The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home

A lovely book, poignant and sweet. Told from the perspective of Hattie and Walter, two inmates of the Nursing home, it shows how even the very elderly have fun, do outrageous things, and blackmail the Home into keeping the lovely Sister who has such fun nights with them I wish all nursing homes had someone like her!
Thank you NetGalley for a review copy.which I enjoyed very much.

funny, moving and sweet. Just what we need these days. Very enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
Having read other books by this Author I was delighted to get an early copy.
This book is a total breath of fresh air.
The nursing home has it's own magic about it and with some amazing characters the two together is just the best recipe ever lots of big laugh out loud moments mingled with tears but such a fabulous read I can highly recommend.

Really wonderful involving story about an old folks home.Characters I rally enjoyed a touch of sadness.I picked this book up was drawn right in and didn’t want to put it down.An author ba book Inhighly recommend.#netgalley#hodderstoughton

A lovely story about life in an old folks home. I enjoyed this book, it had some sadness but also made me laugh out loud in places. Once I got into this I couldn’t put it down until I finished at 2am!

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

I really enjoyed this book all the way through. It had a really good plot, great main characters and really keeps you hooked on the plot. I would highly recommend this book.

Another great book penned by Joanna Nell. She has the knack of really bringing her characters to life and you become family.
Woodlands Nursing Home is like most home where the residents are there for varies reasons, often not excepting their time in there.
The small friendship group of Walter, Murray and Hattie brought the story together. Their antics were heart warming and I loved how they adapted to the modern world of technology!
A great easy read.

Hattie Bloom is 89 and lives alone in a depilated cottage. She loves nature, especially birds. She likes them more than people. She loves watching them and letting the world go by. So, when she has a fall and breaks her hip instead of going back home to her cottage. She is sent to the Woodlands Nursing home to recuperate. At first, she is not happy being there. She hates being told what to do and is not used to being around people. All she wants to do is go home and see that owls that are nesting in the tree.
But things change when she meets Walter Clements and an eclectic group of characters and for once in her life, she is enjoying her life. It’s not the sterile boring place that she thought it would be. Especially when she meets Sister Bronwyn and The night owls. But things go wrong, and sister Bronwyn is fired. The residents of the Nursing home do all that they can to get her reinstated.
Jonna Nell has done it again with this lovely heartfelt story of The Great escape from Woodlands Nursing home. I have read her two previous novels and loved them, and this does not disappoint. I love how she brings each character alive and tells us that just because you are old doesn’t mean you are boring or you don’t have a life or feelings of what is around you. 5 stars from me.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I absolutely loved this book, it had me in stitches. The storyline was great and loved each and every one of the characters.

Let me introduce you to 89 year old Miss Hattie Bloom, she’s one smart lady, an ornithological expert, solitary, feisty and fiercely independent. Whilst trying to save a tree from being felled so that owls can continue to nest, she unfortunately breaks her hip and is now temporarily residing at Woodlands. In the next room is 90 year old Walter Clements who has a host of cheesy jokes, he’s golf mad, likes a snifter or three, thinks he’s Steve McQueen in ‘Le Mans’ and currently waiting the all clear to drive the ‘Tesla’, an electric wheelchair. Then there’s his lovely pal Murray and Sister Bronwyn who is fabulously subversive, phenomenally kind and so understanding. These are the freedom fighters of Woodlands determined to disrupt for better things and pineapple rings. This is their hugely entertaining story.

This is a delightful, witty, clever, funny, sardonic, joyful, sorrowful and emotional read and I love every word of it! It’s wonderfully written, with fantastically colourful, young at heart characters that would jump off the page if they could and they make such good company. It’s also pertinently observed and deliciously ironic especially if you have visited care homes all these characters or similar ones are there in all their faded glory. The jokers, the kleptomaniacs, the subversives, the happy and sad, lonely ones. I love the backstories of all these residents and it’s easy to forget once memories fade that these people may have had phenomenal careers or done amazing things which the author makes abundantly clear and kudos for that. I think this is an extremely important and powerful message. The ending feels just appropriately right and made me laugh and cry.

Ps. My dad was a care home resident, he didn’t like sing songs and said so but was ‘encouraged’ to join in. He had the last laugh, instead of blue birds flying over Dovers white cliffs, he substituted every naughty blue word he could think of (plenty) and got a red card!!! Go Dad! I guess this is why this story resonates so much and I have no doubt that he and fictional Walter would have been the best of pals.

