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Thursday, December 8, 2022

Book review of The Golden Oldies' Book Club by Judy Leigh

French Village Diaries book review The Golden Oldies' Book Club Judy Leigh
The Golden Oldies' Book Club by Judy Leigh


The Golden Oldies' Book Club by Judy Leigh

 

Deep in the Somerset countryside, the Combe Pomeroy village library hosts a monthly book club.

 

Ruth the librarian fears she’s too old to find love, but a discussion about Lady Chatterley’s Lover makes her think again.

 

Aurora doesn’t feel seventy-two and longs to relive the excitement of her youth, while Verity is getting increasingly tired of her husband Mark’s grumpiness and wonders if their son’s imminent flight from the nest might be just the moment for her to fly too. And Danielle is fed up with her cheating husband. Surely life has more in store for her than to settle for second best?

 

The glue that holds Combe Pomeroy together is Jeannie. Doyenne of the local cider farm and heartbeat of her family and community, no one has noticed that Jeannie needs some looking after too. Has the moment for her to retire finally arrived, and if so, what does her future hold?

 

From a book club French exchange trip, to many celebrations at the farm, this is the year that everything changes, that lifelong friendships are tested, and for some of the women, they finally get the love they deserve.


 

French Village Diaries book review The Golden Oldies' Book Club Judy Leigh
The Golden Oldies' Book Club by Judy Leigh

My Review


This is a lovely read that pivots around a group of friends whose lives are ripe for change. Set with the backdrop of a cider farm, I loved how we moved through the seasons with the apple trees in Jeannie’s orchard. From the blossoms and promise of new beginnings, to the harvest and the cider making, plus all the Somerset traditions and festivals surrounding it. Nature was as strong as the female characters I’ve come to enjoy in a Judy Leigh novel.

 

Jeannie certainly had a lot on her plate, running a cider farm and managing a multi-generational family leaves her little time for anything else. The book club at the library is her moment of escape, just as it was for the others in the group, all of whom had become lost in the routine of life. I know from experience how a simple village library can play an important role in the community, so I was a big fan of librarian Ruth who understood just what it meant to them all. Her idea to resurrect the town-twinning link and plan a trip to France gave them all something to look forward to and their time away cemented their bonds of friendships.

 

There were sad bits, funny bits and lots of heart-warming moments as with the help of a little bit of library magic, the ladies rediscover their dreams. Together they are there to support each other as they make plans for the next stages of their lives. Following their journeys was a delight.

 

If you are looking for a heart-warming, uplifting read, add The Golden Oldies Book Club to your wish list.

 

Purchase Links 



Purchase here 



French Village Diaries book review The Golden Oldies' Book Club Judy Leigh
Judy Leigh

 

Author Bio

 

Judy Leigh is the USA Today bestselling author of The Old Girls’ Network and Five French Hens and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.

 

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French Village Diaries book review The Golden Oldies' Book Club Judy Leigh
The Golden Oldies Book Club by Jenny Leigh



You might also like my review of Judy’s Lil’s Bus Trip 



2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for this lovely review. Sending best wishes for a great Christmas and a wonderful 2023. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Judy. I hope you get some time off the writing to enjoy a great Christmas too - just not too much time off! Jacqui

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