The Golden Oldies Book Club by Judy Leigh
Deep in the Somerset countryside, the Combe
Pomeroy village library hosts a monthly book club.
Ruth, the librarian, fears she's too old to find love, but a discussion about Lady Chatterley's Lover makes her think again.
Aurora doesn't feel seventy-two and longs to relive the excitement of her youth, while Verity is increasingly tired of her husband Mark's grumpiness and wonders if their son's imminent flight from the nest might be just the moment for her to fly too. And Danielle is fed up with her cheating husband. So indeed, life has more in store for her than settling for second best?
The glue that holds Combe Pomeroy together is Jeannie. Doyenne of the local cider farm and heartbeat of her family and community, no one has noticed that Jeannie needs some looking after too. So has the moment for her to retire finally arrived, and if so, what does her future hold?
From a book club French exchange trip to many celebrations at the farm, this is the year that everything changes; those lifelong friendships are tested, and for some women, they finally get the love they deserve.
The Golden Oldies' Book Club is a feel-good story based around brilliant mature characters who are relatable and credible. The subject matter of second chances, finding your true self and how life doesn't end just because you are getting on in years is always an excellent basis for a novel.
It is a captivating cosy read written with warmth and humour—friendship, emotion, love, joy, and laughter are abundant throughout the pages of this wonderful
story.
I thought I'd like it, but I loved it and am more than happy to recommend it.
I want to thank publishers Boldwood Books, author Judy Leigh and Rachels Random Resources for a copy to read and review.

Who doesn't love a book about books and book clubs?

Leigh's books are always an absolute delight to read and in a funny way reassure us oldies (over 50's) that it's never too late to start over or embark on something new.

This was heartwarming and uplifting, encompassing friendship, community and books, with a smattering of romance.

All of the characters are credible, their personalities so different but together they made for an entertaining, enjoyable read.

Scenes were set in both Somerset and France, both beautiful places and easy to visualise with the authors descriptions.

The Golden Oldies' Book Club is filled with fun and humour, and a fabulous feel-good read to cosy up with on a cold winter's day.

Many thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Such a good read. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their lives as we are gradually introduced. It's refreshing to have a cast of older characters in the lead - remind everyone that life isn't over when you reach middle age and beyond. Feisty Violet at 95 was brilliant - I have to confess to laughing at her jokes. Fun femaie supportive relationships and older romance - a real winner. #netgalley #thegoldenoldiesbookclub

My Review: I love Judy Leigh and her alter ego Elena. The writing is detailed, clever with just the right emotions and levels of seriousness. This story has a number of corny jokes and as my best friend Becky can confirm, her and her sister have been subjected to s0me of them. We start with Jeannie who is owner of an Apple Cider Farm that has been handed down by generati0ns. Jeannie is a kind of wonder woman in her 70s who also cares for her two grandkids and elderly mother Violet, in her mid 90s. Violet tells some really awful dad type jokes. I had to laugh at one of the characters sentiments, that all men are cheating pigs. The book club chatter and members are warm, engaging, funny and sometimes their opinions can be questionable. a wonderful and vibrant read. Fully recommended.

