Some friendships last a lifetime…

Synopsis

When Lin, Josie and Minnie left Miss Hamilton’s class at Middleton Ferris County Primary School, sixty years ago, they could only dream about what the future had in store for them.  The one thing they knew for certain was that their friendship would thrive.

Years later and life hasn’t always been kind.  Josie is still mourning the loss of her beloved husband Harry a year after his sudden demise. Lin is hoping to celebrate her fiftieth wedding anniversary with husband Neil, but he’s suddenly keeping secrets and telling her lies, so she’s suspecting the worst  And as for Minnie, well she loves her life in Oxford academia, but with no family to call her own, she sometimes wonders if the sacrifices were all worthwhile.

So, when the ninety-year-old Miss Hamilton – or Cecily as she lets them call her now – glides gracefully back into their lives on her glamorous purple mobility scooter, the ladies are in need of inspiration and fun. And over their regular lunches, the friends start to dream of leaving the past in the past and embracing the future, because there’s nothing you can’t achieve with good friends at your side.

My review

Lin, Josie and Minnie has been friends since they were kids. And when they left their Primary School sixty years ago, they were wondering what their lives would look like. But no matter where life would take them, they were sure that their friendship would last.
Now the friends are not only older but also wiser. Even if Josie is still mourning the loss of her husband Harry, Lin is discovering that her husband Neil is having secrets, and Minnie has been enjoying her life in Oxford, but has no family on her own, they can still count on each other.
And when their old teacher, at the blessed age of ninety, Miss Hamilton, or Cecily, is back in their lives, she is also still the one who provides the silver ladies with wisdom. With their regular lunches, with an expanding group, these ladies are ready to enjoy their lives at their fullest, and no one will hold them back!  

It is always a great treat to read a book of this amazing author, even if the story and the lives of the characters couldn’t be further away than mine!
I start the book with a smile, and I end with an even bigger smile on my face! 

I liked it how Lin, Josie and Minnie kept their friendship intact despite the different turns their lives took. Thee are the kind of friendship that truly matter and should be treasured!. 

Each woman has her own story to tell, and they get the right amount of spotlight to make the reader invest in them, without feeling that we are getting too much (unnecessary) information. 

I had both admiration and compassion for Josie. She has lost her husband, but that didn’t stop her to go on a cruise, which was on their bucket list. Even if her heart is broken, and we can feel her pain, she does her best to commemorate Harry, by trying to have the best time. And I liked it how she even managed to find a kindred soul and how this odd couple (not *that* kind of couple though!) managed to share their pain and somehow be able to move on, without ever forgetting. 

Lin however was perhaps the character I felt the most sorry for. Because while she has a lovely marriage with Neil, she starts to see that he is lying to her and is keeping secrets.
Perhaps I have read too many books, or Lin’s suspicion was too contagious, but I started to think the worst of Neil.
My mind went even that far to think that somehow he and another side character were linked… 

Minnie perhaps is the strongest characters, as she has showed throughout the years that she doesn’t need anyone in her life to make her feel complete. She is perfectly fine on he own, surrounded by the best of friends. But maybe she starts to feel that is missing?

But what I truly loved to read, was how these friends, despite age and distance still are each other’s rock. And not only each other, but also for other people who may need somehow a helping hand.
No matter who you may be, when you need someone by your side, you can count on the silver ladies to help you with every step you have to take, how difficult it may be.
With their wisdom, nothing is insurmountable! 

The return of their teacher, Cecily, was a great asset, as it only added more wisdom to this book, but also more fun!
I wish I will be like Cecily when (and if…) I reach the wonderful age of ninety! 

This story has many layers that may have the looks of a sad story, but it is the complete opposite. It is filled with yes some sad moments, but also elated, funny, positive moments. It has a slow pace, but this only proofs that a story doesn’t has to be filled with action or tragedy to capture your heart. 

While the main characters are of a certain age, and even older, while reading I never felt the difference between them and me. The only difference was that they have a lifetime of wisdom that they share with those who are only starting to build their wisdom. 

This was again a lovely, heart – warming read from an amazing and very talented author!