Growing old disgracefully and having a grand old time…
Billy and Dawnie may be in their seventies, but that won’t stop them taking chances or starting
again. Their grown-up children have families and lives of their own, so now it’s Billy and Dawnie’s
turn, and a life near the sea in Devon beckons.
But the residents of Margot Street (or Maggot Street as Dawnie insists on calling it), don’t quite know what to make of their new neighbours. Billy’s loud, shiny and huge Harley Davidson looks out of place next to the safe and sensible Honda Jazz next door, and Dawnie’s never-ending range of
outrageous wigs and colourful clothes, means she’s impossible to miss.
As new friendships are formed and new adventures are shared, Billy and Dawnie start winning their neighbours’ affection. And when life teaches them all a terrible lesson, the folks of Margot Street are determined to live every day as if it’s their last.
Judy Leigh returns with a soul-warming, rib-tickling, timeless tale of true love, true friendship and
happy-ever-afters.
Judy Leigh is the bestselling author of Five French Hens, A Grand Old Time and The Age of Misadventure and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.
My thoughts:
When I was little we lived across the road from a very nice Hell’s Angel called Harley Bob and his family. He’s apparently famous in biker circles and once rescued my My Little Pony from the roof after my friend’s grumpy big brother chucked it up there.
So I knew when Billy and Dawnie roared into Margot Close that they probably weren’t the terrible people some of their neighbours took them to be. And indeed they’re kind, generous, joyful people, they’ve not always had it easy but now as they’re getting older and their kids have grown, they’re looking for someone to live out the rest of their lives in peace and comfort. And they’re doing it in Devon, not far from where some of my family live.
It was nice to be reminded how lovely that part of the world is, especially as I can’t exactly go there at the moment, and I loved Dawnie – she’s so glam and full of life. Their friends and neighbours are pretty lovely too, Dilly cracked me up with her love of Bruce Willis and Prosecco.
This book has a lot of heart and is full of funny, warm-hearted and delightful people you want in your life. There are some sad parts too, and one in particular was shocking and jarring, coming as it did towards the end, but that’s part of life too. I recommend keeping some tissues to hand if, like me, you get a little wet eyed (who’s chopping onions?) at those moments.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
