Lily Harford's Last Request
Joanna Buckley
Reviewed by Helen
This is a really emotional story, beautifully told, it takes in the life of Lily Harford, as she is getting older and wanting to decide when she leaves this world can she find someone who will have the courage to help her, maybe her daughter Pauline or nurse assistant Donna, this is a story that is sure to keep the reader turning the pages.
Lily has lived a full life in the small coastal town of Finn Bay on the Pacific Ocean, she has run her own account firm and been a single mum to her daughter Pauline, but as she is aging her daughter is worried about her being in the house on her own and even though it takes a bit Lily agrees to move into the local assisted care home. Things get more worrying for Lily when she is diagnosed with vascular dementia, Lily remembers seeing her father die this way and that is not what she wants for herself.
Pauline is beside herself with worry over her mother and her stressful life as a school principal does not help with her worries, her husband Sam is there for her as is her daughter Rachel but Pauline seems to be falling apart at the moment and her mother is asking to die. There is Donna as well a loving caring nurse’s assistant who is very fond of Lily, Donna has problems of her own but worries so much about Lily and her wish to die, and will there be someone who will help Lily?
This story digs deep into the way that we help our aging families, it is thought provoking and emotional and moving as we get to Lily more and what has been in her past and we see the love that Pauline has for her mother and all of the guilt and emotions that come with putting the person you love into aged care. The characters are wonderfully written and easy to get to know and I feel their pain as they struggle with Lily’s wish. This is a story that had me feeling very emotional throughout with thoughts of my parents, it is a story that I do highly recommend.
My thanks to Harlequin AU and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review.
Lily has lived a full life in the small coastal town of Finn Bay on the Pacific Ocean, she has run her own account firm and been a single mum to her daughter Pauline, but as she is aging her daughter is worried about her being in the house on her own and even though it takes a bit Lily agrees to move into the local assisted care home. Things get more worrying for Lily when she is diagnosed with vascular dementia, Lily remembers seeing her father die this way and that is not what she wants for herself.
Pauline is beside herself with worry over her mother and her stressful life as a school principal does not help with her worries, her husband Sam is there for her as is her daughter Rachel but Pauline seems to be falling apart at the moment and her mother is asking to die. There is Donna as well a loving caring nurse’s assistant who is very fond of Lily, Donna has problems of her own but worries so much about Lily and her wish to die, and will there be someone who will help Lily?
This story digs deep into the way that we help our aging families, it is thought provoking and emotional and moving as we get to Lily more and what has been in her past and we see the love that Pauline has for her mother and all of the guilt and emotions that come with putting the person you love into aged care. The characters are wonderfully written and easy to get to know and I feel their pain as they struggle with Lily’s wish. This is a story that had me feeling very emotional throughout with thoughts of my parents, it is a story that I do highly recommend.
My thanks to Harlequin AU and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review.
4 stars
Expected publication: February 2nd 2022 by Harlequin Enterprises (Australia) Pty Ltd
