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Breaking Out of Bedlam: A Novel
by
Leslie Larson (Goodreads Author)
Cora Sledge is horrified when her children, who doubt her ability to take care of herself, plot to remove her from her home. So what if her house is a shambles? Who cares when she last changed her clothes? If an eighty-two-year-old widow wants to live on junk food, pills, and cigarettes, hasn’t she earned the right? When her kids force her into The Palisades, an assisted l...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
January 12th 2010
by Shaye Areheart Books
(first published December 22nd 2009)
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I really enjoyed this story, mainly because of the voice of the main character. Cora Sledge was from the deep south and later moved to California where her three children conspired and put her in an assisted living facility. Cora is 82 and her grand-daughter gives her a journal and she starts writing every day about things happening in the facility as well as events in her life that made her the woman that she is today. Cora weighs too much, smokes heavily and has become addicted to painkil...more
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This would be a great book for book clubs because it touches on many issues such as the health industry, the conflicts of children taking care of parents, seniors and drugs, weight issues, parenting issues, employees at nursing homes. What does it take for someone to turn their life around? Or to even realize that they should? I looked up Bedlam and it means "bedlam - The word bedlam is a contraction of Bethlehem, a hospital in London that became a lunatic asylum." So it's a great ...more
Pill popping, chronically depressed Cora Sledge has been imprisoned in the Palisades, an assisted living facility for seniors, by her three grown children. At first Cora is determined to die, but she's far too feisty a soul to give in so easily. Instead she begins telling her life story in a series of journals, chronicling both the hidden secrets of her youth and the day-to-day events of the bedlam she now inhabits. Enter Vitus, a suave senior, who begins to woo our overweight narrator, openi...more
Betty410
added it
I'm surprised at the skill a young writer had to write this story in the words of an 80 year old woman. Cora grew up in near poverty in southern mining country and retained her language and culture from the 1930's. Now ill, overweight and stuck on too many pills, her family sends her to an assisted living facility. She decides to write out her life story and so the book goes. Not only does she tell of her past but the present as well. She responds to the attention of a smooth talking gentle...more
"Breaking Out of Bedlam" is a very well written story of 82 year old widow forced into an "assisted living" or assisted dying facility by her well-meaning children. It is a pretty universal concept, something that most of us will have to think of as our parents age and our society no longer cares for our elderly at home. The kicker is the fact that this unwanted move spurs the lead character, Cora "Toad" Sledge to slowly regain her will and fight to survive and to ...more
I saw this in the bookstore and thought it sounded really good so I requested it from the library. I thought it started off really well and I was interested. About halfway through the book I just got to the point where I wanted it over. I stopped caring about the character and just kept reading so I could find out what happened at the end.
The writing was good. Maybe I just had a hard timing relating to the character who was 82 yrs old. Also, the sex scene, while I know elderly p...more
The writing was good. Maybe I just had a hard timing relating to the character who was 82 yrs old. Also, the sex scene, while I know elderly p...more
The book is hilarious throughout, but also tackles some very deep issues. The way this author writes made me feel that I actually was the character and could really feel her guilt, pain, frustration and especially love. You also instantly recognize the other characters because the author has a way of describing them to make them seem so real. I would think very hard about trying to push my mother into assisted living because even though it's wonderful for some people, I understand now the rea...more
This novel was written in a journal format. Cora Sledge is dumped into an assisted living facility by her 3 grown kids because they found she was overmedicating herself & generally not taking care of herself. She was living alone after her husband died & life had become too over whelming for her. Her grand daughter buys her a journal which inspires her to journal the truth about her life before she dies. Along with journaling, a physical therapist & another an who liked to sneak a smoke wit...more
Karen
added it
As I read it, I wondered if Cora's thoughts about assisted living were mirrors of my mother's. However Cora and my mother have very different reasons for being in assisted living. Cora's life was out of balance and she needed help getting it back.
Along the way, we find out through her journaling how she came to be at this point in her life. After a lifetime of letting others take the lead in her life, Cora takes back control.
I'm glad our library recommended it.
Along the way, we find out through her journaling how she came to be at this point in her life. After a lifetime of letting others take the lead in her life, Cora takes back control.
I'm glad our library recommended it.
I like books with an older narrator. This 82 year old manages to pull herself together just when everyone has written her off, but the road is not without bumps. An reliance on pills, her family seemingly against her, a new controlled surrounding, a disapproved romance, and accusations of theft complicate her life reflection, but also lead her to reconsider the effects of long past events. Having working in a nursing home and knowing that everyone has a story to tell, I enjoyed this story.
So, how many books have you read that were set in an assisted living facility? Yeah, me neither. Well, this wonderful story is told from the point of view of a senior home resident who is pissed off that her children had her placed there. She keeps busy by writing about the long-ago events that shaped her life, striking up a romance with another resident, undergoing personal transformation, and attempting to solve the mystery of who is stealing things from residents in the facility. This boo...more
I have always been drawn to books with interesting, offbeat, oddball characters. This one definitely falls into that category. Most authors won't make an 82 year old their main character, because how boring is that? Well, this story is far from boring. A good reminder that we have things to learn, passions to experience, and love to give at ALL ages.
