Lily Harford's Last Request in Aussie Readers

Jan 28, 2022 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 3500-2022, read-on-kindle, contemporary-fiction, aussie-authors, net-galley, 2022-release, arc, own-read

Lily Harford and her daughter had always been close as Pauline grew from toddler to teenager and young woman. Lily was a single mother and their support of one another shone through as Pauline married Sam, had Rachel who then married and had two children. Now Lily was in her eighties, her body and mind were slowing down. She knew the big house she’d always lived in was too big for her, but Lily wasn’t prepared to go to a nursing home. The battle that Pauline and Sam went through to see her settl ...more

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Feb 01, 2022 Helen rated it really liked it

Shelves: review-copy-from-netgalley

This is a really emotional story, beautifully told, it takes in the life of Lily Harford, as she is getting older and wanting to decide when she leaves this world can she find someone who will have the courage to help her, maybe her daughter Pauline or nurse assistant Donna, this is a story that is sure to keep the reader turning the pages.

Lily has lived a full life in the small coastal town of Finn Bay on the Pacific Ocean, she has run her own account firm and been a single mum to her daughter ...more

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Feb 07, 2022 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it

Shelves: aussie-author, arc-are, netgalley-reviews

Lily Harford’s Last Request is a thoughtful, emotional debut novel from Joanna Buckley.

Shifting between timelines, though set primarily in the present, this story unfolds from three points of view, octogenarian Lily confronted with a diagnosis of dementia; her daughter Pauline, a stressed wife and school principal; and single woman Donna, a nursing assistant.

Through flashbacks, Lily is shown as an accomplished, strong woman who was widowed early, raised an illegitimate daughter alone, and founde Lily Harford’s Last Request is a thoughtful, emotional debut novel from Joanna Buckley.

Shifting between timelines, though set primarily in the present, this story unfolds from three points of view, octogenarian Lily confronted with a diagnosis of dementia; her daughter Pauline, a stressed wife and school principal; and single woman Donna, a nursing assistant.

Through flashbacks, Lily is shown as an accomplished, strong woman who was widowed early, raised an illegitimate daughter alone, and founded a successful accountancy firm, through, and beyond, an era that frowned on such actions. In the present, Lily is devastated by a diagnosis that forces her to move from her beloved home into a nursing care facility and, frightened by the inevitable erosion of her dignity, wants to secure help to end her life on her terms. To be honest I expected Lily to have a more active role in the story, but her character is quite passive.

Usually capable and confident, as her beloved mother’s well-being declines, so too do Pauline’s emotional reserves. She’s horrified by Lily’s wish to die, and her feelings of guilt, fear and grief affects both her personal relationships and her patience with the demands of her career. Reluctant to acknowledge these stresses, Pauline struggles to hold herself together, and I sympathised with her distress.

After enduring a series of toxic relationships, Donna has discovered that she loves working in aged care, and her job provides her with some sorely lacking confidence. Though she empathises with Lily’s desire to end her life, she’s not willing to jeopardise her job, or her freedom, by agreeing to help her.

From each perspective, Buckley insightfully explores many serious life challenges such as identity, ageing, end of life decisions, mental health, loss, and family relationships. It’s an emotional journey for the characters, which Buckley presents thoughtfully and with compassion. I thought all three women came across as realistic, however I did wonder as to why such an independent woman as Lily didn’t make her own preparations to end her life (eg stockpile pills) rather than ask others to assume the risk.

There is some lovely writing in Lily Harford’s Last Request, but it’s a little heavy on the exposition, and the dialogue is sometimes clunky. I also found the pace to be a little uneven. I appreciated the epilogue, and the gentle twist.

Lily Harford’s Last Request is a thought provoking and engaging read that explores a controversial subject with sensitivity. ...more

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Mar 04, 2022 Catsalive rated it liked it

Shelves: aww, 2022

3.5*
I enjoyed the story although it was a bit disjointed with all that jumping around in time. It's very close to my heart, the right to choose your time to go - very harrowing for your family, but certainly you should be able to make that choice for yourself before you become a vegetable.

I liked the very ordinary human aspect of the tale. How do people cope with this sort of thing? Thanks to religion we're not taught very much about the end of life except for the whole boring heaven thing. Ther ...more

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Dec 25, 2021 Janine rated it really liked it

Shelves: net-galley, for-review

Lily Harford’s last request is a debut novel by Melbourne writer Joanna Buckley. Lily has always lead a rather full life with raising a daughter on her own and setting up her very successful book keeping business. It is with a lot of regret that her daughter Pauline makes the joint decision to move Lily (who is now in her 80’s) into care as she is showing early signs of dementia. Lily accepts that this must happen and strikes up a friendship with Donna who is one of the PCA’s that work at the fa ...more

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