What do you think?
Rate this book
Rest Home Runaways
Baby boomer Morgan Ronzio's troubled marriage is the least of her worries when she gets the call that her addled, eighty-six-year-old, half-blind dad, Mac, has stolen a car and escaped the rest home. Before she can alert her uber-capable wife, Treat, a trio of lady octogenarians appropriates the rest home van to rescue Mac, embarking on an adventure that makes national news. But Morgan knows something they don' Mac is taking orders from her mom's ghost, trying to make good on a promise he made years ago. Worried sick, Morgan sets out on the 126-mile drive from Fresno to Santa Cruz, praying she finds Mac before he hurts himself—or worse. The chase is on, but the mission becomes one of more than miles; Morgan must also undertake a journey of the heart.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 17, 2014
46 people want to read
About the author
Clifford Henderson
12 books41 followersBaffled by reality, Clifford Henderson has fashioned a life where she can spend most of her time in make believe. Author of three award-winning novels, The Middle of Somewhere, Spanking New, and Maye’s Request she is currently working on a fourth. When not writing, Clifford and her partner of twenty years run the Fun Institute, a school of improv and solo performance where they teach the art of collective pretending.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 14, 2017
You could say that there were three main stories here, three plotlines to follow – all three of which have their own lead POV. Two of the three are awesome brilliant great stories. The third was kind of . . . okay-ish.
Plotline One: Mac Ronzio and his wife live in his daughter (and daughter-in-law’s) house. Mac’s in his 80s (I believe, or maybe that’s just Cora who is in her 80s and I ‘assumed’ stuff I shouldn’t have), has vision trouble (can only see out of the side of his eyes), and can no longer do much of what he used to do (like repair things). The plotline starts with Mac putting a puzzle together with the help of his wife. Somewhere along the way Mac goes to make tea but is somewhat forgetful and forgets certain things. Wanders back to the puzzle – continues working on it. Effie, the wife, wanders into the kitchen and notes that Mac forgot to do stuff, like put the lid on the tea-kettle and other stuff, and that she’d do it.
Time passes. Massive waves of sound assault Mac’s ears. Ringing. Ringing. Mac looks over and notices waves of black smoke coming out of the kitchen. He mutters to his wife something like ‘I thought you were taking care of it!’ to which his wife, naturally, responds with something like ‘I’m dead, moron.’ And then Mac remembers (Mac doesn’t exactly have memory issues so much as he sees his dead wife and occasionally forgets that she is dead). But he is still being engulfed by waves of smoke.
Plotline One follows Mac and his dead wife as he moves from living with his daughter and daughter-in-law to living in an old person’s home, then fleeing said old person’s home.
Plotline Two: Morgan Ronzio putters around in a burned out kitchen. Starring at things, waiting for her wife Treat to appear, waiting for Treat’s nephew/contractor to appear. Randomly eats cheese (well, food, I’ve made it cheese for no known reason). Worries about her wife and whether the wife is fooling around – knows her relationship is in trouble, and it wasn’t helped that her father was living with them (especially as he was in the room across the hall which killed the little sex they still had). Is sad that she had to put her father into an old folk’s home. And to make matters worse, it’s Treat who wanted Mac to stay – as the book puts it, paraphrasing – she’s, Treat, Mexican and they care for family.
Plotline Two follows 50+ year old Morgan as she putters around worried about her father and her wife, and suffers waves of hot flashes. And, eventually, chasing after her fleeing father.
Plotline Three: Cora moved into the old folk’s home because of issues with her husband. He’s gone now, but she hasn’t left because she’s gotten used to living there – and her friends are there. Friends like Sonia and Nell. One day the old folk’s home goes on an outing (all but those in wheelchairs since the bus that can handle that kind of thing is in the shop). While visiting the mall and waiting for all the old people to be removed from the van and herded into the mall, the three women watch as the van is rear-ended, watch as their van driver (who ends up sliding over to plotline two and wandering with Morgan while Morgan chases Mac, so I should have gotten his name but I forget it now – I’ll call him Jake just to give him a name) argues with the teen driver who rear-ended the van. Cora counts. One person is wandering across the parking lot! The classic car crazed old man is collected (I believe this actually occurred before the rear-ending, but whatever). But . . . another person is missing! Mac! An assumption is made that he went in to use the restroom. Time passes. Hot sun cooks old people. More time passes. Jake continues arguing with the teen. Cora and/or one of her two friends notice Mac driving past in a utility cart. He’s fleeing! Cora, Nell, and Sonia start to go after him, then notice – the keys are still in the van! And so, naturally, they take the van. By this point, though, they’ve lost track of Mac. And are somewhat aimlessly driving around.