I thought I had this one figured out half way through. Nope. Not a huge surprise by the end, but definitely had me guessing for a ...more
I thought I had this one figured out half way through. Nope. Not a huge surprise by the end, but definitely had me guessing for a ...more
I could hear Cora speaking, she is a little uncouth, but, oh so endearing. Reading Breaking Out of Bedlam is delightful as Cora Sledge talks the reader through her frustration of being taken from her home and placed at Palisades, an assisted living residence and her determination to loose weight, give up her "pills", find love and happiness and get the hell out of that stinking place.
I first read a blurb about this book on Read It Forward and ordered if from the library and was happy I did. What a great read! An 82 year old woman basically takes charge of her life which seemingly spiraled out of control without her realizing. The premise sounds dull, but the wit, humor and spunk brings it all together as a great read which also tips us as to what ultimately led her to where she is and why she decided to take charge. Long held secrets come out and a basic "purging"...more
Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you have to wear pastels and look like an Easter egg, it doesn’t mean that you need to be treated like a child, and doesn’t mean you can’t fall in love. Cora Sledge, at age 82, is moved from her home to an assisted living facility against her will by her children. While there she starts a journal documenting her life both past and present. There are a lot of humorous observations about being old, and the way people treat seniors, especially in the beginning...more
I thought this was a terrible book. About a woman who is in assisted living put there by her family. I enjoyed the first chapter or so but after that I wanted it to be over. . I stopped caring about the character and just kept reading so I could find out what happened at the end. Not very "ture to life in Assisted Living"! Would not recommend it!
Starting out this book I thought, OK this will be a lot of fun. The narrator/main character is an old feisty woman with clear and funny opinions about the people around her. But Cora became a fully-rounded character, which took the book to more meaningful depths than if she had just been a stereotype with a few funny observations. BOOB (I'm sure Cora would like this abbreviation for the book) seems at first to trod a familiar path, and yes, some of the way is familiar, but walking it in Cora's s...more
Cora Sledge is an 82 year old woman who doesn't change her clothes, lives on junk food, pill and cigarettes and is horrified when her kids put her in an assisted living facility. Deciding truth is the best revenge, she starts a tell-all journal of her life. The writing and falling in love changes her life and get her what she wants.
Cora Sledge is quite a character. The 82-year-old widow has been forced into an assisted-living facility by her kids, but has a lot of issues. She's obese, addicted to pills and smokes even though she has a lung condition. And those are just the physical ailments. As she begins a journal to chronicle her life, she writes about her life at the Palisades, which includes some colorful characters, a romance, and crime. All of this helps her slowly get her life together and begin to heal.
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WOW....way better than I thought it would be. Very witty, good character developement, plot moves at a good pace and very well written from a style perspective. Eloquent humour writing is not easy to come by but this fits the bill nicely. Would make an excellent beach or winter cabin fever read.
I first heard parts of the book from Ms. Larson's reading at San Diego Writer's Ink. It sounded irresistibly interesting, so I bought it. The book never suffers from slow pacing, and Cora Sledge, the protagonist, provides a unique and funny point of view. Loved it.
I guess my expectation was this book was more amusing than it was. It has potential for being funny and ironic, but did not live up to my expectation. However, I have first hand experieince with Assisted Living Facilities and it is correct that this is just high school behavior, only older participants.
interesting read of a senior's viewpoint of what it's like to be put into an assisted living place. A little raw and gritty in places. She's rather uncouth but very real, this Cora. We begin to find out about her past and realize what made her the person she was.
What a hoot of a book! I enjoyed every minute of the story and was able to "live" it because of the time I volunteer in a home. So many of the characters are people that we can all identif with. A fun book filled with heart.
What a wonderful read!!!!!!!!! I picked it up from the library yesterday and finished today--I haven't done that in many years. Funny, insightful, heartfelt, and very real. I can't wait to have my 80 year old Mom read it.
Cora is an unfamiliar character to me, however, I liked most of her.
She managed to get through life and when it was taken away, she got it back.
Assisted Living is not a great option no manner one's means.
She managed to get through life and when it was taken away, she got it back.
Assisted Living is not a great option no manner one's means.
I enjoyed this book. The story was touching without being sappy. There was some humor, but it really gave me a different perspective on aging and the limited choices we are given as we age.
Didn't like this book at all. Seemed promising from the first few pages ... but ultimately I found the main character irritating and the writing insipid, and I just wanted it to end.
What an amazing read! An 82 year old protaganist, and writing that kept me riveted until I finished this book.
Highly recommended. A great read and a great feeling after the read.
Highly recommended. A great read and a great feeling after the read.
Heavy lady Cora Sledge put in assisted living facilty, addicted to pills, and other physical problems. She writes her life story and gets involved with a man resident. Parts were very good, parts were too silly.
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