Tag Archive | Maddie Please

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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Sunrise With The Silver Surfers by Maddie Please

Jan16

Delightfully Fun

Sunrise With The Silver Surfers by Maddie Please is a delightfully fun contemporary novel that will make you smile as you read of sun-filled days.

The novel is set in Australia. Maddie Please has some wonderfully descriptive passages enabling the reader to ‘see’ the landscape and ‘feel’ the heat. As with life, it is not always sunny. The storms come but after the rain, the sun comes out. The weather mirrors the action.

I loved all the characters. It is so refreshing to have the lead characters approaching sixty. Maddie Please shows that growing old does not have to mean slowing down and wearing beige! Life is for living. We can be just as colourful and enjoy life at sixty as at twenty. Life is not just for the young, life is for everyone.

We witness a character coming to life again after years of being squashed down. New horizons enable her to expand and become the girl she used to be.

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Old Friends Reunited by Maddie Please

Jul17

Grab Life With Both Hands

 Old Friends Reunited by Maddie Please is a delightful contemporary novel that will put a smile on your face.

The leading characters are three sixty year old women who have been friends since school. It is lovely to get glimpses of the girls they once were as they reminisce. It is refreshing to have leading characters who are not in the first flush of youth. They were very easy for me to relate to.

We see that life is for living. While we are still breathing, we can still grab life with both hands. We may retire from our jobs but we do not need to retire from life.

A jaded life is given a new lease, fresh inspiration and the opportunity to try new things. Life opens up after accepting an invitation to travel from Britain to reunite with school friends in France. Life in Britain seems grey in contrast to the vibrancy of France.

As the novel progresses it is a joy to see a life blossom.

Our children always need us no matter how old they are. Too often they see us as their mum and not a person in our own right with a life to live that is ours alone.

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Sisters Behaving Badly by Maddie Please

Nov26

Really Fun

Sisters Behaving Badly by Maddie Please is a most delightful contemporary novel that made me chuckle throughout and left me smiling.

The main characters are two sisters in their sixties. Life has dealt them some hard knocks along the way. Maddie Please shows that you are never too old to have a new beginning. It is refreshing to read a book where the characters are not in the first throws of youth.

The action takes place in France as the sisters renovate their late aunt’s house. As the house is brought back to life, we see this mirrored in the two main characters. A grey Britain seemed to have knocked the stuffing out of them. In contrast, a sunny France breathes new life into the sisters.

Maddie Please has created a warm and witty novel with some highly amusing scenes which had me literally laughing out loud. Growing old does not have to mean growing up. No matter how old you are, you can still have fun in life. New possibilities and experiences are there to be grabbed.

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