Plotline Three follows the three women as they wander in a van searching for Mac.
Plotline One and Three – all the ones with the old folks, were great fun – exciting, touching, moving. Plotline two, and the reason why this book falls into ‘Lesbian Fiction’, was less fun. Morgan isn’t exactly fun to hang around with inside her head. She’s a bundle of nerves, overheating from the sun, from hot flashes, from life; worrying about everything; feeling waves of guilt; feeling waves of jealousy; feelings . . . lots and lots of stuff. But there were some fun moments with Morgan as well, even a few touching ones – still, less fun than the other two plotlines.
This is a book that I have spent time on and off my maybe pile. I wasn’t really sure what it might be about, really, nor if I really wanted to read yet another road trip book. But this was different than I expected (I kind of had in my mind that it’d be some variation of Robin Alexander’s story about the two old women who drag two younger women along on a road trip (The Trip) – wasn’t so much that I didn’t like that story, I liked it well enough, it was more I’d already read it – but this story here, the Rest Home Runaways one, is nothing like that story – for one thing, the three different groups of people are all off on their own adventures, not all together in one massive RV).
This was a great multi-generational/multi-cultural journey through a small section, about 126 mile section, of California. From boring conservative Fresno to cool breezy, nude-beach having Santa Cruz.
I look forward to trying another book by this author (who is neither a large dog (Clifford the Big Red Dog) nor a man).
Rating: 4.44
April 14 2017
Plotline One: Mac Ronzio and his wife live in his daughter (and daughter-in-law’s) house. Mac’s in his 80s (I believe, or maybe that’s just Cora who is in her 80s and I ‘assumed’ stuff I shouldn’t have), has vision trouble (can only see out of the side of his eyes), and can no longer do much of what he used to do (like repair things). The plotline starts with Mac putting a puzzle together with the help of his wife. Somewhere along the way Mac goes to make tea but is somewhat forgetful and forgets certain things. Wanders back to the puzzle – continues working on it. Effie, the wife, wanders into the kitchen and notes that Mac forgot to do stuff, like put the lid on the tea-kettle and other stuff, and that she’d do it.
Time passes. Massive waves of sound assault Mac’s ears. Ringing. Ringing. Mac looks over and notices waves of black smoke coming out of the kitchen. He mutters to his wife something like ‘I thought you were taking care of it!’ to which his wife, naturally, responds with something like ‘I’m dead, moron.’ And then Mac remembers (Mac doesn’t exactly have memory issues so much as he sees his dead wife and occasionally forgets that she is dead). But he is still being engulfed by waves of smoke.
Plotline One follows Mac and his dead wife as he moves from living with his daughter and daughter-in-law to living in an old person’s home, then fleeing said old person’s home.
Plotline Two: Morgan Ronzio putters around in a burned out kitchen. Starring at things, waiting for her wife Treat to appear, waiting for Treat’s nephew/contractor to appear. Randomly eats cheese (well, food, I’ve made it cheese for no known reason). Worries about her wife and whether the wife is fooling around – knows her relationship is in trouble, and it wasn’t helped that her father was living with them (especially as he was in the room across the hall which killed the little sex they still had). Is sad that she had to put her father into an old folk’s home. And to make matters worse, it’s Treat who wanted Mac to stay – as the book puts it, paraphrasing – she’s, Treat, Mexican and they care for family.
Plotline Two follows 50+ year old Morgan as she putters around worried about her father and her wife, and suffers waves of hot flashes. And, eventually, chasing after her fleeing father.
Plotline Three: Cora moved into the old folk’s home because of issues with her husband. He’s gone now, but she hasn’t left because she’s gotten used to living there – and her friends are there. Friends like Sonia and Nell. One day the old folk’s home goes on an outing (all but those in wheelchairs since the bus that can handle that kind of thing is in the shop). While visiting the mall and waiting for all the old people to be removed from the van and herded into the mall, the three women watch as the van is rear-ended, watch as their van driver (who ends up sliding over to plotline two and wandering with Morgan while Morgan chases Mac, so I should have gotten his name but I forget it now – I’ll call him Jake just to give him a name) argues with the teen driver who rear-ended the van. Cora counts. One person is wandering across the parking lot! The classic car crazed old man is collected (I believe this actually occurred before the rear-ending, but whatever). But . . . another person is missing! Mac! An assumption is made that he went in to use the restroom. Time passes. Hot sun cooks old people. More time passes. Jake continues arguing with the teen. Cora and/or one of her two friends notice Mac driving past in a utility cart. He’s fleeing! Cora, Nell, and Sonia start to go after him, then notice – the keys are still in the van! And so, naturally, they take the van. By this point, though, they’ve lost track of Mac. And are somewhat aimlessly driving around.
