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Timed Out
Jane Lambert thinks she may have made a mistake putting her work ahead of love and family for so long. She’s left wondering what to do with her life now that she has retired.
Taking note of the sentiment from one of her retirement cards -Retirement is NOT the end. It’s a NEW BEGINNING - she decides it’s about time she looked for love again, and places a lonely hearts advertisement. Jane embarks on her new life, suffering disappointments and learning hard truths about herself, while never losing her gift for self mockery or her eye for the absurd.
Timed Out is a contemporary “coming-of-age” novel about different kinds of love and the search for a meaningful life.
For more information: http://www.drivenpress.net
Taking note of the sentiment from one of her retirement cards -Retirement is NOT the end. It’s a NEW BEGINNING - she decides it’s about time she looked for love again, and places a lonely hearts advertisement. Jane embarks on her new life, suffering disappointments and learning hard truths about herself, while never losing her gift for self mockery or her eye for the absurd.
Timed Out is a contemporary “coming-of-age” novel about different kinds of love and the search for a meaningful life.
For more information: http://www.drivenpress.net
306 pages, Paperback
Published April 16, 2016
233 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 22, 2016
I found this slow to start but then it very quickly gained momentum and I galloped along, not wanting to put it down.
It is a gritty mix of popular/literary fiction that women of a certain age will readily engage with. The story was truly grounded in reality which made for a sad/entertaining/comic look at life alone (or not) in the retirement years and the platitudes as well as the hands of friendship handed out. Loved/hated the supporting cast of characters who rang so true and yet made me cringe in equal proportions!
I was unsure of the Humanist refrain which, though interesting, was (for me) overdone. The same as the protagonist's constant repetition of "discuss" at the end of open statements. It was, I saw, a way of maintaining the character's voice and a throwback to her professional life...but seemed deliberately exaggerated and inserted in curious places. (This felt like an editor rather than the writer)
Enjoyed the main story strand which was not neatly tied up and happy ever after. It made me smile, laugh and empathise with and at Jane, the storyteller. A great debut novel.
It is a gritty mix of popular/literary fiction that women of a certain age will readily engage with. The story was truly grounded in reality which made for a sad/entertaining/comic look at life alone (or not) in the retirement years and the platitudes as well as the hands of friendship handed out. Loved/hated the supporting cast of characters who rang so true and yet made me cringe in equal proportions!
I was unsure of the Humanist refrain which, though interesting, was (for me) overdone. The same as the protagonist's constant repetition of "discuss" at the end of open statements. It was, I saw, a way of maintaining the character's voice and a throwback to her professional life...but seemed deliberately exaggerated and inserted in curious places. (This felt like an editor rather than the writer)
Enjoyed the main story strand which was not neatly tied up and happy ever after. It made me smile, laugh and empathise with and at Jane, the storyteller. A great debut novel.
September 2, 2016
This is an unusual novel, not only because the main character is over 60 and actively looking for love, but because of the gently-flowing plot. Jane is a retired Cambridge don, and the story follows her negotiations of the joys and pitfalls of online dating with affection and sometimes painful accuracy. Characters are introduced and may then disappear for ever, much like in life, and so it can read more like a memoir than a novel. But there are several threads running through and uniting it, including a search for self-discovery.
jane is an appealing character who is open to life and willing to take risks, including the risk of being hurt. She's affectionate and loyal to those who matter to her, including her elderly mother and an old friend she could have abandoned when things got tough, travelling long distances to see them. I won't give away the result of her dating adventures but I enjoyed taking this journey with her and found the book a compelling read. I wish I had as much courage!
jane is an appealing character who is open to life and willing to take risks, including the risk of being hurt. She's affectionate and loyal to those who matter to her, including her elderly mother and an old friend she could have abandoned when things got tough, travelling long distances to see them. I won't give away the result of her dating adventures but I enjoyed taking this journey with her and found the book a compelling read. I wish I had as much courage!
September 5, 2016
Timed Out achieves what every novel sets out to do: it tells the story of real life. It doesn’t sugar coat it or offer the reader a Holywood-esque version of one person’s day-to-day existence, instead Timed Out offers those brave enough to read it, a chance to see what life as an intelligent, single woman entering retirement is really like.
In her working life, Jane Lambert was a success. A driven member of the caring profession, she always put her career before her personal life. But as retirement age approaches, she begins to realise that may have been a mistake. Jane slowly grasps that she is alone, without focus, and wants more. The reader follows Jane’s journey as she learns that there is life beyond her career.
Hudson describes Timed Out as ‘a contemporary coming of age novel’ and that is accurate. Coming of age stories tend to focus on the teenage years, but with an aging population in which it is no longer rare to see three generations of one family retired simultaneously, early retirement is now a source of concern for many. The ‘saga’ generation are often depicted in the media holding hands, taking those long well-deserved holidays to oft dreamed of places. But for those who don’t have the funds or perhaps the companion with whom to enjoy this period, retirement can become a bleak prospect. Hudson describes this angst beautifully, coming as it does from her own experience. Timed Out opens with a provoking image of Jane alone in her apartment wondering what to do next. She has many friends but feels unable to trouble them. What she wants is a companion, someone to spend her remaining years with. Her determination to find love is beautifully portrayed by Hudson and her depictions of Jane’s trials propel the reader on, wanting to know whether she will get her happily-ever-after.
