Jane Gilley

The Afternoon Tea Club: The new, most uplifting feel good fiction book to read in 2019 by [Gilley, Jane]Jane Gilley wrote a feel-good book with The Afternoon Tea Club.

Although it was difficult to become attached to any of the characters until half-way through, from that point on they became characters that the reader can care about.

I enjoy books that make me smile. Filled with friendship this is a good book to read.

I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.… (més)

When a book is described as a cross between The Lady in the Van and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry it's a bit of a no-brainer for me. I really wanted to read The Woman Who Kept Everything by Jane Gilley and I have to say that it really did remind me throughout of Harold Fry.

It tells the story of Gloria Frensham, on the cusp of her 80th birthday and a chronic hoarder. She's one of those people you read about who can't actually move around their house for clutter. She's still got her son's tricycle and he must be well into his 50s. I did empathise with Gloria as I know how hard it is to throw things away that have a sentimental value or bring back precious memories. But when her electric blows whilst she's cooking her potato soap on the hob action is taken and all of a sudden she finds herself out of her house for the first time in a long time.

And this is where Gloria's adventure begins. It's like she's got a new lease of life and boy, is she going to enjoy what's left of it! It was great fun to follow her as she caught up with old friends, travelled to the east and south coasts, and generally took back control of her life.

It's light-hearted fare but with a serious side to it. It addresses getting old and losing sight of who you are. It's also a feel-good story and it made me smile a lot. Gloria is quite a character and so is her best pal for many years, Tilsbury. In fact, throughout it all, Tilsbury has been probably the one constant - even her son let her down.

There's a lot of local slang in this book, me ducks, and whilst I could maybe have done with a little less of it, it certainly gave me a strong sense of what it would be like to hang around with Gloria and her friends - a very warm and friendly feeling.

The Woman Who Kept Everything is funny, moving and insightful and I loved seeing Gloria get a second chance at life.… (més)