It absolutely goes without saying, that I was thrilled to be gifted the opportunity to read the latest instalment in Jo Bartlett’s Cornish Country Hospital series, hoping to catch up with some old favourite characters and perhaps meet some new ones. I must also take this opportunity to say how touched I was that Jo Bartlett dedicated this book to her readers, because of how they have changed her life. I was equally chuffed to personally get an acknowledgement at the end of the book; Jo deserves every gram of success she gets, for producing such fabulous, relatable books. Heartfelt thanks, Jo.
This book can be read as a standalone book, or as the second book in the Cornish Hospital series. However, if you haven’t read the first book in this series, ‘Welcome to the Cornish Country Hospital (https://mybook.to/cornishhospitalsocial)’, then I urge you to do so, as, quite frankly you are missing out!
This book evoked a full spectrum of emotions in me, from laughter, to tears, both happy and big ugly sobbing sad ones. One standout moment for laughs, apart from Gwen’s capers, was the thought of Brenda the dog eating a pot of avocado face cream! Goodness knows what that would have done to her insides! I have never thought about how attractive some of the fruity body creams might be to a dog – although you would imagine that once you get past the nice smell, the taste would be pretty awful! I can only imagine that Brenda was the kind of dog that demolished any potential food so quickly, that it would be gone before she had a chance to think that it might actually be unpleasant! Anyway, I digress. This book is jam packed full with emotion, a book about friends and family, a book about mental health struggles. A heartwarming book to fill you with joy, all the while ameliorating your understanding of more complex issues.
It was great to bump into Esther again, although I’m not sure I had the same sentiment for her ex fiancé, Lucas. Neither his ego nor his head seemed to have decreased in size! Esther was a great character and I found myself hoping to see more of her in this book and for her to have a happier story this time around. The mere mention of dear Gwen brings a huge smile to my face and I looked forward to reading more about her antics in this book. I equally enjoyed the aura of the wonderful Aidan. I was also thrilled to see that Esther and Danni’s relationship seemed as strong as ever, and I was very much looking forward to the arrival of Danni’s newly ‘single-ish’ Brother Joe, and any accompanying change in family/friend dynamic.
I felt that the subject of dementia and the affect is has on the family, was dealt with great empathy and I thought it might provide support to someone going through the same situation as Esther and her family, if only to make someone realise that they aren’t the only ones…. The menopause was another potentially tricky topic, that again was written about very sympathetically. Caroline certainly seemed to have lost her ‘raison d’être’, but could that all be attributed to the menopause, or was she actually suffering from an element of depression? Can the menopause cause depression?
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, at Patrick’s irritatingly sensible behaviour, when Caroline wanted to book a holiday – but would Caroline really be tempted to test whether or not the grass was greener on the other David shaped side? It’s a dilemma for sure, with both being inherently decent people, yet both struggling with their partners and a sense of loneliness. All real life issues, yet dealt with so eloquently.
At the hospital, the elderly couple Ted and Sylvie, stood out to me. Their story was epic and their obvious love for each other was unmistakeable, even on paper, and I decided that we should all aspire to be like Ted and Sylvie when we are older. Once again, Jo Bartlett’s writing is so true to life and her characters are so real, I found myself completely invested in this old couple’s story. I know that they are not real, but for every story told about patients in the hospital, I know that their story is a mirror image of someone’s real story, somewhere. I find this quite a sobering thought and I hope that where the stories do not end well, the people are treated with even half the compassion showed by Esther and Danni and their team. If that is the case, they will be getting a superlative standard of care. Thank you to all the Teds and Sylvies out there, who bring out the best in this world , and thank you those who make personal sacrifices to care for them – the Esthers, the Dannis, the Aidens…..
The thing that I have found with Jo Bartlett’s books without fail, is that I can empathise with the characters, making me genuinely care about what happens to them. I felt that Caroline could do with an infusion of David’s ‘joie de vivre’, although perhaps frustration was making her want more. But would David, to all intents a widower, really be up for ‘more’?
Charlie just seems like the perfect life match for Danni, and I had great hopes for their future, but also I did hope that there was also someone out there for Esther too. Perhaps the timing of Joe’s return augured well for Esther?
Will Caroline’s feelings for David be reciprocated, or will he remain faithful to his dementia stricken Wife. Their mutual anguish at the irony of their Helping Hands work was palpable.
Why is Patrick so dead set against travelling anywhere, or spending money? Is he suffering from some kind of miserable middle aged man syndrome, or does he have genuine money worries or health concerns that he is concealing from Caroline? Regardless, Patrick seems oblivious to the simplest of Caroline’s needs. How I felt for her!
Esther is haunted by what happened with her former patient, Louisa – but surely the same couldn’t happen again with Dillon? It is testament to her kindness and professionalism that she cares so much. Her character is so far removed from that of bigheaded Lucas (who would brag about operating on Dillon, but not give his mental health the slightest thought) that I struggled to ever imagine that they had been an item! I did worry about Dillon though and his delusions when it came to Esther. Surely he wouldn’t be a danger to either himself, or more importantly to Esther? After all, he is innocently showering her with gifts – nothing more……?
Has Joe’s surprise arrival provided a soupçon of hope for romance for Esther – but if so would it be a good idea, since Esther is best friends with Joe’s Sister Danni?
Starting to read this book just left me bursting with questions, desperate to finish it and find out more. If you pick this book up and read it and get just half of the enjoyment that I did, then you are on to a certain winner!
One last confession – I had to Google cotton reel wreaths; I just couldn’t picture such a thing. There are actually many designs and they really do look pretty spectacular.
Purchase link: https://mybook.to/friendshospitalsocial
Eatwell Reads-Well 