Mrs Caldicot has been married for over 30 years to a dour, ignorant
man who "worked in sewage". She has learned to think but not speak, as
she has nothing worth saying, apparently. When he dies, she is not
bereft, but finds herself not knowing quite what to do with herself.
She has a large, three bedroomed house and a garden, but no hobbies, no
friends, and no interests. That doesn't last long, for her son is
determined to sort things out and arranges for her home to be sold, and for her to reside in a
retirement home, which smells of cabbage, and where residents are
drugged up to the eyeballs. She is quick to stop swallowing her drugs,
and persuades (or rather teaches) her two roommates to do the same. She
refuses to eat cabbage, and insists that her cat comes to live with
her. That's just the start of this heartwarming tale, where we learn
that even the old should have a voice. (In telling the tale, Vernon
Cole has observed how badly the elderly can be treated when foisted off
to care homes unnecessarily. Somehow, the care home business in general
still has some dreadful stories to tell 40+ years after this book was
written, as we see in the news). But if that sounds bleak, it isn't at
all, Mrs Caldicot is suddenly able to rise above all that and
Do Something About It!
That was my view, but I found this review from 2006 on Amazon after I'd read it, and thought you'd enjoy reading it.....
" 5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read - revolution for older folk, 16 May 2006
Mrs Caldicot has a bummer of a husband. He dies.
Her relatives want to dump her in a nursing home so they can sell her
house. And then it starts. Good old Mrs C suddenly gets a bit lively.
She stands up for herself and won't put up with the boss of the nursing
home. She starts a revolution. Its sad and funny all at the same time.
And underneath it all there is the message. I loved it."
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