Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year (Joanna Nell, Hachette)

‘Books with heart and humour,’ reads the tagline of author Joanna Nell’s website, and her latest book, Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year, is no exception. After the bestselling The Tea Ladies of St Jude’s Hospital, her fifth novel can easily be categorised as a Shirley Valentine-style ‘mature married woman flees reality in search of adventure’ tale, but Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year is a standout in the genre. Dr Heather Winterbottom is on the brink of retiring from the rural GP practice in southern England she has run with her husband, Dr Alan, for over 40 years. Heather is afraid of reaching 90 ‘with a bucket list of broken dreams’. She doesn’t want ‘safe, boring and predictable. I want spontaneous, fun and adventure’. In stark contrast, Alan wants to lie low and grow potatoes. Frustrated and disillusioned, Heather flies to Greece and meets the dashing ex-naval Commander Dennis—cue potential cliched territory. However, the author’s deft treatment of Heather and Dennis’s friendship and Heather’s vulnerable insights into her marriage and future are astute. Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year is like the best company—engaging, funny and resoundingly human. This novel is sure to attract a broad audience of character-driven readers while also undoubtedly causing a dramatic increase in plane ticket sales to Greece. For fans of Toni Jordan’s Dinner with the Schnabels and Kate Solly’s Tuesday Evenings with the Copeton Craft Resistance.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Michelle Atkins is a communications professional and published educational author. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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