“Peggy Smart was ninety per cent sure it was Monday.”
Peggy Smart is a 79-year-old widow, who misses her husband dreadfully. But it’s been four years since Ted’s been gone and Peggy is developing a crush on Jacaranda Retirement Village’s most eligible bachelor, Brian Cornell.
Peggy has been feeling overwhelmed lately. Her bladder is conspiring against her and so are her two children, David and Jenny. They go into worry overdrive after Peggy has a fall at the beach.
But then a new resident arrives in the retirement village – the glamourous Angie Valentine. She’s Peggy’s best friend from school, a former model and fashion designer, who is immaculately styled, confident and rebellious – everything that Peggy is not. With Angie by her side, Peggy starts to bust out of the prison she’s built for herself.
The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village is a funny, compassionate and heartwarming story that speaks to the real challenges of ageing. Peggy is an adorable character – one of her most endearing traits is the way she muddles up adages: eg. ‘there was no point upsetting the apple tart’ or ‘we’ll burn that bridge when we come to it’.
I highly recommend this delightful and thoughtful book, especially to anyone who has an older person in their life. It will remind you that older people still have hopes and dreams for their life and want to make their own decisions about how they live.
-Katrina Roe, RRL