Plotline Three follows the three women as they wander in a van searching for Mac.
Plotline One and Three – all the ones with the old folks, were great fun – exciting, touching, moving. Plotline two, and the reason why this book falls into ‘Lesbian Fiction’, was less fun. Morgan isn’t exactly fun to hang around with inside her head. She’s a bundle of nerves, overheating from the sun, from hot flashes, from life; worrying about everything; feeling waves of guilt; feeling waves of jealousy; feelings . . . lots and lots of stuff. But there were some fun moments with Morgan as well, even a few touching ones – still, less fun than the other two plotlines.
This is a book that I have spent time on and off my maybe pile. I wasn’t really sure what it might be about, really, nor if I really wanted to read yet another road trip book. But this was different than I expected (I kind of had in my mind that it’d be some variation of Robin Alexander’s story about the two old women who drag two younger women along on a road trip (The Trip) – wasn’t so much that I didn’t like that story, I liked it well enough, it was more I’d already read it – but this story here, the Rest Home Runaways one, is nothing like that story – for one thing, the three different groups of people are all off on their own adventures, not all together in one massive RV).
This was a great multi-generational/multi-cultural journey through a small section, about 126 mile section, of California. From boring conservative Fresno to cool breezy, nude-beach having Santa Cruz.
I look forward to trying another book by this author (who is neither a large dog (Clifford the Big Red Dog) nor a man).
Rating: 4.44
April 14 2017
January 1, 2015
Rest Home Runaways was a pleasure to read. Penny's review is excellent and I can't really add much to her sentiments. I loved the pacing of this book. The story moves back and forth following the three groups of travellers and the reader gets to join in on their journeys.
The storyline following Mac and Effie is handled well and adds the right amount of bittersweet to offset the over the top humour that rolls through the novel as a whole and the three Graces thread in particular. Not every reader may agree with how Morgan and Treat handle their relationship issues but that is what makes every read so personal.
A fun filled and easy read that will lift your spirits and pull at your heartstrings.
The storyline following Mac and Effie is handled well and adds the right amount of bittersweet to offset the over the top humour that rolls through the novel as a whole and the three Graces thread in particular. Not every reader may agree with how Morgan and Treat handle their relationship issues but that is what makes every read so personal.
A fun filled and easy read that will lift your spirits and pull at your heartstrings.
February 1, 2015
86 year old and half blind Mac escapes from a rest home away-day and steals a car to fulfill a promise – driven on by his wife’s ghost. 3 octogenarian ladies rush to his rescue in the care-home mini-van and gain national TV coverage as the Runaway Grannies.
Meanwhile his lesbian daughter, Morgan, is having a crisis because her Alpha wife is obviously having an affair with a younger woman who is, almost certainly, not having hot flushes and suffering middle aged-spread. When the call comes that her father has disappeared she is determined to prove her capabilities and reassert her independence.
The ensuing chase reveals things to all involved. Mac finds out just what he is capable of, the ladies form a bond that will change their futures, and Morgan goes on a journey of self-discovery that will decide the fate of her marriage.
The story is full of humor and pathos, written with love and care. The characters are well developed, well rounded and delightful. Their life experiences shine from the page. All are drawn out by the ‘adventure’, challenging their own self-perception as well as our image of old folks and middle-aged women.
As much as anything this is about exploration, finding out who we are and who we are capable of being. Life can put us in boxes to do with our age that we aren’t ready for. In this charming story we watch as each group fights against those restraints and choses who they want to be - old and consigned to the scrap heap, or living life as an adventure to be taken.
This isn’t a romance, but it is full of romance none-the-less. Morgan and her wife, Treat, have had a happy and successful marriage. The life they have shared is revealed in the gentle touches of remembered experiences. The challenges we face of both aging and long term relationships are lightly drawn, but will resonate with all of us who face the issues of parent care and our own aging.
Funny and touching, this story held my interest and kept me turning the pages. Ms Henderson’s novel is brilliantly written and full of delightful observation. It would make a wonderful movie in the style of “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”.
