A Strong Pure Voice in Fiction for the Aged

 

There are some brilliant novels coming out over the next five months and I plan to buy as many as I can, for I strongly believe in supporting our authors. But yesterday I received a very special mail delivery: an advanced copy of a novel by one of my favourite contemporary authors, Joanna Nell. Thanks to the generosity of Joanna and her publisher, Hachette Australia, I now have The Great Escape From Woodlands Nursing Home in my hands. I am both honoured and thrilled as I sincerely love Joanna’s books and enjoy telling others about them. I will be writing a feature closer to her third book’s release on October 27th, 2020 (that will include an interview with Joanna) but in the meantime I just had to say a few words about why I love her writing.

Every time Joanna has a new release, I get very excited and run out and buy my copy as soon as it hits the shelves because I know it will not only be a top seller but it will be warm, wise, witty and wonderful.  I believe her fiction stands alone in its unique subject matter for she has a deep understanding of the senior’s world with all its quirks, difficulties and humour. She delivers her stories with a compassionate heart, freeing the voices of those from a much-ignored sector of society. As she unwraps and opens that box of great insight, she gives the reader such amazing viewpoints. You will laugh, cry, clutch your chest at times, feel that knot in your stomach and sigh as you follow the predicaments of these precious souls. Every page you turn will be rewarding and you will close the cover of each book feeling you have been touched, enlightened and uplifted for reading these characters’ stories. For Joanna writes with a braveness and finesse that takes you inside her characters’ minds and allows you to slip on their shoes and see what it is like to walk, stumble, leap or even fall at the far end of life’s journey.

On the way, we learn that sometimes memories can carry us through the valleys but they can also hold us hostage when our faculties falter. This is life with all its ups and downs through the process of ageing but Joanna not only exposes the trials, she also reveals the treasures. She shows us that friendship and love still reign supreme no matter what the age.

Like Joanna I have grown up with a great interest and passion for the elderly. In my teen years I visited nursing homes and hospitals with my guitar, played and sang songs for the seniors. It always gave them such joy. It was a small token of my appreciation for the wisdom they offered me. For I always left their presence brighter and richer from the light they shone in my world. 

Advanced seniors have also been a big part of my life, too, for I have been blessed with a number of family members who have lived past the 100 mark. I remember as a child sitting on my great, great grandmother’s knee (she died at 107) hearing about Canada’s Confederation for she was alive then. Her stories were priceless. The progress she witnessed left me in awe.  She was a part of Canada’s early history. 

And there have been others such as my great uncle Arnold Hawkins who is now 109 and, at last count, is considered to be the oldest man in Canada. He still lives in his home that he built when he was young. He still shaves his face and jokes about the secret of his longevity. He told the news reporters on his last birthday, that he eats lots of fish and potatoes. But he also has a sweet tooth and yet he is as healthy as can be! 

 I grew up with a love for seniors and believe they have so much to offer us in their experience and advice. Their eyes have seen different worlds than ours. They have lived through so many challenges and changes and I believe deserve the respect they have earned.

So, I love that Joanna has made seniors her focus in fiction. For those of us who have read her books, we can sing her praises freely for she is without a doubt a brilliant story-teller. 

I must also mention I love the aged or distressed design of her book covers and colour coding of each and how they relate to the titles. Green for Woodlands, Red for a ship’s Lifebuoy and Purple for the Jacaranda. All beautifully rendered inside and out. A perfect package of words and images.

I urge everyone to get a copy of her first two books, The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village and The Last Voyage of Mrs. Henry Parker so that you are ready for her third installment The Great Escape From Woodlands Nursing Home due out October 27th, 2020 through Hachette Australia.

Now excuse me while I pull up a chair, fluff the pillows and curl up with her latest offering!