All About Ella in Aussie Readers

Aug 22, 2021 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2021-release, net-galley, contemporary-fiction, aussie-authors, 5000-2021, read-on-kindle, own-read, arc

Seventy-year-old Ella Sinclair had recently lost her husband Sam after fifty years of marriage. The last few weeks had been hard, and she was struggling. But living with her eldest son, Anthony, his wife Kirsten and two teenage children was not the answer as Ella and Kirsten would never get along. When Anthony informed her she needed to give him control over the money from the sale of her and Sam’s house, it was the final straw. With her suitcase in her car, she left Anthony’s home and drove to Seventy-year-old Ella Sinclair had recently lost her husband Sam after fifty years of marriage. The last few weeks had been hard, and she was struggling. But living with her eldest son, Anthony, his wife Kirsten and two teenage children was not the answer as Ella and Kirsten would never get along. When Anthony informed her she needed to give him control over the money from the sale of her and Sam’s house, it was the final straw. With her suitcase in her car, she left Anthony’s home and drove to Cutlers Bay where her good friends Yvonne and Frank lived. Just a few hours from Adelaide on the Yorke Peninsula, Ella was emotionally exhausted when she arrived – to make it worse, her friends weren’t home. What would she do now?

Forty-year-old Angie was driving to Perth from Cairns, and on the way she stopped off in Cutlers Bay to pick up some work. She wasn’t in any hurry and her independent nature saw her enjoying her life – most of the time. When Angie and Ella became friends, Ella gradually adjusted herself to the situation she was in, while Anthony continued to phone, driving the local cop, Zach, mad. When Ella made a decision, which she didn’t think was rash, she’d put a deposit on an old home overlooking the ocean at the end of a dead-end road. It was in desperate need of repair, but it was what Anthony did next that shattered her spirit. Would Ella have to return to Adelaide with her tail between her legs?

All About Ella is another brilliant novel by Aussie author Meredith Appleyard which I loved. An excellent plot which saw a woman who was determined to have her own life, and her family equally determined she wouldn’t. It also shows how people who aren’t related – Angie, Zach, Claire, Leon, Ruth, Gabby – are sometimes more family than the real family. Love and loyalty, trust and compassion – All About Ella is a remarkable, heartwarming novel which I recommend highly. I’ve loved all Ms Appleyard’s books, and this one is no exception!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
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Aug 25, 2021 Helen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copy-from-netgalley

This is such a beautiful story so beautifully written it is heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time, the emotions flow from the pages and the characters, such a lovely setting a small seaside town of Cutlers Bay on the York Peninsula in South Australia. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Ella and Angie as I am sure any reader will.

Ella is seventy years old and has just lost her husband after fifty years of marriage, her world has been turned upside down as she knew it, when her three childre This is such a beautiful story so beautifully written it is heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time, the emotions flow from the pages and the characters, such a lovely setting a small seaside town of Cutlers Bay on the York Peninsula in South Australia. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Ella and Angie as I am sure any reader will.

Ella is seventy years old and has just lost her husband after fifty years of marriage, her world has been turned upside down as she knew it, when her three children step in and start to reorganise her life getting her to sell her house and move in with her eldest son Anthony and his family. Things don’t go to plan and Ella argues with Anthony and takes off on her own and finds herself in the town of Cutlers Bay, here she meets up with Angie who is forty and moves around a lot and an instant friendship happens, she also meets the local cop Zach, he has his own thoughts about Ella and Angie especially when Ella’s son keeps ringing him.

Angie roams a lot never settling in one place for too long, she appears happy this way, but this time she is aiming to get to Perth and look up her mother, but meeting Ella in her time of need keeps her in Cutlers Bay longer than she meant to stay and when Ella decides on buying a house Angie agrees to help her and their friendship grows even more. Angie picks up some shifts at the pub and finds herself getting closer to Zach and for the first time taking off again doesn’t seem to be calling to her like before but she must find her mother.

When Ella’s son Anthony puts a spanner in the works about the house Ella wants to buy she shows her strength and shows them that just because you are getting older it doesn’t mean that you can’t think for yourself and with the friends that Ella has made she stands up to her family and I could do nothing but cheer her on.

This is a fabulous story that I loved from start to finish, I loved how Ella stood her ground when her family decided that they could use the money more than she could and that she wanted a life that she planned and would make her happy helped along with the wonderful new friends she has made Angie, Claire, Zach and so many others from the town she shows that family doesn’t have to be blood related. This is a story that I highly recommend, truly it is a must read it shows when push comes to shove how strong you can be with the help of friends.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my copy to read and review.
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Apr 03, 2022 Catsalive rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aww, 2022

I enjoyed this so much I'm going to track down the author's back catalogue.

This is a story about ageing & family. Ella is 70 & has recently lost her husband of 50 years, & her "delightful" children rush in to take advantage of her vulnerable state, forcing her into a path she wouldn't have chosen for herself. Fighting back, Ella escapes this untenable situation & makes a life elsewhere with the help of friends she makes in a small country town.

The story is told by Ella Sinclair, Angie Daniels & ...more

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May 28, 2022 LauraW rated it it was amazing

Shelves: family-issues, adult-fiction, australian, mental-health-issues, elderly-person

I read this book a while back and didn't review it then, but it has lingered with me - even some of the details - and that is unusual for me. It is an insightful story about relationships, with family and with the community and some of the changes that life brings as we age. I enjoy the feel of the book. It is just a story. It isn't attempting to convince you of any particular point of view, it is a character centered exploration of possible events in these lives. I enjoyed it. ...more

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