Meanwhile his lesbian daughter, Morgan, is having a crisis because her Alpha wife is obviously having an affair with a younger woman who is, almost certainly, not having hot flushes and suffering middle aged-spread. When the call comes that her father has disappeared she is determined to prove her capabilities and reassert her independence.
The ensuing chase reveals things to all involved. Mac finds out just what he is capable of, the ladies form a bond that will change their futures, and Morgan goes on a journey of self-discovery that will decide the fate of her marriage.
The story is full of humor and pathos, written with love and care. The characters are well developed, well rounded and delightful. Their life experiences shine from the page. All are drawn out by the ‘adventure’, challenging their own self-perception as well as our image of old folks and middle-aged women.
As much as anything this is about exploration, finding out who we are and who we are capable of being. Life can put us in boxes to do with our age that we aren’t ready for. In this charming story we watch as each group fights against those restraints and choses who they want to be - old and consigned to the scrap heap, or living life as an adventure to be taken.
This isn’t a romance, but it is full of romance none-the-less. Morgan and her wife, Treat, have had a happy and successful marriage. The life they have shared is revealed in the gentle touches of remembered experiences. The challenges we face of both aging and long term relationships are lightly drawn, but will resonate with all of us who face the issues of parent care and our own aging.
Funny and touching, this story held my interest and kept me turning the pages. Ms Henderson’s novel is brilliantly written and full of delightful observation. It would make a wonderful movie in the style of “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”.
September 24, 2014
Thanks for writing this, Clifford! I needed it. I love seeing older people as real well-rounded deep thinking people instead of as wrinkly children. Fun read.
March 19, 2015
I won this book (to my surprise; hadn’t realized I’d entered a raffle) from Bold Strokes. I probably shouldn’t review it, now that I’m about to become an author myself. I don’t want there to be any perception of a quid pro quo. I was not asked to review this. I just figured since Clifford won’t get a royalty from me, she should at least get a review. Trust me, if I hadn’t liked this, I’d have stayed quiet. (And, dang, I hate when reviews spoil surprises! So I shall try not to. Best bet: read the book now—don’t bother reading the reviews.)
RHR is a deceptively complex story. Three storylines intertwine with different POVs: The first chapter is an immediate heartbreaker and had me hooked in three pages, with elderly Mac trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle with his macular-degenerated eyes and the help of his wife, Effie. Next up is his daughter, Morgan, whose marriage to Treat is strained by having her father live with them, especially after he accidentally sets their kitchen on fire. Finally, we meet Cora, one of the “Runaway Grannies” who are chasing after Mac, who is on the run trying to fulfill one last promise to Effie.
Each set of characters, each POV character, is full of life and the story alternates humor and poignancy. This is not a romance. It’s a multigenerational love story about all kinds of love: romantic, friendship, father-daughter, simply loving life. Anyone with an older parent will appreciate what both Mac and the Grannies are going through as well as Morgan. Each time something significant was revealed, I literally gasped. That’s good. (And why you don't want spoilers!)
My only complaint is that one repeating story element was never resolved. Also, a very minor character (named, not seen) has a name change. The ending was a bit cheesy, and I don’t think it will do Morgan any good, but it did have some inevitability to it. Other than those, it was refreshing to read a story, get absorbed (so much so that I dreamed about old women last night!), with no worry about whether the author will be able to pull this off. No wishing she’d done something different or gone in a different direction. Clifford had control of the reins all the way and it was a wonderful ride!
RHR is a deceptively complex story. Three storylines intertwine with different POVs: The first chapter is an immediate heartbreaker and had me hooked in three pages, with elderly Mac trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle with his macular-degenerated eyes and the help of his wife, Effie. Next up is his daughter, Morgan, whose marriage to Treat is strained by having her father live with them, especially after he accidentally sets their kitchen on fire. Finally, we meet Cora, one of the “Runaway Grannies” who are chasing after Mac, who is on the run trying to fulfill one last promise to Effie.
Each set of characters, each POV character, is full of life and the story alternates humor and poignancy. This is not a romance. It’s a multigenerational love story about all kinds of love: romantic, friendship, father-daughter, simply loving life. Anyone with an older parent will appreciate what both Mac and the Grannies are going through as well as Morgan. Each time something significant was revealed, I literally gasped. That’s good. (And why you don't want spoilers!)
My only complaint is that one repeating story element was never resolved. Also, a very minor character (named, not seen) has a name change. The ending was a bit cheesy, and I don’t think it will do Morgan any good, but it did have some inevitability to it. Other than those, it was refreshing to read a story, get absorbed (so much so that I dreamed about old women last night!), with no worry about whether the author will be able to pull this off. No wishing she’d done something different or gone in a different direction. Clifford had control of the reins all the way and it was a wonderful ride!