Overall, an excellent and moving story which I highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton and Joanna Nell for the much appreciated arc for an honest review.

This was a brilliant and funny book, did not disappoint, as I had read a previous book by the same author,.
Loved the characters and the story line.

Oh what an entertaining read full of joy. It’s so well written, characters aplenty and rather than tales of boring old biddies this story is just marvellous.
Very well thought out and I would not hesitate in buying a dozen copies for friends to enjoy. 10/10

A fantastic sweet, moving book. A first for me by Joanna, will look out for more in the future. Definitely recommend.

Tender and bitter sweet in equal measures. Join Walter, Hattie, Murray and other delightful characters in this fabulous tale of a nursing home, a daring plot to escape and a mystery to solve. Funny, sad and thought -provoking, brilliantly written and thoroughly enjoyable.

Another sweet and heart-warming read from Joanna Nell, she really does write lovely stories.

This time the reader is in for a treat... welcome to your time in the Woodlands Nursing Home.

Walter is a bit of an irritating old man - cracking very un-pc jokes and expecting laughs from the ladies. He's a retired driving instructor and therefore thinks he's going to be great at super speed on his new electric scooter.

Hattie is here for convalescence after falling from a ladder. While she waits for her leg to recover, she desperately tries to find a way back to the house which has been her home all her life.

Somehow, the two characters become unlikely friends and this is the story. Packed full of beautiful characters, I loved watching the relationships unfold, with a little tear in my eye at many points.

When Hattie finds herself recovering from a fall at Woodlands Nursing Home, she wishes she could escape to go back to her run-down cottage. Fiercely independent, Hattie likes it best when she is on her own observing birds.

All fellow resident Walter wants, is to pass his test for the 'Tesla', his shiny mobility scooter. It is unfortunate that Walter stops both Hattie and him in their efforts when he knocks her over at the end of his test.

Sister Bronwyn runs The Night Owls, together with Nurse Sameera and her dog Queenie. But when another accident with Walter at the centre has Sister Bronwyn dismissed, Hattie and Walter find common ground to bring Sister Hattie back and make life at Woodlands Nursing Home better for all residents.

The chapters alternate between Hattie and Walter, which makes for a nice pace of the story. But also for 2 great perspective from which we see life at the nursing home. Getting older does not mean life gets boring, on the contrary, and the residents show that life is always full of fun.

After having read ‘The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village’, I was looking forward to another book by Joanna Nell. The book had me laugh out loud and was just what I needed considering where we are with the pandemic.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC in return for my honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Read in two days.

After a fall broke Hattie Bloom’s (whose ninety), hip, she’s now recuperating in the Woodlands Nursing Home as are other frail, elderly people.
But she so desperately wants to go home, to her birds and endangered species.

Walter, whose an elderly, a food lover and keeps a hidden stash of alcohol, meets Hattie who doesn’t think much of him, but she doesn’t tell him that.

When Sister Bronwyn who runs the night shift with nurse Sameera,and The Night Owls, this was something for Hattie and Walter to do to pass the long hours of darkness.

Sister Bronwyn has a Labrador Queenie, a big fan of - treats. The residents all loved Queenie.

Unexpectedly, Sister Bronwyn was dismissed, meaning that the nights were back to the way they are expected to be.

So then, Hattie and Walter hatch a plan, but the big question is WILL IT WORK??

Joanna’s book I found was heartwarming, sad and LoL at times, but a realistic read of life in a nursing home for the elderly .Those that are put there and very often forgotten.

Recommend it.

This was the first of this authors books I have read and most certainly won’t be my last. This was one of my favourite reads of 2020 and once I had started it I couldn’t put it down. It was so poignant and beautifully written and sensitive topics were dealt with in a very realistic and compassionate way.

The residents of woodlands nursing home all have their own quirks and impeccable individual charms which makes this book such a delight to read as I warmed to each and every one of them. Sister bronwyn is a fabulous character and every nursing home should have a night owls club in her honour.