I am a big fan of Judy Leigh’s novels and love the mixture of comedy, romance and inspirational older heroines that you find in her books. I think the first of her novels I read was The Golden Girls’ Getaway back in December last year, and since then, she has definitely gone on my list of authors I’ll read anything by. Absolutely a top class writer and one of my favourites!
The Golden Oldies Book Club begins by introducing Jeannie Sharrock, who is 72 and owns the Cider Farm, which has been in the family for generations. Her mother Violet is still around at 95 and full of awful jokes! Family is an important part of their life and Jeannie’s twin grandchildren, Ella and Caleb (17) live with them too.
The village of Combe Pomeroy has a lot going on and is full of interesting characters, especially older women who are as busy in their retirement as they could possibly wish to be. Aurora Perry is 72 and runs the Cider Farm’s Café and Gift Shop. The book club (which is incredibly volatile!) is run by Ruth Barclay at the library, who wears so many metaphorical hats in the village, she should own a millinery.
Jeannie, Aurora, Ruth and Danielle meet up for a chat and a drink one evening. They’re all feeling a bit fed up, but Ruth has an idea. Along with Verity (who also goes to the book club), the five of them decide on a little trip away together, a chance to escape from their daily lives and hopefully have some fun and time off their work and chores. (You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens!)
There’s a lovely community spirit here and wonderfully strong friendships. As with any village, you get the annoying characters too, but everyone has their place and their role to play in the story. I have found that as a reader, you feel a part of the community too. I could definitely see myself at the book club and sharing a few Proseccos with the women afterwards.
Judy Leigh has a wonderfully warm writing style that brings you straight into the story and holds your interest throughout. I especially love how many of the stars of her stories are women in their seventies and older, still very much bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, having lots of fun and chasing their dreams. I do get fed up of novels where women in their twenties are complaining about getting old and still being unmarried or whatever. I’m in my fifties, but can relate to Judy’s characters much easier than someone three decades younger than me.
As with every book of hers I’ve read, this one is completely charming and lots of fun. Along with the novels she writes as Elena Collins (completely different, but again highly recommended), I plan to read everything Judy Leigh writes – and hopefully, there will be many more delightful books to come.

By now I have enjoyed quite a few books written by Judy Leigh and there is nearly always an older character that steals the show. In this book I think that was Violet! Although this story was more about a year in the life of Jeannie and her 4 friends and farm manager Barney, Violet, Jeannie's 95 year old mother was a real gem. Despite her age she was so full of life and jokes! The jokes were pretty bad, but they still made me laugh several times and I loved how involved she was with everyone and everything. I enjoyed seeing how all the 5 main female characters handles the changes, obstacles and possible romance that came on their paths, but as there were several characters to follow I was not as emotionally invested as I have been with other stories by Judy.

Sharrocks Cider Farm is something that Jeannie Sharrock has inherited from her parents. She tried to run it with her husband, but he left her. Then her son too decided to move abroad. This leaves Jeannie, not only running the farm, but responsible for her mother and her two grandchildren. There are days when she’s just weary of it all and wants to give it up. But how can she let her inheritance go?

One of the things that Jeannie enjoys is book club organized by the local librarian, Ruth. When Ruth organizes a trip to France for the ladies of the book club, life takes a new turn for them. They find love, clarity, a new lease of life and a change of perspective. And this experience translates into different choices for each of them back home.

Another lovely read from this author, bringing in elements of self-love, family, community and laced with humour and warmth.

I was looking forward to reading this story in which a group of older women shine, supporting each other and living life to its fullest. For some of those women – Ruth and Aurora – this proved to be true as both seem to come to life when they realised what they really wanted out of life. Jeannie, the main character, was more difficult to root for; it was as if she’d already resigned herself to a boring, safe existence, as if giving up running the cider business made her not only redundant in the orchards but in life as well. She had many opportunities come her way, but it felt like she was more reluctant to enjoy herself. For a woman who’d run a business for so long, she didn’t seem to want to choose her own destiny but rather let it simply happen.

What I did enjoy about this story was the seasonal element of the apple trees, from the wassailing in January, to the new growth of spring, the explosion of summer blossom and fruit, and finally the autumn harvest before winter set in once again. I felt this cycle was complimented by the multi-generational cast. The older characters are looking to wind down (some more than others) whilst the younger characters bring new ideas and enthusiasm to the business and the village.

For me, the story is heavy on description, and as beautiful as the subsequent village scenes are, I felt it had the effect of slowing the story down too much. The book club aspect of the plot formed a consistent backdrop to the changing fates of the characters, though I think it was the visit to France that finally made most of the women see the direction in which their lives were heading, and as such decided to control their future for themselves.