January 24, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this book!
I'm not much a fan of open endings, though. This book certainly has that. You live through the adventures of 3 groups of people, but nothing really gets resolved. The journey was awesome, but when the book ended, I knew as much about the ending as I knew half way through the book. I want to know more! Maybe a sequel?
I'm not much a fan of open endings, though. This book certainly has that. You live through the adventures of 3 groups of people, but nothing really gets resolved. The journey was awesome, but when the book ended, I knew as much about the ending as I knew half way through the book. I want to know more! Maybe a sequel?
November 30, 2015
A Wonderful read
A love story about aging, friendships and forgiveness. I could not put this book down. The characters in it will stay with me for a long time. Clifford Henderson has outdone herself with this one.
A love story about aging, friendships and forgiveness. I could not put this book down. The characters in it will stay with me for a long time. Clifford Henderson has outdone herself with this one.
June 22, 2016
As always with Clifford Henderson's novels: a fun read. I wish I'd been on the bus with the crazy ladies!!
July 31, 2017
As you might predict from the title, Rest Home Runaways contains plenty of humor and action. It also pulls on the heart-strings as it examines the relationship between elders and their younger family members through memories and interactions. Although middle-aged children make decisions for their parents, they also judge their parents’ experience through their own eyes. They cannot, at least in this book, truly understand where their parent is coming from; they simply don’t have enough life experience and are usually distracted by their own problems.
There are three main stories about the runaways, which all begin at one event, a seemingly harmless outing from a senior home to a mall. A new arrival at the home, Mac, is first to make a break for it. He is spurred on by a hallucination (my middle-aged judgmental word) of his dead wife, not an infrequent “visitor” in his life. Grabbing the first golf cart he sees, he is off on a journey to reconcile long-unfinished business with his wife before anyone in charge is the wiser.
Once the seniors’ van driver John, who is also in charge of keeping the seniors together and abiding by the rules, is distracted, three other residents get inspired to have an adventure of their own. Sonia, the brassy instigator, spots the keys in the seniors’ van, and suggests to Cora, a former school bus driver, that they go looking for Mac themselves, since John, the driver, is busy. Good times girl Nell jumps aboard too. Their search is full of fun destinations and interactions, as each inspires the other to break loose from social mores and their own inhibitions.
Finally, there is the story of Morgan, Mac’s daughter, and her wife Treat. Morgan takes a drive to find her dad, with the unlikely and initially unwanted help from John, who is from a younger generation still. Though this plot is less interesting, it points up the theme that middle-aged people are a little naïve and overwhelmed by problems that the seniors simply don’t sweat. Morgan’s obsessing about her job, appearance, and marriage weren’t resolved to my satisfaction in the end. In fact, I would have liked to see Mac’s story end differently as well.
This book is a fun and heartfelt romp, and the shenanigans of the seniors, especially Cora, Sonia, and Nell, made it a worthwhile summer read.
There are three main stories about the runaways, which all begin at one event, a seemingly harmless outing from a senior home to a mall. A new arrival at the home, Mac, is first to make a break for it. He is spurred on by a hallucination (my middle-aged judgmental word) of his dead wife, not an infrequent “visitor” in his life. Grabbing the first golf cart he sees, he is off on a journey to reconcile long-unfinished business with his wife before anyone in charge is the wiser.
Once the seniors’ van driver John, who is also in charge of keeping the seniors together and abiding by the rules, is distracted, three other residents get inspired to have an adventure of their own. Sonia, the brassy instigator, spots the keys in the seniors’ van, and suggests to Cora, a former school bus driver, that they go looking for Mac themselves, since John, the driver, is busy. Good times girl Nell jumps aboard too. Their search is full of fun destinations and interactions, as each inspires the other to break loose from social mores and their own inhibitions.
Finally, there is the story of Morgan, Mac’s daughter, and her wife Treat. Morgan takes a drive to find her dad, with the unlikely and initially unwanted help from John, who is from a younger generation still. Though this plot is less interesting, it points up the theme that middle-aged people are a little naïve and overwhelmed by problems that the seniors simply don’t sweat. Morgan’s obsessing about her job, appearance, and marriage weren’t resolved to my satisfaction in the end. In fact, I would have liked to see Mac’s story end differently as well.
