Living the Good Life by Celia Anderson

 💖💖💖💖💖/5

Living the Good Life by Celia Anderson is the story of Nell, Barney and her father-in-law Frank move to the countryside; while Barney is enthusiastic about the move, Nell and Frank have reservations. They soon settle in to their new life and begin to forge friendships and make new connections. All three have a number of issues that need dealing with and as we move through the story the three of them grow and find themselves.

Nell is the main care giver and expected to ensure both men are looked after without a thought as to what she wants. I liked how she chose to put herself first and made an effort to make friends and join the community. I loved how Nell’s relationship with Frank strengthened as he dealt with his grief and how his life had now changed.

Nell and Barney are having issues within their marriage and it was interesting how it was portrayed and resolved. They both seemed to enjoy the friendship of another new friend, yet ultimately they really only had eyes for each other as they put the work in to ensure their marriage carried on and was happy and fulfilling. I enjoyed seeing Nell and Barney reconnect and almost become teenagers again as they rediscover themselves.

I absolutely loved the Saga Louts: their honesty, earthiness, and lack of filters were a breath of fresh air. This is a heartwarming, multilayered story, both funny and poignant, filled with well-drawn characters and good storytelling. This is my first Celia Anderson book and definitely not my last. It looked at all aspects of getting older, life within a marriage that may fall apart, illnesses that change you and how to deal with the aftermath of that, and to top it all, moving to a new community.

#LivingTheGoodLife #Boldwood #NetGalley