Aside from Jeannie, Ruth, Aurora, Verity and Danielle, stand-out characters for me were Violet (Jeannie’s mum) – but, oh, those jokes were soooooo bad, and Barney, whose down-to-earth, matter-of-fact honesty made me laugh out loud. The younger characters, too, were very real and pitched in to help. The French trip was a hoot – the sand-yachting hilarious – and the new arrivals to the village (primarily Anthony & his brother, Mikey) not only spiced up the village gossip but also helped inspire the younger members of the book club – Verity & Danielle - to take control of their lives and invest in themselves and their futures.

Overall, an engaging read about family, friends and community, and the realisation that life is for living, no matter your age.

This was a really sweet tale of friendship and hope. It centered around a group of older ladies, some in their 70s some younger, who formed a book club. They all had struggles they were dealing with and working out where they were going next.

I felt sorry for Jeannie throughout, she seemed to have lost herself and become everyone's crutch but had nothing that was just for her. Ruth was a great character, she started so stern and nervous but really blossomed throughout the story. I felt Auroras character needed a bit more, I was not overly fond of her storyline, it all felt a little trite. But I loved the description of her style and charisma even if her self assuredness was a front.

I loved how new characters to the area entwined into the lives of the ladies and friendships grew.

I also enjoyed the setting of the Cider Farm, it was really informative and I learnt quite a bit about cider production!

All in all this was a fun, charming read.

I love Judy Leigh's ladies and when I start one of her books I know I'm for a treat.
This was an excellent story, loved the characters, it made me smile and I enjoyed it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the e-book of The Golden Oldies’ Book Club to read in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Hats off to Judy Leigh for writing about older people! It was a breath of fresh air after reading about all these 20 or 30-somethings recently. Giving the older population a voice and showing that they can lead interesting lives, and even have romance after you hit 50 was enlightening. I understand Leigh has written other books about the above 50 crowd, and I’ll definitely be checking them out in the future.

I don’t know if I could ever be a part of a book club because my tastes definitely don’t run along the lines of book club fiction. I also don’t know if I could deal with the inevitable arguments that would arise discussing books, which would just be disappointing to me given how I feel about books. And I know I’d end up with someone like some of the husbands in the book. Oh, I was ready to reach into my book and slap the misogyny out of one guy! I’ve had to deal with more than my share of those in the city I live in, mostly older gentleman who still want to live in the 1950’s with their wives at home, barefoot and pregnant.

I absolutely loved the setting of the apple farm and the whole production of apple cider. Every year, without fail, my mother and I would go apple picking, and with my mother, she always picked for an army. My best memories are apple picking with my mom and the kids, and it was bittersweet to take her bushel baskets to the orchard this fall and go picking without her. The fact that the woman running the apple orchard is in her 70’s made the whole story that much sweeter, as sweet as the cider she makes. 🙂

What I liked best about the book is that even though the characters are older than me by a decade or two, they’re completely relatable. Leigh has a way of making the characters jump off the page and seem like people you would meet off the street. That takes a special kind of writing skill.

The only thing I didn’t like was the field trip to France. The characters’ actions and reactions and just the fact that the action took place outside of England was a bit of a downer for me. If you’ve read my blog for any time at all, then you know I love a great many things I’ve read about the English, the countryside or seaside, the bigger cities and quaint villages, everything. But that was a minor inconvenience to me and probably wouldn’t take away from the story if you read it.

I look forward to reading more from Judy Leigh in the future.

Jeannie runs Sharrocks cider as generations have done before her. She lives with her elderly mother who is constantly cracking jokes and her two grandchildren as their father, Jeannie's son, lives abroad and they are finishing their education here. Jeannie is feeling tired and although she has a manager and good staff wishes there was someone to take over for her. Her grandson is studying drama and her granddaughter has been rather errant lately on studying anything. Jeannie enjoys the book club she goes to in the local library which having only one male in tends to swerve the conversation as he is rather abrupt and comes out with misogynistic comments much to the horror of the women. Others in the village of a similar age are going through their own traumas in one way or another. Can they pull together to make themselves happy again?
Another one of Judy’s wonderful reads that always brings a smile. There are Violet's jokes (which make me smile each and every time), family rows and values and a good hearted plot that kept me engaged right through. An uplifting read, I'm smiling as I type this, a little romance and lots of good old fashioned kindness. A wonderful, wonderful book.

