Written by Liz Davies⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Today, I am delighted to be on the blog tour organised by Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for Liz Davies' latest publication, The Not So Golden Oldies. And as always, I must start by thanking Ms Davies for a free digital copy of her book to review.
The blurb:
When retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be…Meena Fisher is a middle-aged medical secretary with a husband, two grandchildren, a house to run, and more hobbies than you can shake a stick at. She is perfectly happy with her life just the way it is.
Her husband, Oscar, is a middle-aged workaholic who spends his days either in the office or on the golf course. With his wife looking after both him and the house, he gets on with the business of making money. He is also perfectly happy with his life just the way it is.
They share a house, and they sometimes eat dinner together if they can both manage to be in the same place at the same time. Aside from that, their paths rarely cross. The arrangement suits them both.
But when Oscar is forced to take early retirement and decides it’s only fair that he takes over the running of the house, both their previously happy lives are turned upside down.
The question is, can they find a way to live together with the new status quo? And, more importantly, do they want to?
My thoughts:
Having previously read a couple of Ms Davies’ rom coms, I could not resist signing up for this blog tour! The blurb sounded right up my street, and the cover suggested a happy ending, albeit with a hiccough or two.
The Not So Golden Oldies struck a chord with me, as my husband is newly fully retired. … And I’ll leave it there.
This story is about the rekindling of a relationship brought about by a change in circumstances. Meena and Oscar have been married for nearly forty years, and have settled into a comfortable routine, leading almost completely separate lives. He has his work and hobbies, and she has hers. Oscar had devoted his life to his work, and his outside work activities such as playing golf, were really ways of networking and keeping in touch with his work away from the office. I felt that Oscar did not consider Meena while he was employed as his work was all-consuming.
Meena brought up their son Anton more-or-less single-handed until he flew the nest, and has filled her time with various interests and activities to keep herself occupied. She is always on the go and likes to be busy, so even when she is sitting watching TV, she is also knitting. Meena's priority is keeping her home immaculately clean and tidy, and her interests and activities are not shared with or by Oscar.
Newly and unexpectedly retired Oscar, having discovered that his golfing hobby was more about work than pleasure, is at a loose end. Meena still works, and has her social activities, and the pair don’t seem to have anything in common these days.
I found myself walking in Meena's shoes. Her workload could be eased by having Oscar take over some of the household duties; but it could also be doubled if his efforts do not come up to her standards, and she feels she must do, or re-do something that he thinks is done or can be done later. It seemed to me that she has very high standards of cleanliness, and Oscar didn't have the same eye for detail, or urgent need to tackle something as it happened to prevent it from becoming a bigger job when he was ready to deal with it.
Oscar does have his good points, and his caring nature comes out once he has retired, and has time to devote to something other than his job.
The Not So Golden Oldies is an interesting, and for me, a thought-provoking story about a couple learning to accept and deal with the changes that have come their way, as they move to the next stage in their lives.
Author Bio – Liz Davies
Liz Davies writes feel-good, light-hearted stories with a hefty dose of romance, a smattering of humour, and a great deal of love.
She’s married to her best friend, has one grown-up daughter, and when she isn’t scribbling away in the notepad she carries with her everywhere (just in case inspiration strikes), you’ll find her searching for that perfect pair of shoes. She loves to cook but isn’t very good at it, and loves to eat - she’s much better at that! Liz also enjoys walking (preferably on the flat), cycling (also on the flat), and lots of sitting around in the garden on warm, sunny days.
She currently lives with her family in Wales, but would ideally love to buy a camper van and travel the world in it.
Website: https://lizdaviesauthor.wixsite.com/home
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