The only criticism comes from Hudson’s discussions of humanism. Jane (and the author) is a humanist. Humanism is (I didn’t know what that was either) “a rationalist outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters” (thank you wiki). In using this belief system, Hudson cleverly shows the reader how rational a character Jane is, offering an insight into the nature of the protagonist. But after a while the reader feels lectured at. Again and again Jane argues with her friends about religion and wonders at the final wishes of a deceased Catholic colleague. After a while it became exhausting and detracts from story. One particular passage set at Auschwitz reads like a lecture rather than an accurate portrayal of the emotions that camp can evoke.
That aside, Timed Out is great story that elicits a well-needed discussion on retirement.
In her working life, Jane Lambert was a success. A driven member of the caring profession, she always put her career before her personal life. But as retirement age approaches, she begins to realise that may have been a mistake. Jane slowly grasps that she is alone, without focus, and wants more. The reader follows Jane’s journey as she learns that there is life beyond her career.
Hudson describes Timed Out as ‘a contemporary coming of age novel’ and that is accurate. Coming of age stories tend to focus on the teenage years, but with an aging population in which it is no longer rare to see three generations of one family retired simultaneously, early retirement is now a source of concern for many. The ‘saga’ generation are often depicted in the media holding hands, taking those long well-deserved holidays to oft dreamed of places. But for those who don’t have the funds or perhaps the companion with whom to enjoy this period, retirement can become a bleak prospect. Hudson describes this angst beautifully, coming as it does from her own experience. Timed Out opens with a provoking image of Jane alone in her apartment wondering what to do next. She has many friends but feels unable to trouble them. What she wants is a companion, someone to spend her remaining years with. Her determination to find love is beautifully portrayed by Hudson and her depictions of Jane’s trials propel the reader on, wanting to know whether she will get her happily-ever-after.
The only criticism comes from Hudson’s discussions of humanism. Jane (and the author) is a humanist. Humanism is (I didn’t know what that was either) “a rationalist outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters” (thank you wiki). In using this belief system, Hudson cleverly shows the reader how rational a character Jane is, offering an insight into the nature of the protagonist. But after a while the reader feels lectured at. Again and again Jane argues with her friends about religion and wonders at the final wishes of a deceased Catholic colleague. After a while it became exhausting and detracts from story. One particular passage set at Auschwitz reads like a lecture rather than an accurate portrayal of the emotions that camp can evoke.
That aside, Timed Out is great story that elicits a well-needed discussion on retirement.
December 20, 2016
I normally read fiction for young people, and fantasy or sci/fi, so this was a refreshing change for me, to read about a retired person in a novel both contemporary and literary. I loved this, as a well-written story which is all at the same time honest, vulnerable, moving and thought-provoking.
Jane Lambert's quest for love and meaning in her later years is at times funny, and at others tragic. This novel is a glorious mixture of the realities of human life: joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, hope and despair, all within a context of caring friendships. Jane herself is a fascinating character, avoiding all the glib stereotypes about the elderly. She is unwilling to resign herself to a sad and lonely old age. She is determined to improve her personal situation in her sixties and seventies, and I found myself cheering her on.
The men that she meets through internet dating reveal the male half of the species in less than glowing terms, but by contrast her friendships with a family from her childhood, and with her work colleagues, show the very best that such relationships can offer.
Perhaps most moving of all for me is Jane's deep attraction to the wonder, awe and mystery of religion (through paintings, statues and sacred places), but she finds herself unable to take that final step of faith for intellectual reasons. Jane is a committed Humanist, and although she can't accept the Christian faith for herself, I think she still respects those who can.
For those in middle age or beyond, or those who want to understand this stage of life, I would thoroughly recommend the invitation implied within this story: to reassess our priorities in life while we still have the time to do so, and to focus our energies, attention and love on what really matters.
Jane Lambert's quest for love and meaning in her later years is at times funny, and at others tragic. This novel is a glorious mixture of the realities of human life: joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, hope and despair, all within a context of caring friendships. Jane herself is a fascinating character, avoiding all the glib stereotypes about the elderly. She is unwilling to resign herself to a sad and lonely old age. She is determined to improve her personal situation in her sixties and seventies, and I found myself cheering her on.
The men that she meets through internet dating reveal the male half of the species in less than glowing terms, but by contrast her friendships with a family from her childhood, and with her work colleagues, show the very best that such relationships can offer.
Perhaps most moving of all for me is Jane's deep attraction to the wonder, awe and mystery of religion (through paintings, statues and sacred places), but she finds herself unable to take that final step of faith for intellectual reasons. Jane is a committed Humanist, and although she can't accept the Christian faith for herself, I think she still respects those who can.
For those in middle age or beyond, or those who want to understand this stage of life, I would thoroughly recommend the invitation implied within this story: to reassess our priorities in life while we still have the time to do so, and to focus our energies, attention and love on what really matters.
August 11, 2016
An engrossing read
As an equally old man to the heroine of this book I enjoyed it enormously and read it in one sitting. Beautifully written, full of wise insights, and a cast of characters I was sad to relinquish.
As an equally old man to the heroine of this book I enjoyed it enormously and read it in one sitting. Beautifully written, full of wise insights, and a cast of characters I was sad to relinquish.
March 25, 2017
Congratulations to Barbara Hudson for bravely embracing the subject of sex in later life and showing that internet dating isn't just for the young.
April 12, 2017
A frank, moving, and funny account of the trials and tribulations of an older woman looking for love and companionship. I really enjoyed this well written story; the author doesn't shy away from telling how it is for people not in the first flush of youth. Be warned, some sad and moving episodes, but ultimately an uplifting story full of hope and positivity.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews