Tag Archive | Maddie Please

Sisters Making Mischief by Maddie Please

Nov22

Warmth, Welcome & Wit

Sisters Making Mischief by Maddie Please is the most charming contemporary novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I always enjoy novels by Maddie Please as she writes with warmth, welcome and wit. Sisters Making Mischief is like the sun appearing on a grey day, it cheers the reader from the start.

The reader, along with the main character, is transported from a tense Christmas in Britain to a carefree new year in France. The atmosphere and problems in England are in complete opposite to the carefree, fun atmosphere at her sisters in the French countryside. There is a new life, along with new possibilities awaiting.

The lead characters are in their sixties and there is a sprightly mother-in-law who is eighty four. They all show that life is for living whatever your age. It is glorious to see characters not in the first flush of youth enjoying and being invigorated by life.

Maddie Please injects much humor into her tale. With an accident prone lead character, I found myself literally laughing out loud throughout the story. There were some truly hilarious scenes.

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Old Girls On Deck by Maddie Please

Jul4

Bermuda Triangle

Old Girls On Deck by Maddie Please is the most delightfully fun contemporary novel that warmed my heart.

Maddie Please has created a wonderful set of characters who meet up and interact on a cruise ship. The leading ladies are sisters and both in their sixties. They make friends with an octogenarian who shows them how to have fun.

Growing older does not have to mean settling. Whilst we still have breath, life is for living.

The sisters re-evaluate their lives. One has been a captain’s widow for five years. She has spent her life in the shadow of her husband. Now it is time to stop hiding behind his memory and start to live and find herself again. Her opinions and knowledge are worth listening to.

The other sister is thankful for her steadfast husband of thirty five years. Now that he is newly retired, she realizes there is a whole world out there to explore. Life is much more than pottering in the garden and television dinners.

The reader is treated to the sights and sounds, the smells and flavours of the Mediterranean. We can almost ‘feel’ the heat and ‘taste’ the delicacies.

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The Old Ducks’ Hen Do by Maddie Please

Nov20

Really Fun

The Old Ducks’ Hen Do by Maddie Please is a really fun contemporary novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The characters are all in their sixties showing that life is for living. “Life is what you make it.” You are never too old to have a fresh start or to have fun.

Ten days in Mallorca for a hen do really invigorate the characters. Their villa is next door to a male group of twitchers, all over sixty. Together they have fun and characters who have been dormant for years, begin to blossom.

A chance meeting with an old sweetheart, sets a heart a flutter, as the years just peel away. Like a vintage wine, age has improved both of them.

All the characters are delightfully drawn. They know how to have fun. This light-filled atmosphere illuminates’ lives. Easy banter volleys backwards and forwards between the characters. It is also highly amusing.

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A Vintage Vacation by Maddie Please

Jun2

Carpe Diem

A Vintage Vacation by Maddie Please is an absolutely delightful contemporary novel that warmed my heart and made me smile.

The leading characters are all over sixty and full of fun, vigor and life, proving that life is for living whatever your age. The characters are a breath of fresh air as they breeze through the novel.

Much of the book is set in Italy. The landscapes spring into life under the artistic pen of Maddie Please. The vim and vigor of Italy contrasts sharply with London which squashes the life out of the characters.

There is the theme of what defines us. “There’s more to life than your job.” We are so much more than what we do. Our lives are there to be lived. We witness the natural landscape drawing the life out of the ladies. Life is to be grabbed, seized and lived. Put away the corporate and embrace the natural.

Family and friends – old and new – are important. We need to enjoy our time together while we can. Life is short. Eternity is long. No one on their deathbed ever says “I wish I’d spent more time at the office.” We need to re-order our priorities and live right.

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