They must have seen me coming

by Louise Brindley

Brindley describes her work in a home for old people in the seaside town of Eastmarch where she used her courage, laughter, and common sense to turn a soulless, restrictive institution into a real home for its elderly residents

278 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book completely charming and touching. It made me laugh and also brought tears. I could empathize with the elderly inhabitants of The Hollies, a home for the elderly, located in the seaside town of Eastmarch. Once I started reading, I didn't want to put this book down.

I borrowed the following quotes from the book jacket.

"Old people may seem uninteresting to many, but the inhabitants of The Hollies stride across the pages, vivid, fascinating, and so real that I began to think of them as old friends. Louise Brindley herself emerges as the most intriguing of all: couragous, afraid, vulnerable but undefeated, she comes through as a compassionate woman with a core of steel and an unquenchable sense of humor."

Another favorite author, James Herriot, wrote: "This is a funny book, a warm and exciting book about ordinary people - the kind who exist in every town - old folk - who are so easily ignored and whose problems are submerged in the rush of life... touching and vastly entertaining."

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had some trouble getting into the story at the beginning, but once I got further in I enjoyed it very much. I admire the narrator for how well she got to know the people at the Hollies, and how much she cared about them.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a warm, exciting and funny book. It is written about ordinary people, ordinary things...the kind who live in an ordinary town. Louise Brindley found a job in a seaside town working for The Hollies, an old age home, as an administrator. Louise struggles to manage the day to day behavior and problems of old people. She has a sense of humor that allows her to remain in touch with her staff and the necessities of daily life. Louise learns how to manage by asking questions and listening to these old folks. Each one has a story. This is a happy story about how Louise turned a soulless institution into a real home.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite fun and lovely read. Her experiences with the "oldies" at The Hollies teach her that life is not over when you get old, and not to forget or ignore the aged just because they are aged. Get to know about people by talking to — and listening to — them. Show them you care, even if they don't acknowledge it. The ordinary can do the extraordinary.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a read aloud to Greg on the bus and whenever else we had time. A few laugh out loud moments in the author's describing of life at the "Hollies", an old people's home.

[Carol]

interesting insights as to how people become what they are.