This book made me laugh and cry in equal measure. This is a must read book for all

I love Joanna Nell's books for their quirky originality and focus on characters more senior in their years than many protagonists.
The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home is both hilarious and heart-warming. It is also touching and tender, poignant and possibly perfect!
Hattie Bloom, 89, and Walter Clements, 90 are the stars of the show, ably assisted by cancer riddled Murray from his bed and red bobble hatted, paperclip wearing Fanny Olsen. They all reside in the 5 star nursing home in rooms that are named after the properties on a Monopoly board. Some residents are more willing to be there than others, reminding us all that just because bodies become weary , minds can still be active and intelligent with great wisdom and experience to impart, or simply still plenty of pranks to dream up and participate in.
This book is a sheer joy to read and will have you chuckling a lot and surreptitiously wiping away a tear or two. The characters are a dream to live with through the pages and their personal plights handled with humour but great sensitivity and realism too.
For Hattie, desperate to be reunited with the wild birds that she has studied all her life, particularly the owls in the tree next to Angorphora Cottage where she once lived alone, and Walter who loves a drink or three and who is never more at home than behind a wheel, the nighttime hours are long and boring. Hence their membership of The Night Owls, a rather unconventional nightly social meeting of selected individuals designed to spice up the hours after bedtime, headed up by the maverick Sister Bronwyn and her aged therapy dog Queenie.
Join them all in their funny battles to be heard, to retain their dignity and individuality and, in Walter's case, pass his driving test in The Tesla, aka his electric mobility scooter gathering dust in the corner of his room.
You are never too old to find new friends, fall in love and enjoy plenty of second chances. Even if you are Icarus the budgerigar!
One of my favourite reads of this year.

In a world where nursing homes, care homes and the like are very much dominant in the news, this delightful book forgets all our current circumstances and plunges us into Woodlands Nursing Home and some of it's interesting residents.

Hattie Bloom, determinedly single, a lover of all things ornithological and certainly not human finds herself in this nursing home. Constrained by rules and regulations, it is Hattie's wish to escape back to her own home. Like a nesting bird that is where she feels most safe surrounded by what she knows.

Walter Clement has been a resident for a while and is determined to keep his love of the open road going and pass his ability test to be able to use his scooter. Sadly the open road is going to be closed for a bit longer than anticipated.

Sister Bronwyn is the night sister, she has quite a way with all the residents and it seems that once she has worked you out, Sister Bronwyn will introduce to the Night Owls. A secret little group that keeps the residents entertained overnight and relies on what they know and so they can feel like they can belong. I think Sister Bronwyn is onto something with her particular choices of activities for the residents.

However it seems that the Night Owls are about to be extinguished.

The residents of the Woodlands Nursing Home put their wits against the management, the medical profession and the police to escape the monotony of the world they finds themselves incarcerated in.

Who will gain the upper hand?

Somehow Joanna Nell has encompassed the continual life these residents live, by naming all their rooms by Monopoly Board squares, it felt like they were all continually going round that board until the point one of them couldn't pass go anymore. Her experience as a GP clearly comes through in the book with the writing and there is a part of me that hopes that some of the little incidents are perhaps gleaned from real life. When you get to them in the book - you will know! 

This is a delightful heart warming novel which will bring you tears of laughter, joy and sadness. You stop and think about the life you have lead, the life you still have left to lead and what those who are nearing their end of their lives really want from those final days.

If you enjoy slow books that are packed with so much, you have to savour every moment, then this is the book for you. It reminds me of Rachel Joyce novels. The main topics perhaps are maudlin and you don't think would make for easy or pleasant reading but this is book is a celebration of lives lived and lives lost. Celebrate by reading it.

Another wonderful insight into old age, from the author who brought us The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village and The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker, which – yet again – manages to be simultaneously achingly sad and uproariously funny, ulceratingly tense and brightly hopeful.

Here, we visit Woodlands Nursing Home with Miss Hattie Bloom, in what she fervently hopes will be a fleeting experience. Finding herself somehow trapped in this unfamiliar environment, where everything is regimented and her precious independence is airily discounted, Hattie’s only refuge is in feeding the birds until she discovers the Night Owls – a secret, late-night social club where the elderly residents can finally demonstrate their hard earned skills and capabilities without someone trying to force them back to bed.

It’s a shame then that Hattie’s new acquaintance, Walter, manages to accidentally scupper her escape hopes and get the Night Owls shut down before she’s even had a chance to really get going there. Still, Hattie and Walter are definitely not the giving up and going gently sorts and so they find themselves highly unlikely allies in a covert battle to escape their ‘prison’, avoid their medication, surprise their friend, and reinstate the Night Owls. It’s a good job people tend to underestimate the elderly!

Joanna Nell captures old age realistically, in all its ups and downs. She shows us the terrible indignities, aches and distresses that come with losing, not only your physical strength/health, but also your personhood in the eyes of the world, your identity, hobbies and profession, your right to make decisions on your own behalf. Then she balances that bleak reality by also revealing the mischief, camaraderie, fond memories and new friends and experiences that comes when your body is old, but your heart and mind don’t realise it.

The word “heartwarming” could have been coined especially for this novel (and Joanna Nell’s whole ouevre). She takes the small incidents of everyday life and makes you laugh, cry and bite your nails anxiously. Reading The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home put the fear of inevitable old age into me, then deftly removed its sting and left the sweetness – highly recommended.



'‘It’s as if the usual laws don’t apply in aged care, said Murray. ‘It’s a case of out of sight, out of mind. Even prisoners of war have the Geneva Convention.’
‘It’s not as though we’re completely helpless though, is it?’ Both Walter and Murray turned to look at Miss Bloom. ‘Everyone expects so little of us, expects us to be completely incapable. That’s our secret weapon. Our disguise, if you like.’
‘Go on,’ said Walter.
‘We could use it to our advantage.’'

– Joanna Nell, The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

I may be 35 but I am a fully signed up member of the grandma life 👵🏻 so when I saw the description of this book I knew it was going to appeal to my inner old lady!

This book was fantastic and the comforting read I needed whilst I am still feeling under the weather. It tells the story of Hattie and Walter who both find themselves held ‘captive’ in Woodland’s Nursing Home and are desperately trying to get back to their homes. It is told via dual perspectives and reminded me very much of Beth O’Leary’s The Switch. Then when their favourite and somewhat unorthodox nurse is sacked in unfortunate circumstances they band together to uncover the truth and save her job, some attempts are more successful than others.

It was funny, endearing, sad in parts and covered the topic of grief, old age and end of life in a sensitive but humorous manner.

If you are a fan of Eileen 😍 (the Switch) or the Thursday Murder Club then this will be right up your street! I loved it ❤️

Thank you for @netgalley and @hodderbooks for a copy of this absolutely charming book ❤️ which is out in January 2021.

Brilliant! The author obviously knows how the elderly feel as they age. I laughed, cried and thoroughly enjoyed this tale of rebellious residents of a nursing home.

There is a powerful message in this bittersweet story: "the elderly" are not a faceless mass, but individual characters who may be just as interesting as young people and it is very wrong to treat them like children even in the name of health and safety regulations.
It is a poignant, but warm and uplifting story set in a care home in Australia. I loved the two main characters Hattie and Walter who forged an unlikely friendship. Other memorable characters were the bedridden Murray with his stoic wit and the warmhearted Sister Bronwyn who undertstood the residents' needs better.
I highly appreciate the author's intentions to make this "invisible" group of people visible in her books. I recommend this book not only for older people.

It’s becoming a real treat to pick up a new Joanna Nell novel so I was anticipating great things from her latest novel.
Welcome to the Woodlands nursing home, where our two main characters Hattie and Walter are (temporarily) residing. This is an ideal setting in which to explore the vagaries of old age, a theme present in both her previous novels. From her time of working as a GP, Nell has mined her extensive knowledge of this type of care setting presumably combining the more memorable personality traits, quirks and oddities of the individuals she’s met to summon up the fictional figures of Hattie, Walter and the other fellow residents that make up the nursing home’s clientele. In my opinion this is the type of storyline reliant on the creation of endearing,memorable characters so it is with great delight that the author has treated her readers to a handful of colourful rascals who whilst lacking in vigour are full of fighting spirit. Once again Joanna Nell has brought her empathy and compassion towards the older generation together with her sharp observations of this often invisible group of people to create another charming piece of fiction which will take you through the whole gamut of emotions as you cheer Hattie and Walter on from the imaginary sidelines.

A mended hip, infected leg and a dodgy ticker, to name but a few ailments our indomitable duo are suffering from aren’t going to prevent Hattie and Walter from asserting their own individualities and putting their stamp on the home, much to the consternation of the DON. With their refusal to conform to the rules these two will leave an indelible imprint on your heart as they enjoy some last minute hurrahs. The Woodlands may not be their natural habitat but you’re guaranteed comic and bittersweet shenanigans as this troublesome duo are joined by bedridden Murray and ably assisted by Sister Bronwyn and the other ‘night owls’. Expect pilfering, midnight wanderings, illicit drinking and some hair raising jaunts aboard an electric mobility scooter affectionately nicknamed the ‘Tesla’ as they endeavour to effect the great escape a la Steve McQueen. The reasons for their mutual desire to escape is both entertaining and tinged with sadness. Although struggling to acknowledge their ill health and frailty, Hattie and Walter are not admitting defeat just yet! To paraphrase Hattie, “Everyone expects so little of us, expects us to be incapable. That’s our secret weapon.” My lips are sealed concerning why on earth there is the need for a ‘secret weapon’ but I promise you will laugh and cry at the antics of these residents as they do their damnedest to outwit those in authority.