#blogtour (amazon review done- misfits farm)

Yes, Judy Leigh has another sweet novel, and this one has a bit of a kick to it – from the cider! Apple cider to be precise. This is because the women “of a certain age” in this novel all live either on or near what is considered to be the best local cider farm in the region – if not the world, according to one of the people who works there. Sure, they make non-alcoholic juice, but the real fun is with the ones that are for the adults. Although the adults are enjoying their tipple, most of the women in this story seem to be a touch hung over in their personal lives. Especially the ones who are members of the local book club.

Now, I have to admit that the book club was the draw for me here, but I’m not sure it came through the way I was hoping it would. Although they do discuss several novels over the year that this book takes place, I did feel that with everything else, the book club was more of an excuse to bring everyone together and not as much of a platform for the story that I had hoped it would be. Despite this, while it was a touch disappointing, it didn’t ruin the book for me at all.

In fact, what Leigh did with these main characters was really fun. Talk about a rollicking good time being had by all, even when things weren’t going well for everyone. Probably my favorite was Violet, with her absolutely horrible puns and jokes, that truly made me laugh out loud. I mean, seriously, I hope that if I make it to the age of 95, I’ll still remember some bad jokes to tell, or even be able to make them up as Violet does! No, she isn’t the main character here, but she was absolutely adorable, and a real hoot to read. I even felt a touch cheated when she wasn’t in a scene.

That said, I did enjoy almost all of the other women in this book as well. Yes, I said almost all. You see, Aurora really disappointed me in this novel, and I’m just a touch unsure if I liked her in the end. But she was the only one who bothered me. I guess not everyone in a story is going to act the way you want them to, since they certainly don’t do so in real life, so it is realistic, if a bit frustrating. Thankfully, everyone else seemed to find their ways through the troubles they were having, with varying levels of success. Again, Leigh doesn’t give everyone a totally perfect happily ever after, which keeps her books from being saccharine, and I’m thankful for that. In fact, if I’m honest, I might not want to read Leigh’s books if everyone rode off into the sunset with their dream lovers, so it is a good thing that we had some disenchantments in this story.

I think I’ve determined that Leigh can be trusted to make me smile, and her writing in this book, especially the openings to the main parts, was just lovely and heartwarming. This is particularly true when Leigh describes the changing of the seasons and in this part of England. I swear I could not only see the way the farm and region evolve, I could almost smell everything from the sweet blossoms to the hefty, strong brandy! Obviously, I am once again warmly recommending this book, and I’m giving it a healthy four and a half stars out of five!

Judy Leigh writes, beautiful stories featuring older women, and this book is a great example of that. Five friends, some in their seventies, some a few years younger, are part of a book club and decide on a visit to a twin community in France for a well-deserved break, and time to consider the future. The women forge a deeper friendship while away and make changes to their lives when they are home again.

Another warm but thoughtful novel

I really enjoyed the Golden Oldies Book Club. As a woman of a certain age, it is great to read about people my age, their issues and, perhaps their romances! The characters were so realistic as were their situations. Definitely a great book to read beside your fire this winter!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-constrained e-arc via Netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

I love this author so ofcourse I had to read this one. It is set in a small town where all the characters are familiar with each other and it seems the heart of the town is at the local cider farm. This book has everything and contains the message that age is just a number and you're never too old for love. I loved all the characters, the cider farm and especially the old dear Violet is a favourite of mine and I loved all her jokes. A beautiful ending for all the characters. Many different romances to explore throughout the story. It just felt like a warm, cosy and uplifting read. A home away from home. I enjoyed their bookclub meetings or should I say debates? I Would highly recommend. A well deserved four out of five stars.

