Away From It All

by Judy Astley

Alice has a scrupulously organised, comfortable life in West London with Noel - her second husband whose main ambition in life is to sharpen his golf handicap in time for retirement. But Alice's once-famous bohemian mother Jocelyn, residing in shabby splendour in a crumbling house on a clifftop in Cornwall, becomes ill and Alice, with her daughter and stepson, goes to look after her. What she finds there appals her - her glorious childhood home falling into decay, her brother and his wife taking more notice of the illegal substances being grown in the vegetable garden than in the domestic arrangements, and their twin sons running wild and living according to the tenets of the SAS Survival Handbook (trapping rabbits and catapulting seagulls).

Noel, helpfully, considers that Jocelyn offload the house ('She's sitting on a goldmine, you know') and move into sensible sheltered accommodation. But the children love the freedom and beauty that they discover in Cornwall, and Alice begins to wonder whether her chosen way of life is necessarily the right one...

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Judy Astley started writing in 1990 following several years of working as a dressmaker, illustrator, painter and parent. Her sixteen novels, the most recent of which are Laying The Ghost and Other People¹s Husbands, are all published by Transworld/Black Swan. Judy¹s specialist areas, based on many years of hectic personal experience, are domestic disharmony and family chaos with a good mix of love-and-passion and plenty of humour thrown in. Judy has been a regular columnist on magazines and enjoys writing journalism pieces on just about any subject, usually from a fun viewpoint. She lives in London and Cornwall, loves plants, books, hot sunshine and rock music (all at once, preferably) and would happily claim that listening in to other people¹s conversations is both a top hobby and an absolute career-necessity

Reviews

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 *

What is not to like about a book that opens with the main character (Alice) sighting Elvis browsing in the cat food aisle at Sainsbury's.

Alice lives with her second husband in a leafy London suburb. But when her Bohemian mother falls ill, Alice has to go to Cornwall to look after her, and she begins to wonder if she has made the right life choices.

This is an amusing look at family relationships - the expectations we have of those nearest and dearest to us; the changing relationships between mothers and daughters and granddaughters as we age; our perceptions vs the reality of our marriages; the choices we make, and the sometimes inconsequential reasonings behind them.

I will be reading more from Judy Astley.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice lighthearted book with lots of interesting characters. Really enjoyed it.

[PagePilgrim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd say this book is "quite nice". It's a light book to take to the beach. I identified with Alice, being quite sick and tired of the city rat race myself. It also reminds me of how quick we are as humans to judge from the outside but our perspective and behaviour changes once we're in the others shoes.
I didn't care at all for the animal abuse segments in the book though. All in all an enjoyable read.

[LindyLouMac · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read in 2003

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read, but I'm biased being a Brit and reading stories from home. Gave it to my girlfriend to read and as of yet she hasn't contacted me for any translation. Recommend as a fun light hearted read.

[Ann Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice is living in London with her second husband, Noel. They have a child each. Alice lives a well ordered comfortable life. Alice however had been brought up in Cornwall by her mother Jocelyn, no father on the scene. Alice`s upbringing was far from well ordered; she did not go to school and was left mostly to do her own thing. Following a plea from her brother who has stated that her mother is unwell and he needs help Alice returns to Cornwall. Alice returns to Cornwall along with her daughter and stepson. The mother does not seem to be that unwell but the house itself has been neglected and is falling into disrepair. They do have holiday accomodation, but I am not sure why anyone would wish to stay there! After a week or so Alice and her children fall into this more relaxed way of life. Alice spends quite some time doing up the holiday lets. Alice and children find they have adopted very well to this way of life.

[Riane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book initially gave off the impression of holiday-book-read but along the pages it grew into a slightly existential-life-transition piece. It speaks a lot on nostalgia and waning fame or passing life chapters in line with the human nature to find purpose and seek validation for one's life's work or past achievements. It also touches on family workings and life with its choices by people within unconventional yet normalized and accepted lifestyles that families find themselves in.

It took a long time to get absorbed in this book's world personally but the ending, as rushed as it felt, was a good closer in the reality that change is inevitable and it only matters how a person lives on with that change. Whether to let circumstances and the world dictate your life and you be at its mercy, or you to live with the changes and welcome the good that may come with them, this book feeds and settles longing nostalgia to its readers.

[Lisa van der Burg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Het verhaal is niet echt heel sterk. Alice gaat met haar vriend, dochter en stiefzoon van Londen naar een klein dorpje om voor haar moeder te zorgen. Zij woont in een oud huis waar vroeger een soort community huis hield. De plek zou nu kunnen dienen als bed&breakfast, maar het is erg vervallen.

Er gebeurt erg weinig. Er wordt een boek en een documentaire gemaakt over haar moeder (Joyce). Uiteindelijk besluit haar moeder het huis met grond te verkopen. Grace (de dochter van alice) had het er erg naar haar zin. Ook Alice ziet er wel toekomst in om de huizen/kamers op te knappen en in het dorp te blijven wonen.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

A fun book about reconnecting and reevaluating one’s life
A good summer read, one I will read again I think

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt a bit disjointed, like pieces were missing in the narrative. I know it was done on purpose, but it just felt like the author couldn't be bothered to fill in the blanks.

[Goldenwattle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read.

[Ro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. You can’t go far wrong with a good bit of BritLit.