The Ghosts Of The Past
The Dolce Vita Divas by Maddie Please is a most delightful contemporary novel that I read in just one sitting.
Maddie Please has created a wonderful, light-hearted read about second chances and really living life whatever your age.
All the characters are over sixty. They prove that age is no barrier to having fun. “I used to think life had passed me by and then I realized it hadn’t… Take every chance you get.” We need to grab life with both hands. We are never too old to re-write our story and to have a good ending – even an eighty-five-year-old knows how to live life. After all age is just a number.
The action is in the first person from the lead characters point of view. We get to know her intimately. Her life has been full, raising children but her first love has never left her heart. After her husband of many years left her (before the book opened), she realizes that now is the time to make some life changes.
A holiday in Capri with a friend, and in memory of another friend, offers new possibilities.
The landscape is in glorious technicolour compared with grey England. The reader can ‘feel’ the warmth and ‘see’ the vibrant colours.
We witness sibling rivalry and see various different parenting styles. We see that everyone appreciates being given boundaries as when we know the rules, life is simpler for all.
As we grow older, our role in life changes. Our children are grown and “I wanted to feel needed again.” We need to be adaptable as life changes. Growing older can still mean life is full and fun.
I always enjoy the novels of Maddie Please. They bring a smile to my face. Light-hearted banter is amusing and her characters are a joy to behold.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
The Dolce Vita Divas
Sunshine, Sisterhood, and Second Chances
At the ripe (and fabulous) age of 64, Joanna Dawson finds herself feeling ever so slightly… meh. Her husband, Greg, has run off with a TBT (thin, blonde, trollop, obviously), her kids have flown the nest, and her social calendar is emptier than her wine rack.
As Jo’s 65th birthday looms, she’s left wondering: Is this it?
Enter Susie, her best friend, with an offer Jo can’t quite refuse: an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to honour their late friend Ellen. Jo’s not sure she wants to go all the way to Italy, but with nothing else to do and if only to make Susie happy, she agrees. A holiday is a holiday after all.
Capri is even more gorgeous than Jo imagined and soon she and Susie are having the time of their life, especially as Jo is reunited with her dashing first love, Paulo. The one who, most definitely, got away…
Things might have fizzled with Paulo decades ago, but in the land of sun, pasta, and far too much wine, Jo begins to wonder: Could this be her second chance at life…and amore?
Pack your bags for a heartwarming, fun, and sun-drenched adventure as Jo discovers that life after 64 might just be the most exciting chapter yet.
Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/dolcevitadivas
Author Bio –
Maddie Please is the author of bestselling joyous tales of older women. She has had a career as a dentist and now lives in rural Herefordshire where she enjoys box sets, red wine and Christmas.
Social Media Links –
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Twitter: @MaddiePlease1
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Bookbub profile: @MaddiePlease