There’s just so much to love about both Hattie and Walter. She may be far more comfortable conversing with the birds than she is with people but her character proves it’s never too late to change. Meanwhile Walter is the most loveable neanderthal , rather too fond of a drop of prohibited whiskey, and his catchphrase, which I’ll let you discover for yourself just endears you to him even more. To say he causes daughter Marie a few headaches is an understatement. There are also some lovely embellishments that add to the overall quirkiness of this novel. How destinations on the monopoly board have a relevance to the storyline is just one of them with the likes of Hattie and Walter never quite sure whether they are just visiting or actually in jail when it comes to their new(ish) surroundings.

As I’ve come to expect having read the author’s previous two novels, there is so much warmth and humour, joy, friendship and sadness to be found amongst these pages with writing that seems to blossom and improve with each title. She seems to be carving out a niche for herself as an ambassador for the elderly, poignantly reminding us that behind the walls of any aged care facility lie interesting characters with fascinating stories to impart about their lives and I love that she chooses to write such heartwarming stories around this sometimes forgotten tribe. Using the characters of both Hattie and Walter, in particular, you cannot fail to hear this message loud and clear. This is a novel to cherish and I cannot wait for whatever literary delight Joanna Nell will conjure up next. My thanks as always to the publisher Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

The great escape from the Woodlands Nursing Home.
Golden years, sang David Bowie, and this book is a compassionate look at lives often spent in ‘beige’ nursing homes, lonely, bereaved and often bored stupid by endless television, sing songs and organised activities, that tend to treat them as children. This novel shows what mischief a bunch of determined pensioners can do in order to improve their lot, with the help of a inspirational night nurse.
If you look past the wrinkled faces, the hearing aids and dentures, the failing strength of arms and legs that won’t move, and bowels and bladders that move too frequently, you will find the hidden life story of an ordinary person, who has been widowed, or too frail to look after themselves, but doesn’t want to vegetate in such establishments.
Hattie is a retired ornithologist, a spinster, but the staff refer to her as ‘Mrs’.
Walter is a retired driving instructor, who is having problems with his mobility scooter, and his eyesight! Hiding his Scotch bottles is also a challenge, due to his decreased mobility.
Murray is a friend of Walter, and Hattie, in due course. He is dying, but determined to remain in full control of what he will take, and is a willing co conspirator in all events, concerning The Night Owls, a club run by Night Sister Bronwyn and her dog!
Bronwyn sees life differently for these senior citizens. They are encouraged to do small useful tasks, that play to their strengths. I used to get some of my ladies to roll up the many pairs of socks from the laundry to help the day staff getting people dressed in the morning, fold napkins and polish the occasional piece of furniture. When Wimbledon came around, we had a night treat of strawberries and cream with the residents, one member of staff ran a knitting group for all residents, apparently, some men who served in the forces used to make their own socks whilst away fighting! Bronwyn believes in no sedation, as it can increase confusion, and dance nights and other activities are arranged. This is where all the fun starts, in this marvellously uplifting book.
Written by an Australian doctor, who specialises in gerontology, the humour, wit and naughtiness shines through this wonderful book. This is how older age should be treated, with respect and humour.
This is not the first book I have read and throughly enjoyed by this author, and I hope it will not be the last. I bought the first book for an ex nursing friend and she really loved it. It should be on the syllabus for all doctors and nursing students, it really educates through laughter.
I rate this as a five star read. Thank you for my ARC, this honest review is my own, and I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon when the pages are open. Such fun, and so relevant in these days of COVID-19.

At nearly ninety, retired nature writer Hattie Bloom prefers the company of birds to people, but when a fall lands her in a nursing home she struggles to cope with the loss of independence and privacy. From the confines of her ‘room with a view’ of the carpark, she dreams of escape.

Fellow ‘inmate’, the gregarious, would-be comedian Walter Clements also plans on returning home as soon as he is fit and able to take charge of his mobility scooter.


When Hattie and Walter officially meet at The Night Owls, a clandestine club run by Sister Bronwyn and her dog, Queenie, they seem at odds. But when Sister Bronwyn is dismissed over her unconventional approach to aged care, they must join forces — and very slowly an unlikely, unexpected friendship begins to grow.

Joanna Nell writes with her usual wit and warmth about the perils, pitfalls and joys of old age. Her books are proof that just because you may have lost the use of your legs, your mind hasn’t necessarily accompanied them.

To Hattie, eighty-nine, reclusive retired ornithologist, human behaviour is a mystery. So when she finds herself in a residential ‘care’ home following a fall from a ladder while trying to save a family of endangered owls, she is like a fish out of water and can think only of escaping back to her dilapidated but comfortable home where all is quiet and peaceful, apart from those pesky new neighbours. She has nothing in common with the other residents (prisoners), who are either loud and gregarious, or somnolent zombies. But that’s before she meets Sister Bronwyn, the night nurse who puts the ‘life’ back into assisted living, and who shows her that there is far more to her fellow ‘inmates’ than she could possibly guess.

If, like me, you have ever dreaded ending your days ‘in care,’ where you may feel like you’re ‘out of sight, out of mind’, this may give you another perspective. It is a reminder that these people have not always been frail of body and/or mind; that they have lived full and productive lives, that they have stories to tell if we only take the time to listen, and that while they are still breathing, there’s always time for one more adventure.

Like all of Joanna Nell’s books, The Great Escape From Woodlands Nursing Home is written with warmth, wit and empathy about people who could be us in a few years time. I found it very easy to relate to Hattie, and I could quite imagine one of my brothers as the golf mad, cheesy, loud, Walter. I laughed, cried and laughed some more, and as I closed the cover of this delightful read for the final time, I wondered what the author has in store for us next.

A thoroughly enjoyable book set in a nursing home. The two protagonists are Hattie, who is recovering from a hip replacement operation and Walter, frail with a weakened heart. The narrative is told from each of their perspectives in alternate chapters. The story is brimming with humour but underwritten with a poignancy, that is so bittersweet. The characters are feisty and beautifully drawn. This is a story of old age, the approach of an ending but it also about rebellion, independence and freedom. Highly recommended.

What a lovely read this was.

I used to work at an organisation that runs care homes so I was a little dubious whether I would be able to read this. Luckily, Joanna Nell is a GP and therefore uses the correct terminology – thank goodness!

The book begins with a spinster, Hattie Bloom temporarily moving into the home following an accident and fracturing her hip. Miss Bloom is not a fan of people and wasn’t forward at befriending anybody yet alone taking part in any of the activities. Miss Bloom preferred the company of birds, a former nature writer was determined to heal swiftly and go back home to the owls. Her first friend at Woodlands was their resident budgie, Icarus.

Miss Bloom’s neighbour, Walter Clements is a former Driving Instructor, determined to get himself some wheels to gain some independence. He spends most of his time cracking jokes with everybody, some falling on deaf ears, enjoying a sneaky whiskey and having a Netflix binge with his pal, Murray.

This book shows that living in a care home isn’t all bad, they’re not institutionalised, they are a home. You also see that you’re never too old to make friends and that life doesn’t end just because you’re not as independent as you once were.

Wonderful to read and I think Joanna Nell should write all handbooks for relatives who are unsure/feeling guilty about having their loved ones move into a care home.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book, I thoroughly enjoyed every word.

I really enjoyed this book. It is written so sensitively about life in a care home, including the loneliness of elderly people, and how they can be sen as ‘elderly’ and not individuals. The passages about birds add extra depth to the book. At times it is truly hilarious, at others very moving. I can’t wait for the next book from Joanne Nell.

This book brings to life Woodlands Nursing Home and the residents who live within it. It is told as a dual narrative, from the perspective of two of the residents, Hattie and Walter, neither of whom are happy to be within its walls.

Walter intends to get out too. He misses his wife immensely, but that doesn't stop his feelings of wanting to escape and be at home rather than at the home. However, his daughter Marie has other ideas and keeps bringing items, mostly of importance to Walter's wife Sylvia, to fill his room at the home. Walter is glad that Marie brings along his only grandson, James; but he is mainly interested in spending time on his mobile phone.

Walter and Hattie become unlikely friends after meeting at the Night Owls, a group that was set up by Sister Bronwyn, the night shift nurse, who provided an opportunity for the residents who couldn't sleep at night to find activities to make the hours pass quickly. However an incident occurs and she disappears from her shirt, to be replaced by a much stricter nurse.

They miss Sister Bronwyn and want to find a way to get her back. Also there is something fishy going on and Hattie and Walter intend to find out.

This is an absolutely delightful book that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.