The Golden Oldies Book Club by Judy Leigh is the most delightful, fun-filled contemporary novel that will warm your heart on a dull winter’s day.
Once more Judy Leigh has constructed a totally charming tale that I adored. Her characters are an eclectic mix raging in age from teens to a great grandmother in her nineties. The main characters are in their early seventies.
These characters show the reader that while there’s breath in their bodies, life is for living. We are never too old to try new things and to have new adventures.
This is a cosmopolitan read as we travel from a cider-making farm in Somerset to one in France for a week. There are similarities and differences showing we can all learn from each other.
There are many different households making up the village – from marriages in trouble to singletons to multi-generational families. Each household has different challenges to face and to overcome.
I loved the weekly book club that discussed different classics. My favourite being Wuthering Heights.
Life is too short to live with regrets. Life should be seized and lived.
All the characters support each other. They are not blood-related but the friendships function as a family.
The novel is wonderfully witty, humorous and light-hearted. I loved all the jokes cracked by the great grandmother.
Judy Leigh has constructed another wonderful novel that I adored. I look forward to more, more, more by Judy Leigh.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

In the village of Combe Pomeroy in rural Somerset, there is a monthly bookclub that brings a group of locals together. There's Ruth (the local librarian), Aurora who still pines for her lost love from her youth, Verity and her argumentative husband Mark and Danielle, who has just split up from her husband. And then there is Jeannie, an apple grower and cider brewer who has been running the family business for years, as well as looking after her grandchildren and her aging mother, who has a corny joke for every occasion.




Jeannie is getting to the point of realising that she is going to need to make some changes soon as she is bone tired. But what will she do if she retires, and does it mean selling the family business? Or can she take on board some of the suggestions from her granddaughter, Ella, who seems very interested in taking over the business one day. but will that mean that she will feel redundant.


For the other members of the group, there are also major life changes to contemplate. And thankfully they have each other to lean on. A trip to the village's twin town in France brings them all closer together and gives them the friends they need as time brings changes for each of them. I loved that the changes weren't the obvious ones for all of them!


The structure of the book also follows the cider seasons: Summer, and new apples, harvest time and winter wassailing and along the way we were introduced to some of the traditions of both English and French cider making. I was particularly interested in the information in relation to the French cider making traditions given that we are going to be in the Brittany area of France in a few weeks. I always forget that it is much easier for people in Europe to pop over to another country, whereas our couple of days in Brittany is very much planned.



I mentioned that Jeannie's mother has a joke for every occasion, one of my favourites of the jokes that Jeannie's mother tells is "Oh, now, what did the farmer say when he spilled apple juice all over his laptop?" He said, "Oh, no - there's been a cider attack.""



In the author bio below, Judy Leigh is described as "the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction". That's not a term I have heard before. I do, however, enjoy reading romances where the main characters are older which I have seen referred to as late in life romances. As I have mentioned before, I didn't meet my husband until I was 46 so I totally believe that you don't have to be young to find love.



Having said that, the majority of characters in this book are quite a bit older with several of them being in their early 70s.



I did find it interesting that all of the bookclub books that were discussed were quite serious books, which I thought was an interesting contrast to her own books which her readers are reading! For example, one of the selections was Lady Chatterley's Lover.



I hadn't read Judy Leigh before, but I am definitely looking forward to reading more.

BOOK REVIEW

The Golden Oldies’ Book Club by Judy Leigh

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This book wraps you up like a warm hug. It’s such a charming novel with witty, yet different characters and is such a gentle and inspiring reminder how books can truly bring people together and that true friends are the best blessings in life. This novel reminds me of a European Golden Girls centered around books and it honestly doesn’t get much better than that. It was a breath of fresh air to read a book about older women, and their desire for a second chance. Also, Violet has my heart with humor and dad jokes. ❤️
Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This novel comes out December 6, 2022 (today!) and I would highly encourage all of you to add it to your collection!

Pure delight! Older characters who are filled with a zest for life. Plot was enjoyable, characters are well written, and I will be looking for more in this series and from this author.