me laughing out loud as they were very funny. There is a slightly poignant side to her story as it’s obvious that her memory isn’t what it used to be and it’s heartbreaking to see how confused she gets at time. I wished I could climb into the book and give her a big hug.

At the heart of this story ist wonderful, heartwarming love story between Henry and Evelyn which was truly beautiful to read about. They have certainly had their ups and down on their journeys across the ocean, seeing many different things that I found very interesting to read about. I enjoyed being a spectator to their relationship and watching it change and develop throughout the years. It was very sad to see how lost Eveyln seems without Henry as they had come to rely on each other so much.

Overall I thought this was a beautiful, absorbing story that I loved curling up with after a hard day. I could happily get lost in Eveyln’s world and all her adventures on the seas. I did guess some parts of the story but I think I was meant to as the story is less about the mystery of Henry but more about Evelyn’s life and their love together. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book as I was so enjoying the story and learning more about Eveyln. I thought this book was similar to The unexpected Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry so if you liked that book I think you will enjoy this one too.

Huge thanks to Hodder Books for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

I really enjoyed the first book by this author, so I was looking forward to reading this one and it didn't disappoint. The only thing I would say is that at times I did find it incredibly sad.

Mrs Henry Parker as she likes to be known hails from the days when women always used their husbands name and not their own. She lives on a cruise ship with her husband who is Doctor for the ship, except she just can't seem to find him anywhere on board, no matter where she looks.

Very early on we realise that Evelyn has dementia and it was so realistic that I wasn't sure I wanted to carry on reading. Having met all too many real life Evelyn's, her words and actions were very familiar to me and it was just sad. Yet again as with her previous book, the author's GP background makes the narrative spot on and true to life.

I did stick with the book, and I was rewarded with Evelyn's tales of her life, beginning with when she was just 21 years old. These parts of the book I absolutely loved, only to be brought back to the present day and Evelyn's confused mind. All through the book Evelyn continues to look for her husband, crossing off on the map of the ship everywhere she has looked for him.

Why I wondered did they continue to let her stay on the ship? When she is obviously becoming more and more confused. I really thought at this point that I knew what was going to happen. The ending when it came was surprising with a hint melancholy yet also so satisfying.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

A delicious silver romance. Compellingly readable and a lot of fun. If you're a fan of the Golden Girls, grab this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

What a delightful story about a woman losing her memory, and her husband, while reliving old memories on the ship where she lived most of her adult life. We work out pretty quickly that Henry is not there, but exactly how is and where is kept a nice mystery. Her old story of how she came to be there is told nicely to new friends, and her compassion is shown with her cabin steward, who she forgets every morning. A quirky tale, very well told