A wonderful novel about four very different grandmothers: Blanche, who can't seem to stop stealing things from the local pharmacy; Minna, who just wants a quiet life in her shepherd's hut, though the local children have other ideas; Cherry, who's adjusting to life in a care home; and Nan, whose favourite occupation is researching funerals - whose lives and grandchildren become unexpectedly entangled.
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[Nan Appleby, waiting for the kettle to boil in the kitchen of her fifth-floor flat, observed the signs of weather]***
(Viking, 7 November 2019, 304 pages, hardback, ARC from @VikingBooks and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogTour 11 November)
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There's something I really enjoyed about this book. First off, it's beautifully written and got so engrossed I devoured the book in a couple of hours. The book is not plot driven but rather focused on the characters, especially the grandmothers of the title. This is news to me as I tend to read very plot-driven books so it took a few chapters for me to adjust. I thought the characters were excellent, all different and distinctive, well-written and very real. I really enjoyed spending time with them and taking a tour of their world. Nan is sort of a bad-ass and I thought she was terrific. Minna with her love of books is a woman after my own heart and her friendship with young Rose is very touching. Blanche seems a very sad figure, forbidden to see her beloved Granddaughter Kitty for drinking too much. I enjoyed the way the stories of the three women gradually come together at Kew Gardens. I liked the way their eventual meeting seemed natural and not forced by the author.