This book is a fun and heartfelt romp, and the shenanigans of the seniors, especially Cora, Sonia, and Nell, made it a worthwhile summer read.
August 5, 2014
I am floored by how emotional I got reading this book. I don't know if you can call it a theme, per se, because I think it may be an authorial character trait, but each of the narrators cared deeply about the people around them while not fully communicating that caring.
I loved all three of the point of view characters, but I know that they're not the dream wife, father, friend, daughter, husband, mother, etc that they'd like to be or that we'd all like to have.
Mac is awesome, and you're forced to take him for himself. He's not the dream dad and . His love for Morgan is clear, as is the fact that he has never managed to get it across to her as strongly as he feels it.
Morgan is the hardest for me to get behind. She's weight-conscious, easily gets down on herself, avoids issues, and her inner monologue shows wavering self-respect. Eventually, I see the same thing in her as in the others, though, appreciating her for the strength of her love and cheering when she .
Cora is my favorite. She calls herself Cautious Cora and relates stories from her youth and marriage to back it up. I have to say, I'm glad she threw that out the window. I love reading about the moment when a person gives up the chains they've wrapped around themselves, and her embracing of life and joy and possibility worked wonderfully well for me. It rang true and wavered in a way I appreciated. I love the friendship between her and the others, which changes nature dramatically as they really invest in each other emotionally.
I co-managed an independent living retirement home for a brief while and I can tell you - so many people there don't invest emotionally. There's the specter of death in the way and what seem to be self-composed constraints because of living together. These ladies had to leave the home behind to delve into real togetherness. I found myself amused by the fame that came their way in the book, but profoundly touched by the way they got really into each other by the end.
Also, each of the groups live in a different psychic moment. Morgan is in the future, worried about how her relationship is going to recover from her wife's fuck-up. Cora and her buddies are living in the moment, with Cora dragging herself into now over and over again. Mac is in the past, literally conversing with the image of his dead wife, who flitters through her ages as they talk.
It's a good book. Funny, painful, inspiring, and rooted in joy. I recommend it.
I loved all three of the point of view characters, but I know that they're not the dream wife, father, friend, daughter, husband, mother, etc that they'd like to be or that we'd all like to have.
Mac is awesome, and you're forced to take him for himself. He's not the dream dad and . His love for Morgan is clear, as is the fact that he has never managed to get it across to her as strongly as he feels it.
Morgan is the hardest for me to get behind. She's weight-conscious, easily gets down on herself, avoids issues, and her inner monologue shows wavering self-respect. Eventually, I see the same thing in her as in the others, though, appreciating her for the strength of her love and cheering when she .
Cora is my favorite. She calls herself Cautious Cora and relates stories from her youth and marriage to back it up. I have to say, I'm glad she threw that out the window. I love reading about the moment when a person gives up the chains they've wrapped around themselves, and her embracing of life and joy and possibility worked wonderfully well for me. It rang true and wavered in a way I appreciated. I love the friendship between her and the others, which changes nature dramatically as they really invest in each other emotionally.
I co-managed an independent living retirement home for a brief while and I can tell you - so many people there don't invest emotionally. There's the specter of death in the way and what seem to be self-composed constraints because of living together. These ladies had to leave the home behind to delve into real togetherness. I found myself amused by the fame that came their way in the book, but profoundly touched by the way they got really into each other by the end.
Also, each of the groups live in a different psychic moment. Morgan is in the future, worried about how her relationship is going to recover from her wife's fuck-up. Cora and her buddies are living in the moment, with Cora dragging herself into now over and over again. Mac is in the past, literally conversing with the image of his dead wife, who flitters through her ages as they talk.
It's a good book. Funny, painful, inspiring, and rooted in joy. I recommend it.
September 14, 2014
OUTSTANDING! I've enjoyed all of Ms Henderson's books, but this one absolutely blew me away. Alternately funny and touching, the story held my interest throughout. The characters are believable and very interesting. For those of us at an age where we are having to become the caretakers of our parents, this is an engaging look from the perspective of some of those parents. Yes one of the main characters is a lesbian, but it is just one facet of her life. This is a story about some elderly folks who inadvertently 'escape' from their nursing home. One story line is the father of the lesbian, who is on a mission to fulfill a promise to his deceased wife, the other is a trio of ladies who see him make is escape (in a golf cart no less) and decide to hijack the facility's van to go retrieve him. On the way to find him they have a journey of discovery all their own. A book I will keep, reread and recommend to everyone, gay, straight, young and old. I loved it!
December 6, 2015
2014 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews