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Joanna Nell

The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home: Another gorgeously uplifting novel from the author of the bestselling THE SINGLE LADIES OF JACARANDA RETIREMENT VILLAGE Hardcover – 7 Jan. 2021

by Joanna Nell (Author)

119 ratings

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'Poignant and warm-hearted . . . a tonic for our times.' - Holly Miller, author of The Sight of You

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 car park! - 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.

Full of wisdom and warmth, The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home is a gorgeously poignant, hilarious story showing that it is never too late to laugh - or to love.

Praise for Joanna Nell:

'Hugely entertaining . . . funny and heart-warming' Woman & Home

'A gentle, warm-hearted book that had me rooting for all the characters and laughing out loud at points' LIBBY PAGE, author of The Lido

'A warm and touching story with a cast of characters who became my friends' - KATIE MARSH, author of The Rest of Me

'The perfect blend of funny and moving' - NATASHA LESTER, author of The Paris Seamstress

'A funny and poignant exploration of growing old disgracefully and enjoying your twilight years.' - Culturefly

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date

7 Jan. 2021
Dimensions

14.6 x 4 x 22 cm
ISBN-10

1529349338
ISBN-13

978-1529349337
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Product details

Publisher : Hodder & Stoughton (7 Jan. 2021)
Language : English
Hardcover : 384 pages
ISBN-10 : 1529349338
ISBN-13 : 978-1529349337
Dimensions : 14.6 x 4 x 22 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 83,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 1,170 in The Performing Arts
- 5,937 in Romantic Comedy (Books)
- 7,043 in Humorous Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews:
119 ratings

Product description

Review

PRAISE FOR THE GREAT ESCAPE FROM WOODLANDS NURSING HOME

I adored this funny yet moving story about home, friendship, and what it means to live. Poignant and warm-hearted, it's a tonic for our times. I was truly sad to say goodbye to these spirited and endearing characters. ― Holly Miller, author of THE SIGHT OF YOU

Tender and funny ― Woman & Home

PRAISE FOR JOANNA NELL

Hugely entertaining . . . funny and heart-warming ― Woman & Home

A gentle, warm-hearted book that had me rooting for all the characters and laughing out loud at points. A book that shows it is never too late to learn how to live, to make new friends and to fall in love. ― Libby Page, author of The Lido

A warm and touching story with a cast of characters who became my friends - I loved The Single Ladies of the Jacaranda Retirement Village with all its wit, wisdom and spirit ― Katie Marsh, author of The Rest of Me

The perfect blend of funny and moving; Peggy Smart had me laughing and crying in this ultimately uplifting story ― Natasha Lester, author of The Paris Seamstress

A funny and poignant exploration of growing old disgracefully and enjoying your twilight years. ― Culturefly

Book Description

The next brilliantly fun yet poignant novel from the author of The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village.

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2 star		2%
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Honest opinion

Enjoyable lockdown reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 January 2021

Verified Purchase

It’s nice to read a book about the elderly which this author likes to do. It’s a story about characters in a care home. I have read the authors other 2 books which I,prefer and would recommend more but if you want something light and easy this is a good book for lockdown

Helpful

Mr. Kieran Bassett

Your never to old to cause trouble!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2021

Verified Purchase

This book was a total tonic and just what I needed to make me smile.
Full of laughs and goes to prove your never to old to cause trouble.... and full in love.

Helpful

A heart-warming and wittily observed tale about life in a nursing home

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 February 2021

Hattie Bloom is an 89-year-old retired nature writer who prefers birds and her own company to other people and who had planned to live out the rest of her days observing the feathered species that nest around the garden of her cottage home. Unfortunately, a mishap with a ladder lands her with a broken hip and an enforced recuperation period in Woodlands Nursing Home. Here she meets a colourful cast of characters, including the larger-than-life 90-year-old Walter Bloom, who himself is dreaming of a great escape on his mobility scooter – once he passes the test to drive it, that is. The pair become unlikely allies when Sister Bronwyn (the organiser of the home's late-night secret club 'The Night Owls') is dismissed after her activities are deemed to go against the feared 'health and safety' rules. Teaming up, Hattie and Walter must come up with a plan to help get Sister Bronwyn back and hopefully escape from Woodlands once and for all.

This was a delightful, warm, and funny story packed with clever humour and some emotional moments. Anyone who has worked in health or social care will certainly recognise some of the author's tongue-in-cheek observations on its idiosyncrasies through her writing. I found myself often smiling in recognition of a certain personality or moment that seemed familiar. All the characters are brilliantly crafted, and Hattie and Walter, in particular, feel real enough to walk off the page and talk to you – they are both flawed, engaging and likeable in their own ways. The nursing home setting was an unusual choice for a humorous story and certainly a challenging one to tackle without the plot becoming too bleak and depressing. However, the author does an excellent job of keeping her story light-hearted, even during the sadder moments, by maintaining a feeling of hopefulness throughout. Personally, as someone who has some experience working with elderly people, I have met several patients who, after a stay in hospital, have been sent (or should that be condemned?) to a home. It was fascinating to consider the other side of their stories. I think it's a sad truth that most people don't wish to end up in a care home when we're older, but unfortunately, a lot of us will. This story asks the reader to consider what we really want from our twilight years and how we would potentially react if our independence and privacy was stolen from us as it is from Hattie and Walter.

Despite being a touching story overall, I must admit that I did find some aspects of the plot slightly predictable, and therefore, they lost their emotional impact a little. I also wasn't sure if the clearly mentally capable Hattie and Walter could legally be forced to go into a nursing home if they can decide not to, which bothered me slightly. Regardless of the above, this was still a light-hearted, fun tale with some colourful characters and some quite poignant moments mixed into the humour. It was an enjoyable read by a talented author.

Daenerys

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

A touching and gentle story!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 October 2020

I’d like to thank Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Great Escape From Woodlands Nursing Home’ by Joanna Nell in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Hattie Bloom and Walter Clements are in their late 80’s and reside at the Woodlands Nursing Home. A friendship gradually emerges when they meet at ‘The Night Owls’, an unofficial club organised by Sister Bronwyn (and her dog Queenie) when the residents are unable to sleep. Sister Bronwyn is dismissed due to a breach of the regulations and Hattie and Walter join forces to have her replacement ‘Sister Who’ removed and Sister Bronwyn reinstated. Together with their friend Murray, whose life is slowly coming to an end, they plan an escape in the Home’s bus.

‘The Great Escape From Woodlands Nursing Home’ is a well-written and touching novel of living in a nursing home where the residents may be elderly but aren’t ready yet to give up on life. The characters are realistically portrayed, true to life, and their antics are so amusing. The description of ex-driving instructor Walter crashing his ‘Tesla’ into bird-watching spinster Hattie and the friendship that grows between them brings warmth to the story, and Sister Bronwyn giving the residents something ‘special’ to look forward to in the twilight hours is a delight to read. This is a gentle and thoroughly enjoyable novel that had me laughing at times and sad at others. I can recommend it.

One person found this helpful

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